Marquess of Rockingham
Encyclopedia
Marquess of Rockingham was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain
. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton
. The Watson family descended from Lewis Watson, Member of Parliament
for Lincoln
. He was created a Baronet, of Rockingham Castle in the County of Northampton, in the Baronetage of England in 1621. In 1645 he was further honoured when he was raised to the Peerage of England
as Baron Rockingham. The third Baron served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. In 1714 he was created Baron Throwley, Viscount Sondes and Earl of Rockingham in the Peerage of Great Britain
. His eldest son Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes
, predeceased him and he was succeeded by his grandson, the second Earl (the eldest son of Lord Sondes). The second Earl was Lord-Lieutenant of Kent before his early death in 1745. He was childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, Thomas. He had previously represented Canterbury
in Parliament. He died already in 1746 when the barony of Throwley, viscountcy and earldom became extinct.
He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony of Rockingham by his first cousin once removed, Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton
, who became the sixth Baron. He was the son of the Honourable Thomas Watson-Wentworth, third son of the second Baron. He had adopted the additional surname Wentworth when he inherited the estate of his maternal uncle, William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford
, in 1695. In 1728 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Baron Malton. In 1733 he was made Baron Harrowden, Baron Wath, Viscount Higham and Earl of Malton in the Peerage of Great Britain. In April 1746, two months after succeeding in the barony of Rockingham, he was created Marquess of Rockingham in the Peerage of Great Britain. He was succeeded by his second but only surviving son, the second Marquess. In September 1750, two months before succeeding his father, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland
in his own right as Baron Malton and Earl Malton. Lord Rockingham was a prominent Whig grandee and served as Prime Minister of Great Britain between 1765 and 1766 and again in 1782. When he died in 1782 all of his titles became extinct. His estates passed to his nephew, William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam
.
The family seats were Rockingham Castle
, Northamptonshire
, and Wentworth Woodhouse
, near Rotherham
, Yorkshire
.
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton
Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham
Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
. The Watson family descended from Lewis Watson, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Lincoln
Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)
Lincoln is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. He was created a Baronet, of Rockingham Castle in the County of Northampton, in the Baronetage of England in 1621. In 1645 he was further honoured when he was raised to the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
as Baron Rockingham. The third Baron served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. In 1714 he was created Baron Throwley, Viscount Sondes and Earl of Rockingham in the Peerage of Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
. His eldest son Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes
Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes
Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes was a British Member of Parliament.He was the eldest son of Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham and his wife Catherine, daughter of George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham....
, predeceased him and he was succeeded by his grandson, the second Earl (the eldest son of Lord Sondes). The second Earl was Lord-Lieutenant of Kent before his early death in 1745. He was childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, Thomas. He had previously represented Canterbury
Canterbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Canterbury is a county constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in Parliament. He died already in 1746 when the barony of Throwley, viscountcy and earldom became extinct.
He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony of Rockingham by his first cousin once removed, Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton
Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham
Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
, who became the sixth Baron. He was the son of the Honourable Thomas Watson-Wentworth, third son of the second Baron. He had adopted the additional surname Wentworth when he inherited the estate of his maternal uncle, William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford was a member of England's House of Lords.He was a son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and his second wife Arabella Holles. When his father, Thomas, was executed in 1641, William left the Kingdom of England for several years. In 1652 he was...
, in 1695. In 1728 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Baron Malton. In 1733 he was made Baron Harrowden, Baron Wath, Viscount Higham and Earl of Malton in the Peerage of Great Britain. In April 1746, two months after succeeding in the barony of Rockingham, he was created Marquess of Rockingham in the Peerage of Great Britain. He was succeeded by his second but only surviving son, the second Marquess. In September 1750, two months before succeeding his father, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
in his own right as Baron Malton and Earl Malton. Lord Rockingham was a prominent Whig grandee and served as Prime Minister of Great Britain between 1765 and 1766 and again in 1782. When he died in 1782 all of his titles became extinct. His estates passed to his nephew, William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam
William FitzWilliam, 4th Earl FitzWilliam
William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam PC , styled Viscount Milton until 1756, was a British Whig statesman of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1782 he inherited his uncle Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham's estates, making him one of the richest people in...
.
The family seats were Rockingham Castle
Rockingham Castle
Rockingham Castle is a former royal castle and hunting lodge in Rockingham Forest a mile to the north of Corby, Northamptonshire.-History:The site on which the castle stands has been used in the Iron Age, Roman period and by the invading Saxons also used by the Normans, Tudors and also used in the...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, and Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house near the village of Wentworth, in the vicinity of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. "One of the great Whig political palaces", its East Front, long, is the longest country house façade in Europe. The house includes 365 rooms and covers an...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Barons Rockingham (1645)
- Lewis Watson, 1st Baron Rockingham (1584–1653)
- Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham (1630–1689)
- Lewis Watson, 3rd Baron RockinghamLewis Watson, 1st Earl of RockinghamLewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham was an English peer and politician.Rockingham was the eldest son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham and his wife, the former Lady Anne Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. In 1677, he married Lady Catherine Sondes, a daughter of...
(1655–1724) (created Earl of Rockingham in 1714)
Earls of Rockingham (1714)
- Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of RockinghamLewis Watson, 1st Earl of RockinghamLewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham was an English peer and politician.Rockingham was the eldest son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham and his wife, the former Lady Anne Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. In 1677, he married Lady Catherine Sondes, a daughter of...
(1655–1724)- Edward Watson, Viscount SondesEdward Watson, Viscount SondesEdward Watson, Viscount Sondes was a British Member of Parliament.He was the eldest son of Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham and his wife Catherine, daughter of George Sondes, 1st Earl of Feversham....
(1686–1722)
- Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes
- Lewis Watson, 2nd Earl of RockinghamLewis Watson, 2nd Earl of RockinghamLewis Watson, 2nd Earl of Rockingham was a British peer, styled Viscount Sondes from 1722 to 1724.He inherited the earldom from his grandfather, Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham, in 1724. He was Lord Lieutenant of Kent from 1737. He died childless and was succeeded by his brother, Thomas....
(c. 1714–1745) - Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of RockinghamThomas Watson, 3rd Earl of RockinghamThomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham was an English nobleman and politician. He served as Member of Parliament for Canterbury from 1741 until 1745 when he succeeded to the earldom. He died the next year at the age of thirty.-Titles from birth to death:*The Hon. Thomas Watson *The Hon. Thomas...
(1715–1746) (earldom extinct at his death)
Barons Rockingham (1645; Reverted)
- Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton, 6th Baron RockinghamThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of RockinghamThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
(1693–1750) (created Marquess of Rockingham in 1746)
Marquesses of Rockingham (1746)
- Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of RockinghamThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of RockinghamThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
(1693–1750)- William Watson-Wentworth, Viscount Higham (1728–1739)
- Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of RockinghamCharles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of RockinghamCharles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG, PC , styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Earl Malton in 1750, was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Prime...
(1730–1782)