Viscount Bledisloe, of Lydney in the County of Gloucester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Peerage of the United Kingdom

The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...

. It was created in 1935 for the Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 politician Charles Bathurst, 1st Baron Bledisloe

Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe

-External links:*...

, upon his retirement as Governor-General of New Zealand

Governor-General of New Zealand

The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....

. He had already been created Baron Bledisloe, of Lydney in the County of Gloucester, in 1918, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Bathurst was the great-grandson and namesake of the early-19th-century politician Charles Bathurst

Charles Bathurst

Charles Bathurst PC , known as Charles Bragge from 1754 to 1804, was a British politician of the early 19th century.-Background and education:...

. The latter was the son of Charles Bragge and Anne Bathurst, granddaughter of Sir Benjamin Bathurst, younger brother of Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst

Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst

Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst PC , known as the Lord Bathurst from 1712 to 1772, was a British politician....

. In 1804, Charles Bathurst assumed the surname of Bathurst in lieu of Bragge. The first Viscount's grandson, third Viscount, was one of the ninety elected hereditary peer

Hereditary peer

Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...

s that were allowed to remain in the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999

House of Lords Act 1999

The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...

, and sat as a cross-bencher until his death on 12 May 2009. He was also a member of the Lords Constitution Committee

Constitution Committee (House of Lords)

The Constitution Committee is a cross-party select committee of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Committee’s remit is “to examine the constitutional implications of all public bills coming before the House; and to keep under review the operation of...

. He was succeeded by his son, Rupert, the fourth and current holder of the titles .

The family seat is Lydney Park

Lydney Park

Lydney Park is a 17th century country estate surrounding Lydney House, located at Lydney in the Forest of Dean district in Gloucestershire, England. It is known for its gardens and Roman temple complex.-House and gardens:...

, near Lydney

Lydney

Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...

, Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

.

Viscounts Bledisloe (1935)

• Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe
  Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe
  -External links:*...
  
   (1867–1958)
• Benjamin Ludlow Bathurst, 2nd Viscount Bledisloe
  Benjamin Bathurst, 2nd Viscount Bledisloe
  Benjamin Ludlow Bathurst, 2nd Viscount Bledisloe was a British barrister.-Background and education:Born at Westbury, Wiltshire, Bledisloe was the eldest son of Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe and the Hon. Bertha Susan Lopes, daughter of Henry Lopes, 1st Baron Ludlow. He was educated at...
  
   (1899–1979)
• Christopher Hiley Ludlow Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe
  Christopher Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe
  Christopher Hiley Ludlow Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe, QC , was the son of the second Viscount. He was educated at Eton, and Trinity College, Oxford. He served in the military as a Second Lieutenant of the 11th Hussars from 1954 to 1955 and went into law; he was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn...
  
   (1934–2009) (elected into House of Lords, 1999)
• Rupert Edward Ludlow Bathurst, 4th Viscount Bledisloe (b. 1964)

The heir apparent

Heir apparent

An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

is the present holder's son, the Hon. Benjamin Bathurst (b. 2004)