Earl of Lonsdale
The title of
Earl of Lonsdale has been created twice - first in the
Peerage of Great Britain in
1784 (becoming extinct in
1802), and then in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom in
1807, both times for members of the
Lowther family.
The titles of
Viscount Lonsdale and
Baron Lowther, in the
Peerage of England, were conferred upon Sir John Lowther, of Lowther,
2nd Baronet, in
1696. On the death of the 3rd Viscount in
1751, the barony and viscountcy became extinct, and the baronetcy passed to his
second cousin James Lowther. He was created
Baron Lowther,
Baron Kendal,
Baron Burgh,
Viscount Lonsdale,
Viscount Lowther and
Earl of Lonsdale in
1784. However, he had no heirs, and so in
1797 he was further created
Baron Lowther and
Viscount Lowther, with a special remainder to allow the succession of his
third cousin once removed, Sir William Lowther of Little Preston, 2nd Baronet (of the creation of
1764). Sir William duly succeeded to the Barony and Viscountcy of Lowther in
1802, and in
1807 was created
Earl of Lonsdale, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The present Earl is therefore 8th Earl of Lonsdale (
UK,
1807), 9th Viscount Lowther (
GB,
1797), 9th Baron Lowther (
GB,
1797), and 9th Baronet (
GB,
1764).
The family seat was
Lowther Castle in
Cumbria but the present earl lives at nearby Askham Hall.
*
John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale (
1655-
1700)
*
Richard Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lonsdale (
1692-
1713)
*
Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale (
1694-
1751)
*
James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (
1736-
1802)
*
James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, 1st Viscount Lowther (
1736-
1802)
*
William Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lowther (
1757-
1844) (created Earl of Lonsdale in 1807, below)
*
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (
1757-
1844)
*
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale (
1787-
1872)
*
Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale (
1818-
1876)
*
George Henry Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale (
1855-
1882)
*
Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale (
1857-
1944)
*
Lancelot Edward Lowther, 6th Earl of Lonsdale (
1867-
1953)
*
James Hugh William Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale (
1922â€"
2006)
*
Hugh Clayton Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale (b.
27 May 1949)
The heir presumptive is his half-brother,
Hon. William James Lowther, (b.
1957).
Viscount Ullswater
