Marquess of Reading is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1926 for Rufus Isaacs, who had been

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

between 1904 and 1913, before serving as

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He had already been created Baron Reading, of Erleigh in the County of Berkshire, in 1914, Viscount Reading, of Erleigh in the County of Berkshire, in 1916, and Viscount Erleigh, of Erleigh in the County of Berkshire, and Earl of Reading, in 1917. The marquessate of Reading is the highest title in the British peerage ever attained by a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

, and is the most recently created ''extant'' marquessate in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (that of Willingdon was created in 1936 but became extinct in 1979). In this role, the marquessate of Reading is currently the junior-most marquessate in the

Order of precedence in England and Wales The following is the order of precedence in England and Wales as of . Separate orders exist for men and women. Names in italics indicate that these people rank elsewhere—either higher in that table of precedence or in the table for the ot ...

. Upon the death of the 1st Marquess of Reading, he was succeeded by his son, the second marquess. He notably held ministerial office from 1951 to 1957 in the Conservative administrations of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

and Anthony Eden. the titles are held by his grandson, the fourth marquess, who succeeded his father in 1980. The family seat was Jaynes Court, near Bisley,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) 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. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. In May 1804, the title of Baron Reading was offered to the outgoing prime minister, Henry Addington, who had many links with the largely pre-industrialised town, as a subsidiary title of the customary retirement

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particula ...

for prime ministers. However, Addington refused the honour, though later accepting a peerage as

Viscount Sidmouth Viscount Sidmouth, of Sidmouth in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 12 January 1805 for the former prime minister, Henry Addington. In May 1804, King George III intended to confer the titl ...

Marquesses of Reading (1926)

:''Other titles (1st Marquess onwards): Baron Reading ( UK, 1914), Viscount Reading (UK, 1916), Viscount Erleigh (UK, 1917), Earl of Reading (UK, 1917) '' * Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (1860–1935) *

Gerald Rufus Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iris ...

(1889–1960) *

Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading (8 March 1916 – 2 July 1980) was an English aristocrat and banker. Biography Early life He was born in 1916. His father was Gerald Rufus Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading (1889–1960), and ...

(1916–1980) * Simon Charles Henry Rufus Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading (born 1942) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder's son, Julian Michael Rufus Isaacs, Viscount Erleigh (born 1986). * ''Michael Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading (1916–1980)'' ** Coronet of a British Marquess

Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading (born 1942) *** (1) Julian Rufus Isaacs, ''Viscount Erleigh'' (born 1986) ** (2) ''Lord'' Antony Rufus Isaacs (born 1943) ** (3) ''Lord'' Alexander Rufus Isaacs (born 1957)

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *
Lord Reading Yacht ClubLord Reading Law Society

Marquesses of Reading (1926)

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