The title Baron Berkeley originated as a

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

title and was subsequently created twice in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

. It was first granted by writ to

Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1245– 23 July 1321), ''The Wise'', English feudal barony, feudal baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer, soldier and diplomat. His e ...

(1245–1321), 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 1295, but the title of that creation became extinct at the death of his great-great-grandson, the fifth Baron by writ, when no male heirs to the barony by writ remained, although the feudal barony continued. The next creation by writ was in 1421, for the last baron's nephew and heir James Berkeley. His son and successor William was created Viscount Berkeley in 1481, Earl of Nottingham in 1483, and Marquess of Berkeley in 1488. He had no surviving male issue, so the Marquessate and his other non-inherited titles became extinct on his death in 1491, whilst the barony passed ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' to his younger brother Maurice. However, William had disinherited Maurice because he considered him to have brought shame on the noble House of Berkeley by marrying beneath his status to Isabel, daughter of Philip Mead of Wraxhall, an Alderman and Mayor of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. Instead, he bequeathed the castle, lands and lordships comprising the Barony of Berkeley to King Henry VII and his heirs male, failing which to descend to William's own rightful heirs. Thus on the death of

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

in 1553, Henry VII's unmarried grandson, the Berkeley inheritance returned to the family. Therefore, Maurice and his descendants from 1492 to 1553 were ''de jure'' barons only, until the return of the title to the senior heir Henry (and indirectly to his mother

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

), becoming ''de facto'' 7th Baron in 1553. Upon his death he was succeeded by his relative George Harding. His son, the ninth Baron, was created in 1679 Earl of Berkeley and Viscount Dursley, which remained united to the barony until the death of the sixth Earl in 1882, when the earldom passed to a male heir and the barony passed to a female one, Louisa Milman. At Louisa's death, the barony went to Eva Mary Foley, upon whose death the barony fell into

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ' meaning "gaping") describes a state of temporary dormancy or suspension. In law, it can refer to a situation where the ownership of property, titles, or office is not currently Vesting, vested in any specific perso ...

. The abeyance was terminated a few years later in favour of Mary Lalle Foley-Berkeley. Upon her death, the barony went to her nephew Anthony Gueterbock, who is the present holder. In 2000, he was created Baron Gueterbock for life in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

. The

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

s of each baron were coined by John Smith of Nibley (d.1641), steward of the Berkeley estates, the biographer of the family and author of "Lives of the Berkeleys".

Feudal Barons of Berkeley

The

feudal barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely bee ...

of Berkeley was created , when King Henry II granted the royal castle of Berkeley to the Anglo-Saxon royal financier Robert Fitzharding under the

feudal land tenure Under the English feudal system several different forms of land tenure existed, each effectively a contract with differing rights and duties attached thereto. Such tenures could be either free-hold if they were hereditable or perpetual or non-fr ...

. Prior to that time, Berkeley Castle had been held in fee-farm by Roger I "de Berkeley" (d.1093),Cokayne, ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition re ...

'', new edition, II, p.124 a Norman nobleman, possibly a son of Roger I of Tosny (died ), who acquired the surname "de Berkeley". Roger I "de Berkeley" held extensive lands in-chief of the king in 1086, as recorded by

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, including Dursley and retired as a monk to

St Peter's Abbey, Gloucester Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishmen ...

in about 1091. His son Roger II (d. about 1131) and grandson Roger III (d. after 1177) also held the manor of Dursley in-chief of the king. In 1152 Roger III was deprived of the farm of Berkeley during the civil war between King Stephen and the

Empress Maud Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Duchy of Normandy, Norm ...

. He was later restored to Dursley, and founded the family of "Berkeley of Dursley", but Berkeley Castle was granted by barony to Robert FitzHarding, a native Englishman and royal financier of Bristol, whose family also took the name "de Berkeley". To mollify the ill feelings of Roger of Dursley, Henry II encouraged each family to marry their respective male heirs to the eldest daughters of the other, which was successfully accomplished. The

s below were assigned by John Smith (d.1640) of Nibley, household steward of the Berkeleys and author of ''Lives of the Berkeleys'': * Robert FitzHarding, 1st feudal baron of Berkeley (d.1170/1) ''Robert the Devout''. * Maurice FitzRobert FitzHarding, 2nd feudal baron of Berkeley (–1190/1) (otherwise "Maurice I de Berkeley") ''Maurice the Make-Peace'', son, who in accordance with the wishes of King Henry II married Alice de Berkeley, eldest daughter of Roger III "de Berkeley" (d. after 1177) of Dursley. * Robert de Berkeley, 3rd feudal baron of Berkeley (–1220) ''Robert the Rebellious'', son * Thomas I de Berkeley, 4th feudal baron of Berkeley (–1243) ''Thomas the Observer or Temporiser'', brother * Maurice II de Berkeley, 5th feudal baron of Berkeley (1218–1281) ''Maurice the Resolute'', son

Barons Berkeley, by writ, First Creation (1295)

From 1295 the feudal barony continued concurrently with the barony by writ. The feudal barony continued until the

Tenures Abolition Act 1660 The Tenures Abolition Act 1660 ( 12 Cha. 2. c. 24), sometimes known as the Statute of Tenures, was an act of the Parliament of England which changed the nature of several types of feudal land tenure in England. The long title of the act was ' ...

. The feudal barony of Berkeley is especially important in that the barony by writ was deemed, extraordinarily, to be in effect a feudal barony (or barony by tenure), dependent on the tenure of Berkeley Castle. Thus when William Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (1426–1492), ''William the Waste-All'', alienated Berkeley Castle to the king, he effectively disinherited his younger brother from the barony by writ. * Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley, 6th feudal baron of Berkeley (1245–1321) ''Thomas the Wise'', son. * Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley, 7th feudal baron of Berkeley (1271–1326), ''Maurice the Magnanimous'', son. * Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley, 8th feudal baron of Berkeley (1293/6–1361) ''Thomas the Rich'', son. * Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley, 9th feudal baron of Berkeley (1320–1368) ''Maurice the Valiant'', son. * Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley, 10th feudal baron of Berkeley (1353–1417) ''Thomas the Magnificent'', son, died without male progeny.

Barons Berkeley, by writ, Second Creation (1421)

James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1394 – 22 October 1463), also known as "James the Just", was an English Peerage, peer. Berkeley was the son of Sir James de Berkeley (d. 1405) and his wife Elizabeth (née Bluet) and by 1410 accepted as ...

(–1463), ''James the Just'', nephew and heir male. * William Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (1426–1492), ''William the Waste-All'', son. * Maurice Berkeley, ''de jure'' 3rd Baron Berkeley (1436–1506), ''Maurice the Lawyer'', brother. * Maurice Berkeley, ''de jure'' 4th Baron Berkeley (1467–1523), ''Maurice the Courtier'', son. Died without legitimate progeny. * Thomas Berkeley, ''de jure'' 5th Baron Berkeley (1472–1533), ''Thomas the Sheepmaster'', brother. * Thomas Berkeley, ''de jure'' 6th Baron Berkeley (1505–1534), ''Thomas the Hopeful'', son. * Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley (1534–1613), ''Henry the Harmless / Posthumous Henry'', posthumous son.Cokayne, ''

'', new edition, II, p.138 * George Berkeley, 8th Baron Berkeley (1601–1658), grandson. (No epithets coined after the death of John Smith (d.1640) of Nibley) * George Berkeley, 1st Earl of Berkeley, 9th Baron Berkeley (1627–1698), son (created Earl of Berkeley in 1679) * Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley, 10th Baron Berkeley (1649–1710) * James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, 11th Baron Berkeley (1680–1736) * Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley, 12th Baron Berkeley (1716–1755) * Frederick Augustus Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley, 13th Baron Berkeley (1745–1810) * Thomas Moreton Fitzhardinge Berkeley, 6th Earl of Berkeley, 14th Baron Berkeley (1796–1882) * Louisa Mary Milman, 15th Baroness Berkeley (by birth: Berkeley) (1840–1899) * Eva Mary Foley, 16th Baroness Berkeley (by birth: Milman) (1875–1964) (abeyant 1964) * Mary Lalle Foley-Berkeley, 17th Baroness Berkeley (1905–1992) (abeyance terminated 1967) * Anthony Fitzhardinge Gueterbock, 18th Baron Berkeley (b. 1939), her nephew The heir apparent is his son Thomas FitzHardinge Gueterbock (b. 1969)

Earls of Berkeley (after 1882, continuing the creation of 1679)

The Earldom of Berkeley, together with the Viscountcy of Dursley, was separated from the barony in 1882, but the succession was not fully established. In 1942 both titles became extinct or dormant. * George Lennox Rawdon Berkeley, 7th Earl of Berkeley (1827–1888), son of

George Berkeley George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...

, who was a grandson of the 4th Earl * Randal Thomas Mowbray Berkeley, 8th Earl of Berkeley (1865–1942) (dormant 1942)

Family tree

References

Sources

George Edward Cokayne George Edward Cokayne (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911) was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standard ...

. ''

. Volume 2: Bass to Canning'', ed. Gibbs, Vicary, London, 1912, pp. 118–149, Berkeley *Sanders, I.J. ''English Baronies'', Oxford, 1960, p. 13, Berkeley * Smyth, John (1567–1640). ''The Lives of the Berkeleys, Lords of the

Honour Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself ...

, Castle and Manor of Berkeley from 1066 to 1618'', ed. Maclean, Sir John, 3 vols., Gloucester, 1883–1885 (First published ) *
Vol 1, 1883

Vol 2, 1883

Vol.3, 1885
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley Baronies in the Peerage of England

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

1295 establishments in England Extinct baronies in the Peerage of England Noble titles created in 1295 Noble titles created in 1421