Baron Brownlow, of Belton in the County of Lincoln, is a title in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

. It was created in 1776 for Sir Brownlow Cust, 4th Baronet. The Cust family descends from Richard Cust (1622–1700) of The Black Friars, Stamford, who represented

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

and Stamford in Parliament. In 1677 he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, "of Stamford in the County of Lincoln". He was succeeded by his grandson Richard Cust, 2nd Baronet, who married Anne Brownlow, daughter of

Sir William Brownlow, 4th Baronet Sir William Brownlow, 4th Baronet (5 November 1665 – 6 March 1701) was an English politician. Origins He was the younger son of Sir Richard Brownlow, 2nd Baronet (died 1668) of Great Humby, Humby in Lincolnshire, by his wife Elizabeth Freke ...

, "of Humby", Lincolnshire, and sister and sole heiress of John Brownlow, 1st Viscount Tyrconnel, 5th Baronet of

Belton House Belton House is a Grade I listed country house in the parish of Belton near Grantham in Lincolnshire, England, built between 1685 and 1687 by Sir John Brownlow, 3rd Baronet. It is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues lead ...

, Lincolnshire. The 2nd Baronet's son Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet, sat as a member of parliament for

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

and served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1761 to 1770 and in 1754 inherited the Brownlow estates, including Belton, on the death of his childless maternal uncle Viscount Tyrconnel. His son Brownlow Cust, 4th Baronet, represented Ilchester, Somerset, and

in Parliament and in 1776 was raised to the peerage as Baron Brownlow, "of Belton in the County of Lincoln", chiefly in recognition of his father's services. He was succeeded by his son John Cust, 2nd Baron Brownlow, who had sat as a member of parliament for

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for to ...

, Lancashire, and also served as

Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire The Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire () is the British monarch's personal representative in the county of Lincolnshire. Historically, the lord-lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lord-lieutenant's responsibi ...

for many years. In 1815 he was created Viscount Alford, "in the County of Lincoln", and Earl Brownlow, both 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 ...

. In 1810 the future 1st Earl had married Sophia Hume, a daughter of Sir Abraham Hume, 2nd Baronet, of Wormleybury, by his wife Lady Amelia Egerton, a great-granddaughter of John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater. On his death in 1853, the titles passed to his grandson John Egerton-Cust, 2nd Earl Brownlow (the son of John Egerton, Viscount Alford), who in 1853, in accordance with the will of his kinsman John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater, assumed by royal licence the surname and arms of Egerton in lieu of Cust, but in 1863 by royal licence resumed the surname of Cust in addition to that of Egerton. The 2nd Earl, having managed to inherit the substantial Bridgewater estates after a remarkable lawsuit, died young and was succeeded in 1867 by his younger brother Adelbert Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow, a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who briefly represented Shropshire North in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

before inheriting the peerage. The 3rd Earl later served under

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

Paymaster General His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. History The post was ...

(1887–1889) and as Under-Secretary of State for War (1889–1892), and was also

for over fifty years. However, on his death the viscountcy and earldom became extinct. He was succeeded in the

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 ...

y and baronetcy in 1921 by his second cousin Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne-Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow, 8th Baronet, the youngest son of Henry Cockayne-Cust, eldest son of Reverend Henry Cust, younger son of the 1st Baron. His son Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow, succeeded in 1927 and served as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

(later King

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

), as Parliamentary Private Secretary to

Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century ...

( Minister of Aircraft Production), as

and as Mayor of

. In 1978 he was succeeded by his son Edward Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow, who died in 2021. Several other members of the family may also be mentioned. Peregrine Cust and William Cust, younger sons of the first Baron, were both Members of Parliament. William's son Arthur Purey-Cust was Dean of York. Edward Cust, another younger son of the first Baron, was a soldier and politician. He was created a Baronet in 1876 (see Cust baronets, of Leasowe Castle). Henry John "Harry" Cockayne-Cust (1861–1917), a brother of the fifth baron, was a politician and newspaper editor. The family seat was

, in the parish of Belton, near

, which in 1984 was given by the 7th Baron to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

Cust baronets, of Stamford (1677)

* Sir Richard Cust, 1st Baronet (1622–1700) * Sir Richard Cust, 2nd Baronet (1680–1734) * Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet (1718–1770) * Sir Brownlow Cust, 4th Baronet (1744–1807) (created Baron Brownlow in 1776)

Barons Brownlow (1776)

* Brownlow Cust, 1st Baron Brownlow (1744–1807) * John Cust, 2nd Baron Brownlow (1779–1853) (created Earl Brownlow and Viscount Alford in 1815)

Earls Brownlow, Viscount Alford (1815)

John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow, GCH (19 August 1779 – 15 September 1853) was a British Peer and Tory politician. Life Cust was the eldest son of the 1st Baron Brownlow and his second wife, Frances. He was educated at Eton (1788–93) ...

(1779–1853) ** John Hume Egerton, Viscount Alford (1812–1851) * John Egerton-Cust, 2nd Earl Brownlow (1842–1867) * Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Home-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow (1844–1921)

Barons Brownlow (1776; reverted)

*Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne-Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow (1867–1927) * Peregrine Francis Adelbert Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (1899–1978) *Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow (1936–2021) *Peregrine Edward Quintin Cust, 8th Baron Brownlow (b. 1974) There is no heir.

References

External links