Baron Clitheroe of

Downham Downham may refer to: Places ;in England * Downham, Cambridgeshire, a civil parish **Little Downham *Downham, Essex *Downham, Lancashire *Downham, London, a district of south east London **Downham Estate, housing estate in Downham, London *Downham, ...

in the County of Lancaster is a title 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 ...

. It was created in the

1955 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1955 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

for the

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 Ralph Assheton, who had previously served as

Financial Secretary to the Treasury The Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the ch ...

. He was the son of Ralph Cockayne Assheton, for many years a member of the

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

, who had been created

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 Downham in the County of Lancaster, on 4 September 1945. Three months after being raised to the peerage, Lord Clitheroe succeeded his father in the baronetcy. , the titles are held by the first Baron's son, the second Baron, who succeeded in 1984. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Ralph Assheton also acquired title to the manorial and mineral rights as well as land holdings within the former

Honour of Clitheroe The Honour of Clitheroe is an ancient grouping of manors and royal forests centred on Clitheroe Castle in Lancashire, England; an honour traditionally being the grant of a large landholding complex, not all of whose parts are contiguous. In th ...

. These were purchased out of the Clitheroe Estate Company following its administration in 1945. They included the Lordship of the

Forest of Pendle The Forest of Pendle is a hilly area to the east of Pendle Hill in eastern Lancashire, roughly defining the watershed between the River Ribble and its tributary the River Calder. The area is not a forest in the modern sense of being heavily w ...

. The Assheton family, also spelled Ashton, derive from

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

. The military commander Sir John de Assheton (or de Ashton) was among their ancestors. The family seat is

Downham Hall Downham Hall is an English country house in Downham, Lancashire, England. Overview Downham Hall was designed by George Webster (1797–1864) in 1835, though it was built on remains from the sixteenth century. It has two storeys and an attic. ...

, near

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

Assheton baronets of Downham (1945)

* Sir Ralph Cockayne Assheton, 1st Baronet (1860–1955) * Sir Ralph Assheton, 2nd Baronet (1901–1984) (created Baron Clitheroe in 1955)

Barons Clitheroe (1955)

Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe (24 February 1901 – 18 September 1984), was an English aristocrat and politician. Biography Assheton was born on 24 February 1901. His father was Sir Ralph Assheton, 1st Baronet (1860–1955), and his moth ...

(1901–1984) * Ralph John Assheton, 2nd Baron Clitheroe (born 1929) The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

is the present holder's son, the Hon. Ralph Christopher Assheton (born 1962).
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, Ralph Anthony Assheton (born 1998).

Line of succession

'' Sir Ralph Cockayne Assheton, 1st Baronet (1860–1955)'' ** Coronet of a British Baron

(1901–1984)'' *** Coronet of a British Baron

Ralph John Assheton, 2nd Baron Clitheroe (born 1929) **** (1) ''Hon.'' Ralph Christopher Assheton (born 1962) ***** (2) Ralph Anthony Assheton (born 1998) **** (3) ''Hon.'' John Hotham Assheton (born 1964) ***** (4) William Hotham Assheton (born 1992) ***** (5) James Charles Assheton (born 1999) *** ''Hon. Nicholas Assheton (1934–2012)'' **** (6) Thomas Assheton (born 1963) ***** (7) Noah Frederick Assheton (born 1991)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clitheroe Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1955 Ashton family 1955 establishments in the United Kingdom Peerages created for UK MPs