Baron Gerard
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There have been three baronies created for the Gerard family who lived historically at Bryn,
Ashton-in-Makerfield Ashton-in-Makerfield is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, south of Wigan. As of the 2021 census, there was a population of 26,380. Historically part of Lancashire, Ashton-in-Makerfield was a to ...
, Lancashire and
Kingsley, Cheshire Kingsley is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is approximately 5 miles south east of the town of Frodsham. The villag ...
, in the 13th century. The third and current barony was created in 1876.


History

The earliest traceable member of the family that gave rise to the Barons Gerard was a William Fitz Gerard, who lived during the reign of
Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...
and obtained his lands in
Kingsley, Cheshire Kingsley is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is approximately 5 miles south east of the town of Frodsham. The villag ...
, by marriage Emma, daughter of Richard de Kingsley. Traditional genealogical sources have shifted this man back in time and given the family a shared origin with the
Hiberno-Norman Norman Irish or Hiberno-Normans (; ) is a modern term for the descendants of Norman settlers who arrived during the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. Most came from England and Wales. They are distinguished from the native ...
FitzGeralds,
Dukes of Leinster Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title and the premier dukedom in the Peerage of Ireland. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, of Taplow in th ...
in the
Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
, and they adopted the same arms as that famous family, ''argent, a saltire gules'', before the 17th century in place of an earlier coat bearing a lion. They were noted as having exasperated
herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...
s by long ignoring their entreaties to be allowed to record the family's pedigree, arms, and early land documents.


First creation (1603–1733)

The title Baron Gerard, of Gerard's Bromley, was created 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 ...
on 21 July 1603 for Sir Thomas Gerard (d. 1617), son of
Sir Gilbert Gerard Sir Gilbert Gerard (died 4 February 1593) was a prominent lawyer, politician, and landowner of the Tudor period. He was returned six times as a member of the English parliament for four different constituencies. He was Attorney-General for more t ...
(d. 1593)
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
between 1559 and 1581 and
Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...
in 1581, who acquired estates at Gerards Bromley and Hilderstone, Staffordshire. The first Baron was
Lord President of Wales The Council of Wales and the Marches () or the Council of the Marches, officially the Court of the Council in the Dominion and Principality of Wales, and the Marches of the same was a regional administrative body founded in Shrewsbury. ...
between 1616 and 1617. The barony passed in direct line of succession until the death of the fifth Baron in 1684 when it passed to his second cousin Charles, a great-grandson of the 1st Baron Gerard, and upon his death without a male heir, to his brother Philip Gerard, a
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest who died childless in 1733 when the barony became extinct.George Edward Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times'', Vol. VII, eds. Vicary Gibbs; H.A. Doubleday (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1926), pp. 635–637.


Second creation (1645–1702)

A second peerage was awarded the family in 1645, when Charles Gerard, whose grandfather was the brother of the 1st Baron Gerard of Gerard's Bromley, was summoned to Parliament as Baron Gerard, of Brandon, Suffolk. The 1st Baron was subsequently made
Earl of Macclesfield Earl of Macclesfield is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1679 in favour of the soldier and politician Charles Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard. He had already been created Baron Gerard, of Bran ...
in 1679, and the two titles passed together to his son and grandson,
Fitton Gerard, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield Fitton Gerard, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield (15 October 1663 – 26 December 1702), was an English peerage, peer, styled Hon. Fitton Gerard until 1701. Biography He was the younger son of Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, and represented sev ...
and 3rd Baron Gerard, on whose death in 1702 the 1645 Gerard barony became extinct.George Edward Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times'', Vol. VIII, eds. Vicary Gibbs; H.A. Doubleday; Howard de Walden (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1932), pp. 328–332.


Third creation (1876–present)

The title of Baron Gerard of Bryn in the
County Palatine In England, Wales and Ireland a county palatine or palatinate was an area ruled by a hereditary nobleman enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom. The name derives from the Latin adjective ''palātīnus'', "relating t ...
of
Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...
, was created 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 1876 for Sir Robert Gerard, 13th Baronet Gerard of Bryn.George Edward Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times'', Vol. VII, eds. Vicary Gibbs; H.A. Doubleday (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1926), pp. 637–638. The title followed the line of the first Baron's eldest son until the death of the latter's grandson, the fourth Baron, in 1992. He was succeeded by his second cousin once removed, the fifth and present holder of the barony. He is the great-grandson of Captain the Hon. Robert Joseph Gerard-Dicconson, second son of the 1st Baron. The family seat was originally Bryn Hall, Ashton-in-Makerfield, but later Garswood Hall, followed by New Hall, a majestic, modernist, building of considerable size. The current baron, Anthony Gerard, 5th Baron Gerard, was educated at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and lives in New York.


Barons Gerard, of Gerards Bromley, first creation (1603)

*
Thomas Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard Thomas Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard (c. 1564 – 15 January 1618) was a Staffordshire and Lancashire landowner and politician, a member of six Parliament of England, English parliaments for three different constituencies. Although a prominent membe ...
(d. 1617) * Gilbert Gerard, 2nd Baron Gerard (d. 1622) * Dutton Gerard, 3rd Baron Gerard (1613–1640) *
Charles Gerard, 4th Baron Gerard Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...
(1634–1667) * Digby Gerard, 5th Baron Gerard (1662–1684) * Charles Gerard, 6th Baron Gerard (1659–1707) * Philip Gerard, 7th Baron Gerard (1665–1733) (extinct)


Barons Gerard, of Brandon, second creation (1645)

*
Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, PC (c. 16187 January 1694) was an English aristocrat, soldier and courtier. He fought as a Royalist during the English Civil War, before spending a period in exile under the Commonwealth. After returnin ...
, 1st Baron Gerard, (1618–1694) *
Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield ( 1659 – 5 November 1701), was an English peer, soldier and MP. Biography He was born in France, the eldest son of Charles Gerard, Baron Brandon (later 1st Earl of Macclesfield), and Jeanne, the daughte ...
, 2nd Baron Gerard, (1659–1701) *
Fitton Gerard, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield Fitton Gerard, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield (15 October 1663 – 26 December 1702), was an English peerage, peer, styled Hon. Fitton Gerard until 1701. Biography He was the younger son of Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, and represented sev ...
, 2nd Baron Gerard, (1665–1702) (extinct)


Barons Gerard, of Bryn, third creation (1876)

* Robert Tolver Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard (12 May 1808 – 15 March 1887) * William Cansfield Gerard, 2nd Baron Gerard (1851–1902) * Frederic John Gerard, 3rd Baron Gerard (1883–1953) * Robert William Frederick Alwyn Gerard, 4th Baron Gerard (1918–1992) * Anthony Robert Hugo Gerard, 5th Baron Gerard (b. 1949) 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, Hon. Rupert Bernard Charles Gerard (b. 1981).


In France

For the French Baron Gérard, created by
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, see
François Gérard François Pascal Simon Gérard (, 4 May 1770 – 11 January 1837), titled as Baron Gérard in 1809, was a French painter. He was born in Rome, where his father occupied a post in the house of the French ambassador, and his mother was Italian. A ...
.


References


Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerard Extinct baronies in the Peerage of England Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 1603 establishments in England Noble titles created in 1603 Noble titles created in 1876