Baron Willoughby of Parham was a title 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 ...

with two creations. The first creation was for Sir William Willoughby who was raised to the peerage under letters patent in 1547, with the remainder to his heirs male of body. An error in identifying the heir in 1680 resulted in an inadvertent novel creation by writ in 1680, without the restriction on inheritance by gender.Cruise on dignities, pg 202 The creation of the barony gave the right to a hereditary peerage and seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, the upper house of Parliament. The barony was created on 20 February 1547 for Sir William Willoughby, a descendant of William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby living 1370 to 1409. From his son Charles Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby of Parham, descended a senior male line that went extinct on the death of Charles Willoughby, 10th Baron Willoughby of Parham in 1679. At the time, the male line of Sir Ambroise Willoughby, the second son of the 2nd Baron, was wrongly thought to be extinct though Henry Willoughby, a grandson of Sir Ambrose, was still living in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

. Thus, in 1680 a grandson of the 2nd Baron via his fifth son, Sir Thomas, was summoned to Parliament as Thomas Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby of Parham. The title thus passed in this junior line of the family, but in 1733 while Hugh Willoughby, 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham was sitting in Parliament, Colonel Henry Willoughby, a grandson of the Virginia emigrant of Ambrose's line, put forward his claim with proofs of his right to the title. No action was taken at the time, but on the death of the 15th Baron in 1765, Colonel Willoughby renewed his claim, and it was formally recognized in 1767. This decision was based on the hereditary right of his as the senior line, and by implication meant that his father and grandfather had been the rightful Barons Willoughby of Parham before him. It likewise would mean that the summons to Thomas Willoughby as 11th Baron must by law be viewed as having represented the creation of a novel barony of the same name, without the male line restriction of the original grant and hence in

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 ...

between the two sisters of the last baron of the junior line. The first creation of the Barony, 1547 is considered extinct as having no known male heir on the death of George Willoughby, 17th Baron Willoughby of Parham on 29 October 1779, Though unidentified male heirs may still have existed.

Parham, Suffolk

Christopher, 10th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, married Margaret, daughter of Sir William Jenney, of Knottishall Knt, and gave the estate of Parham, Suffolk to his second son, Sir Christopher Willoughby who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Talbois and it was their son William Willoughby who was created 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham and was Lieutenant of Calais. He married Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Heneage. Their son was Charles, Lord Willoughby, who married Margaret, daughter of

Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln Edward Fiennes, or Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln KG (151216 January 1584/85) was an English landowner, peer, and Lord High Admiral. He rendered valuable service to four of the Tudor monarchs. Family Edward Clinton, or Fiennes, was born ...

. Their male descendants continued to be titled Baron Willoughby of Parham until 1779. Between 1680 and 1690, Parham Hall, formerly the property and residence of the Lords Willoughby of Parham, was purchased by the family of Corrance of Rendlesham.

Barons Willoughby of Parham (1547)

William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham (c.1515 – 30 July 1570) was an English nobleman and soldier who in 1547 was made an hereditary peer of the House of Lords. Family William Willoughby was the son of Sir Christopher Willoughb ...

(–1570) * Charles Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby of Parham (–) * William Willoughby, 3rd Baron Willoughby of Parham (1584–1617) * Henry Willoughby, 4th Baron Willoughby of Parham (–1617) *

Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham (baptised 1614; died 23 July 1666 O.S., 2 August 1666 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S.) was an English people, English Peerage of England, peer of the House of Lords. He succeeded to the tit ...

(1614–1666) *

William Willoughby, 6th Baron Willoughby of Parham William Willoughby, 6th Lord Willoughby (c. 1616 – 10 April 1673) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons and later in the House of Lords. In 1666 he inherited the peerage of Baron Willoughby of Parham, and fr ...

(–1673) * George Willoughby, 7th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1638–1674) *

John Willoughby, 8th Baron Willoughby of Parham John Willoughby, 8th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1669–1678) was an English peer of the House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United ...

(1669–1678) *

John Willoughby, 9th Baron Willoughby of Parham John Willoughby, 9th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1643–1678) was an English peer of the House of Lords. He was born in Stanstead Bury, near Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, England on 29 December 1643, the son of William Willoughby, 6th Baron ...

(1643–1678) * Charles Willoughby, 10th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1650–1679)

Barons Willoughby of Parham (1680) (created in error)

* Thomas Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby of Parham (''de jure'' 1st Baron of a new creation) (–1691) * Hugh Willoughby, 12th Baron Willoughby of Parham (''de jure'' 2nd Baron of the 1680 creation) (1637–1712) * Edward Willoughby, 13th Baron Willoughby of Parham (''de jure'' 3rd Baron of the 1680 creation) (1676–1713) * Charles Willoughby, 14th Baron Willoughby of Parham (''de jure'' 4th Baron of the 1680 creation) (1681–1715) * Hugh Willoughby, 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham (''de jure'' 5th Baron of the 1680 creation) (–1765)

Barons Willoughby of Parham (1547; reverted)

*Henry Willoughby, ''de jure'' 11th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1626-1685) *Henry Willoughby, ''de jure'' 12th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1665-1722) *

Henry Willoughby, 16th Baron Willoughby of Parham Henry Willoughby, 16th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1696 – 29 January 1775) was an English Peerage of England, peer of the House of Lords. On the death of Charles Willoughby, 10th Baron Willoughby of Parham, who died without male heir on 9 Dec ...

(''de jure'' 13th Baron) (1696–1775) * George Willoughby, 17th Baron Willoughby of Parham (''de jure'' 14th Baron) (–1779)

Family tree

This family tree includes only Barons Willoughby of Parham and their descendants who are relevant to the succession.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby Of Parham 1547 establishments in England Baronies in the Peerage of England Extinct baronies in the Peerage of England Noble titles created in 1547 Noble titles created in 1680 Baronies created by error