Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), enacted by the Whig government of Pri ...

. As

Governor General of British North America The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Ca ...

, he was the author of the famous '' Report on the Affairs of British North America'', known in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

as the ''Durham Report''. He had already been created Baron Durham, of the City of Durham and of

Lambton Castle Lambton Castle stands above Chester-le-Street, County Durham and is a stately home, the ancestral seat of the Lambton family, the Earl of Durham, Earls of Durham. It is listed in the mid-category of listed building, listed building, Grade II*. ...

in the County Palatine of Durham, in 1828. He was created Viscount Lambton at the same time that he was raised to the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was succeeded by his only surviving son, the second Earl. He served as Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham from 1854 to 1879. On his death, the titles passed to his eldest twin son, the third Earl. He was Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham from 1884 to 1928 and was made a Knight of the Garter in 1909. He died childless and was succeeded by his younger twin brother, the fourth Earl. He represented South Durham and South East Durham 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 ...

. His grandson, the sixth Earl, was 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. He disclaimed his peerage titles shortly after succeeding his father in 1970, but improperly continued to style himself Viscount Lambton. As of 2014, the titles are held by his only son, the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 2006. Before succeeding to the earldom, he styled himself Lord Durham to avoid confusion with his father. Several other members of the Lambton family have also gained distinction. Both the first Earl's father, William Henry Lambton (1764–1797), and grandfather, Major-General John Lambton (1710–1794), as well as his great-uncle Henry Lambton (1697–1761), represented the City of Durham in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. The Hon. Sir Hedworth Lambton (1856–1929) (who assumed the surname of Meux in lieu of Lambton), third son of the second Earl, was an Admiral of the Fleet. The Hon. Charles Lambton (1857–1949), fourth son of the second Earl, was a Brigadier-General in the Army. The Hon. George Lambton (1860–1945), fifth son of the second Earl, was a

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse trainer who trained two Epsom Derby winners. The Hon. Sir William Lambton (1863–1936), sixth son of the second Earl, was a Major-General in the Army. The ancestral seats of the Lambton family are

, near Chester-le-Street,

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, and Fenton Estate, near Wooler,

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. The latter, about , was put up for sale in 2015 with a guide price of £10,000,000.http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk, 25.8.15 The first earl was the inventor of

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

Status throughout the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

, leading to the creation of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

. Canada's official name was the Dominion of Canada, although it is now simply Canada. The Regional Municipality of Durham and Lambton County, both in the Canadian province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, are named after Lord Durham.

Earls of Durham (1833)

* John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (1792–1840) * George Frederick d'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham (1828–1879); only son surviving to adulthood of the 1st Earl. * John George Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham (1855–1928); eldest son of the 2nd Earl, died without legitimate male issue. * Frederick William Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham (1855–1929); second son of the 2nd Earl and younger twin brother of the 3rd Earl. * John Frederick Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham (1884–1970); eldest son of the 4th Earl. ** Roderick Lambton, Viscount Lambton (1920–1941); died without issue * Antony Claud Frederick Lambton, 6th Earl of Durham (1922–2006) ( disclaimed 1970); 2nd son of the 5th Earl * Edward Richard Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham (b. 1961); only son of the 6th Earl. 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 eldest son, Frederick Lambton, Viscount Lambton (b. 1985).

Notes

References

* *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * Heritage of World Civilizations Eighth Edition p762 Craig, Albert M.; Grahm, William A.; Kagan, Donald; Ozment, Steven M.; Turner, Frank M. 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1833 Peerages created for UK MPs *