Earl of Macclesfield is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came 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 ...
in 1679 in favour of the soldier and politician
Charles Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard. He had already been created Baron Gerard, of Brandon in the County of Suffolk, in 1645, and was made Viscount Brandon, of Brandon in the County of Suffolk, at the same time as he was given the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of England. Lord Macclesfield was the great-grandson of the distinguished judge
Sir Gilbert Gerard,
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 ...
from 1581 to 1594. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was involved in the
Rye House Plot
The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the r ...
of 1683, was sentenced to death but later pardoned by the King. On his death without legitimate issue in 1701 the titles passed to his younger brother, the third Earl. He had earlier represented
Yarmouth,
Lancaster and
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 ...
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 ...
. When he died in 1702 the titles became extinct.
William Dorington or Dorrington, Colonel of the
King's Royal Irish Regiment of Foot Guards, was created Earl of Macclesfield in the
Jacobite Peerage
The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creati ...
in or about 1716. The title, such as it was, became extinct in 1841.
The second creation came 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 ...
in 1721 when the noted lawyer
Thomas Parker, 1st Baron Parker, was made Viscount Parker, of
Ewelm in the County of Oxford, and Earl of Macclesfield, in the County Palatine of Chester. He was
Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and ...
from 1710 to 1718 and
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
from 1718 to 1725. Parker had already been created Lord Parker, Baron of Macclesfield, in the County Palatine of Chester, in 1716. This title is also in the Peerage of Great Britain. In contrast to the barony the viscountcy and earldom were created with remainder, in default of male issue, to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of
Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet of
Hursley Park, and her issue male. In 1725 Lord Macclesfield was convicted of corruption and forced to pay a £30,000 fine. He was succeeded by his son George, the second Earl, who was a distinguished astronomer and served as president of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
for many years.
On George's death the titles passed to his son Thomas, the third Earl. He had sat as
Member of Parliament for
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
,
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
and
Rochester. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fourth Earl. He was a prominent politician and served as President of the
Board of Agriculture from 1816 to 1818. When he died the titles passed to his younger brother, the fifth Earl. He was succeeded by his son, the sixth Earl. He had represented Oxfordshire in the House of Commons as 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 ...
. He was succeeded by his grandson, the seventh Earl. He was the son of George Augustus Parker, Viscount Parker, eldest son of the sixth Earl. Lord Macclesfield was
Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Oxfordshire.
Deputy lieutenants
A deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshire is commissioned by the Lord Lieute ...
from 1954 to 1963. the titles are held by his grandson, the ninth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1992.
Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, first husband of the
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
, is the son of Derek Henry Parker-Bowles (who assumed his mother's maiden surname of Bowles), grandson of Reverend the Hon. Algernon Robert Parker, third son of the sixth Earl. Consequently, he is in distant
remainder
In mathematics, the remainder is the amount "left over" after performing some computation. In arithmetic, the remainder is the integer "left over" after dividing one integer by another to produce an integer quotient ( integer division). In a ...
to the earldom and its subsidiary titles. Another member of the family was the Right Reverend
Wilfrid Parker (1883–1966), son of the Hon. Cecil Thomas Parker, second son of the sixth Earl. He served as Bishop of Pretoria (1933–1950).
The family seat of the Parker family is
Shirburn Castle
Shirburn Castle is a Grade I listed building, Grade I listed, moated castle located at the village of Shirburn, near Watlington, Oxfordshire, Watlington, Oxfordshire. Originally constructed in the fourteenth century, it was renovated and remode ...
, near
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, but the castle and estate is held by the Beechwood Estates Company, the Macclesfield family estate management company. Following a long-running and acrimonious court battle, the ninth Earl was evicted from the family seat at the end of 2004.
Earls of Macclesfield, first creation (1679)
*
Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield (1618–1694)
*
Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (1659–1701)
*
Fitton Gerard, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield (1665–1702)
Earls of Macclesfield, second creation (1721)
*
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, (23 July 1666 – 28 April 1732) was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1710. He was Lord Chief Justice from 1710 to 1718 and acted briefly as one of the regents be ...
(1667–1732)
*
George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (c. 1697–1764)
*
Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield (1723–1795)
*
George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield
George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield PC (24 February 1755 – 20 March 1842), styled Viscount Parker between 1764 and 1795, was a British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1777 and 1795.
Background
Macclesfield wa ...
(1755–1842)
*
Thomas Parker, 5th Earl of Macclesfield (1763–1850)
*
Thomas Augustus Wolstenholme Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield (1811–1896)
**George Augustus Parker, Viscount Parker (1843–1895)
*
George Loveden William Henry Parker, 7th Earl of Macclesfield (1888–1975)
*
George Roger Alexander Thomas Parker, 8th Earl of Macclesfield (1914–1992)
*
Richard Timothy George Mansfield Parker, 9th Earl of Macclesfield (b. 1943)
The
heir presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...
is the present holder's younger brother, the Hon. (Jonathan) David Geoffrey Parker (b. 1945)
The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son, Timothy George Parker (b. 1969)
* ''
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, (23 July 1666 – 28 April 1732) was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1710. He was Lord Chief Justice from 1710 to 1718 and acted briefly as one of the regents be ...
(1667–1732)''
** ''
George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (c. 1697–1764)''
*** ''
Thomas Parker, 3rd Earl of Macclesfield (1723–1795)''
**** ''
George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield
George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield PC (24 February 1755 – 20 March 1842), styled Viscount Parker between 1764 and 1795, was a British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1777 and 1795.
Background
Macclesfield wa ...
(1755–1842)''
**** ''Thomas Parker, 5th Earl of Macclesfield (1763–1850)''
***** ''
Thomas Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield (1811–1896)''
******''George Parker, Viscount Parker (1843–1895)''
******* ''
George Parker, 7th Earl of Macclesfield
George Loveden William Henry Parker, 7th Earl of Macclesfield (24 May 188820 September 1975), of Shirburn Castle, Oxfordshire, was a British House of Lords, peer and landed gentry, landowner. He was among the last to serve simultaneously as Lord ...
(1888–1975)''
******** ''
George Parker, 8th Earl of Macclesfield (1914–1992)''
*********
Richard Parker, 9th Earl of Macclesfield (b. 1943)
*********(1) Jonathon David Geoffrey Parker (b. 1945)
**********(2) Timothy George Parker (b. 1969)
********''Hon. Jocelyn Parker (1920–2009)''
*********(3) Robert Parker (b. 1955)
******''Rev. Hon. Algernon Parker (1849–1940)''
*******''Robert Parker (1878–1942)''
********''Alexander Parker (1910–1991)''
*********(4) Patrick Parker (b. 1956)
********''Michael Parker (1916–1996)''
*********(5) Timothy Parker (b. 1944)
*********(6) Alexander Parker (b. 1950)
**********(7) Benjamin Parker (b. 1980)
**********(8) David Parker (b. 1982)
*******''Eustace Parker Bowles (1884–1952)''
********''Derek Parker Bowles (1915–1977)''
*********(9)
Andrew Parker Bowles
Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier Andrew Henry Parker Bowles (born 27 December 1939) is a retired British Army officer. He is the former husband of Queen Camilla, who is now the wife of King Charles III.
Early life and family
Andrew Parker ...
(b. 1939) first husband of
Queen Camilla
Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III.
Camilla was raised in East ...
.
**********(10)
Tom Parker Bowles (b. 1974) son of
Andrew Parker Bowles
Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier Andrew Henry Parker Bowles (born 27 December 1939) is a retired British Army officer. He is the former husband of Queen Camilla, who is now the wife of King Charles III.
Early life and family
Andrew Parker ...
and
Queen Camilla
Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III.
Camilla was raised in East ...
and also stepson of King
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
and stepbrother of
William, Prince of Wales
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
William was born during the reign of his pat ...
, and
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to t ...
.
***********(11) Frederick Parker Bowles (b. 2010)
*********(12) Simon Parker Bowles (b. 1944)
**********(13) Luke Parker Bowles (b. 1974)
***********(14) Oliver Parker Bowles (b. 2011)
**********(15) Sam Parker Bowles (b. 1981)
******''Hon.
Francis Parker (1851–1931)''
*******''Oliver Parker (1891–1968)''
********''Timothy Parker (1924–1995)''
*********(16) Oliver Parker (b. 1953)
*********(17) Michael Parker (b. 1955)
**********(18) Thomas Parker (b. 1992)
******''Rev. Hon. Archibald Parker (1859–1931)''
*******''Rev. Frederick Parker (1894–1977)''
********''Archibald Parker (1928–1984)''
*********Philip Parker (b. 1955)
**********Archie Parker (b. 1987)
**********Edward Parker (b. 2007)
******''Hon. Henry Parker (1860–1952)''
*******''Major Peter Parker (1918–2011)''
********Henry Parker (b. 1957)
*********Redvers Parker (b. 1992)
******''Hon. Alexander Parker (1864–1958)''
*******''Sidney Parker (1899–1969)''
********David Parker (b. 1943)
*********Christopher Parker (b. 1976)
*********Charles Parker (b. 1977)
Ancestry
See also
*
Heathcote baronets, of Hursley
References
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macclesfield
Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England
Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain
Parker family
1679 establishments in England
Noble titles created in 1679
Noble titles created in 1716
Noble titles created in 1721
Extinct earldoms in the Jacobite Peerage
Peerages created with special remainders
Peerages created for lord high chancellors of Great Britain