The Lechmere Baronetcy, of The Rhydd in the County of Worcester, is a title in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

. It was created on 10 December 1818 for Anthony Lechmere. The second Baronet served as

High Sheriff of Worcestershire This is a list of sheriffs and since 1998 high sheriffs of Worcestershire. The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest Secularity, secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but ove ...

in 1852. The third Baronet was high sheriff in 1862 and from 1866 was

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 ...

Member of Parliament for

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at ...

, Worcestershire West,

Bewdley Bewdley ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley, and is west of Kidderminster, north of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham. It ...

and Worcestershire South. The sixth Baronet served as high sheriff in 1962 and as Vice-Lieutenant of

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

and Worcestershire in 1977. In 2001 the title was inherited by his cousin and, as of 2017, the title is held by the latter's son, the eighth Baronet, who succeeded in 2010 and was high sheriff of Worcestershire in 2016. The Lechmere family has been settled in

Hanley Castle Hanley Castle is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, between the towns of Malvern and Upton upon Severn and a short distance from the River Severn. It lies in the administrative area of Malvern Hills District, and is part of ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, since the 11th century. Other members of the family include Sir Nicholas Lechmere, a

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was ...

during the reign of

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

and Member of Parliament for Bewdley, and his grandson

Nicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron Lechmere Nicholas Lechmere, 1st Baron Lechmere (5 August 167518 June 1727) was an English lawyer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 1721 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Lechmere. He served as Attorney-Genera ...

Solicitor-General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

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 ...

and

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. Excluding the prime minister, the chancellor is the highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the prime minister ...

. The family surname is pronounced "Letchmere". The baronets were traditionally benefactors and governors of Hanley Castle Grammar School, which was renamed

Hanley Castle High School Hanley Castle High School is a non-selective mixed secondary school and sixth form centre located in the village of Hanley Castle, 1.4 miles (2.2 km) from the small town of Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire. It was formerly known as Hanley ...

in the 1970s. Founded in 1326, it is one of the oldest schools in England. Sir Edmund Anthony Harley Lechmere, 3rd Baronet (1826–1894) and his wife were among the founders of

Venerable Order of St John The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

. They had travelled several times to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and were involved in the establishment of The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital. A treatise on the antiquities of Malvern was dedicated to the 3rd Baronet because of the association of his family with the area for many centuries.

Lechmere baronets, of The Rhydd (1818)

Sir Anthony Lechmere, 1st Baronet Sir Anthony Lechmere, 1st Baronet (2 November 1766 – 25 March 1849) was an English banker. Life He was the son of Edmund Lechmere and his second wife Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. John Whitmore. He matriculated at Merton College, Oxford in 17 ...

(1766–1849) * Sir Edmund Hungerford Lechmere, 2nd Baronet (1792–1856) * Sir Edmund Anthony Harley Lechmere, 3rd Baronet (1826–1894) * Sir Edmund Arthur Lechmere, 4th Baronet (1865–1937) * Sir Ronald Berwick Hungerford Lechmere, 5th Baronet (1886–1965) * Sir Berwick Hungerford Lechmere, 6th Baronet (1917–2001) * Sir Reginald Anthony Hungerford Lechmere, 7th Baronet (1920–2010) * Sir Nicholas Anthony Hungerford Lechmere, 8th Baronet (born 1960) 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 Frederick Patrick Hungerford Lechmere (born 1992).

References

{{s-end Letchmere