Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry ( ), is a title 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 ...

History

The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh, of Castlereagh in the County of Down, in 1795 and Earl of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry, in 1796. These titles are also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was the son of Alexander Stewart, who had married Mary Cowan, sister and heiress of Robert Cowan, who gained great wealth as

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

from 1729 to 1737. Alexander was from Ballylawn, a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

at the south-west corner of

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

in the north of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the west of

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

in the northern part of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. However, much of the Stewart family's wealth was based on the estates which came into the family through this marriage. The 1st Marquess was one of the few people to become a Marquess without inheriting any titles prior to the creation. He sat in the

British 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, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest extant institutions in the world, its origi ...

as one of the twenty-eight original

Irish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords after the Kingdom of Ireland was brought into union with the Kingdom of Great Britain. No new members were added to the House after ...

from 1800 to 1821. He was succeeded by his son from his first marriage to Lady Sarah Seymour. The 2nd Marquess, better known as

Lord Castlereagh Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), usually known as Lord Castlereagh, derived from the courtesy title Viscount Castlereagh ( ) by which he was styled from 1796 to 1821, was an Irish-born British st ...

(he went by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

of Viscount Castlereagh from 1796 to 1821), was a noted statesman and diplomat. Castlereagh is best remembered for his tenure as Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1822 and played an important role at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

of 1814 to 1815. He committed suicide in 1822, one year after succeeding his father in the marquessate. The 2nd Marquess did not follow his father as a Representative Peer into the House of Lords, this permitted him to continue fulfilling his roles in the House of Commons. Castlereagh was succeeded by his half-brother, the 3rd Marquess. He was the only son from the 1st Marquess's second marriage to Lady Frances Pratt, daughter of

Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (baptism, baptised 21 March 1714 – 18 April 1794) was an English lawyer, judge and Whig (British political faction), Whig politician who was first to hold the titl ...

. He was a General in the Army and like his elder half-brother a prominent politician and diplomat. Lord Londonderry served as

Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British ...

from 1807 to 1809, fought in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

and was Ambassador to Austria from 1814 to 1823. In 1814 he was created Baron Stewart, of Stewart's Court and Ballylawn in County Donegal, 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 1819 Londonderry married as his second wife Frances Anne Vane-Tempest (died 1865), daughter and wealthy heiress of Sir Henry Vane-Tempest, 2nd

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, through which marriage substantial estates in

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 ...

came into the Stewart family. He assumed the additional surname of Vane on his marriage and in 1823 he was created Viscount Seaham, of Seaham in the County Palatine of Durham, and Earl Vane, with remainder to the male issue of his second marriage. These titles are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Lord Londonderry was succeeded in the viscountcy of Seaham and earldom of Vane according to the special remainder by his eldest son from his second marriage while he was succeeded in the Irish titles and the barony of Stewart by his son from his first marriage to Lady Catherine Bligh, the 4th Marquess. He died childless in 1872 and was succeeded by his half-brother, the 5th Marquess, who had already succeeded his father as second Earl Vane in 1854. He represented Durham North 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 ...

and served as Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham. In 1851 the 5th Marquess assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Tempest. On his death, the titles passed to his eldest son, the 6th Marquess. He 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 and held office in the administrations of

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

and

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...

Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Ki ...

, as

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

, as

President of the Board of Education The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. ...

, as

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...

and as

Lord President of the Council The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lor ...

. In 1885 he assumed by Royal licence the additional and principal surname of Stewart. He was succeeded by his son, the 7th Marquess, who was also a Conservative politician. He had a career in both Irish and British politics but is best known for his role as

Secretary of State for Air The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...

from 1931 to 1935. Lord Londonderry subsequently gained notoriety for his informal diplomatic contacts with senior members of the German government. He made six visits to Nazi Germany between January 1936 and September 1938 meeting

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

on a number of occasions and sympathising with some of his viewpoints. His wife

Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry Edith Helen Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry, Order of the British Empire, DBE (''née'' Chaplin; 3 December 1878 – 23 April 1959) was a noted and influential society hostess in the United Kingdom between World War I and Wo ...

, was an influential society hostess remembered for her close friendship with

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

. Lord Londonderry was succeeded by his son, the 8th Marquess. He represented

in the House of Commons as a Conservative from 1931 to 1945. 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 ...

to the marquessate is styled ''Viscount Castlereagh'', although the Marquess is also the Earl Vane, and the heir apparent's heir apparent, when such exists, is styled ''Lord Stewart''. Between 1823 and 1854 and between 1872 and 1999, the Marquesses of Londonderry sat 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 ...

as ''The Earl Vane''. Between 1822 and 1823 and between 1854 and 1872, they sat as ''The Lord Stewart''.

Residences

The principal family seats were

Mount Stewart Mount Stewart is a 19th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the Iris ...

, near

Newtownards Newtownards (; ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtow ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, and the Wynyard Park estate in

. Other properties included

Seaham Hall Seaham Hall is an English country house, now run as a spa hotel, in County Durham. History Seaham Hall was built in the 1790s by Sir Ralph Milbanke, 6th Baronet. In 1815 the poet Lord Byron married Anne Isabella Milbanke at Seaham Hall. The fr ...

in County Durham, as well as

Londonderry House Londonderry House was an aristocratic townhouse situated on Park Lane in the Mayfair district of London, England. The mansion served as the London residence of the Marquesses of Londonderry. It remained their London home until 1962. In that ye ...

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park to ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(where the Londonderry Hotel was later located), and

Plas Machynlleth Plas Machynlleth is the former Wales, Welsh residence of the Marquess of Londonderry, Marquesses of Londonderry. It is situated in the market town of Machynlleth in Powys (formerly Montgomeryshire), Wales. It was brought into the family followin ...

in mid-Wales.

Marquesses of Londonderry (1816)

Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry PC (Ire) (1739–1821), was a County Down landowner, Irish Volunteer, and member of the Irish Parliament who, exceptionally for an Ulster Scot and Presbyterian, rose within the ranks of Ireland's ...

(1739–1821) *

Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

(1769–1822) * Charles William Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778–1854) * Frederick William Robert Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry (1805–1872) * George Henry Robert Charles William Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry (1821–1884) *

Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, (16 July 1852 – 8 February 1915), styled Viscount Castlereagh between 1872 and 1884, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, landowner and benefactor, ...

(1852–1915) *

Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, (13 May 1878 – 10 February 1949), styled Lord Stewart until 1884 and Viscount Castlereagh between 1884 and 1915, was a British peer and politician. He is best remember ...

(1878–1949) * Edward Charles Stewart Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902–1955) * Alexander Charles Robert "Alistair" Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry (1937–2012)"The Marquess of Londonderry"
''Daily Telegraph'', 20 June 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012. *Frederick Aubrey Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry (born 1972) The 4th Marquess did not inherit the Seaham viscountcy and Vane earldom as he was not the heir male of the 3rd Marquess's second wife, a limitation of the remainder of those peerages.

Present peer

Frederick Aubrey Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry (born 6 September 1972), is the son of the 9th Marquess and his wife, Doreen Patricia Wells, who was a ballerina with the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

between 1955 and 1974. He was styled as Viscount Castlereagh from birth and later as Earl Vane.''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

'', volume 2, 2003, p. 2383 On 20 June 2012, Earl Vane succeeded his father as Marquess of Londonderry (I., 1816), Earl of Londonderry (I., 1796), Earl Vane (U.K., 1823), Viscount Castlereagh (I., 1795), Viscount Seaham of Seaham (U.K., 1823), Baron Stewart of Stewart's Court and Ballylawn (U.K., 1814), and Baron Londonderry (I., 1789). 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 Londonderry's brother, Lord Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart (born 1977), whose heir apparent is his son Robin Gabriel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (born 2004).

Line of succession (simplified)

'' Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, 1st Earl Vane, 1st Viscount Seaham, 1st Baron Stewart (1778–1854)'' ** Coronet of a British Marquess

Frederick Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry Frederick William Robert Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry (7 July 1805–25 November 1872), styled Viscount Castlereagh from 1822 to 1854, was a British nobleman and Tory politician. He was briefly Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under S ...

(1805–1872)'' ** Coronet of a British Marquess

'' George Henry Robert Charles William Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry, 2nd Earl Vane, 2nd Viscount Seaham, 3rd Baron Stewart (1821–1884)'' *** Coronet of a British Marquess

(1852–1915)'' **** Coronet of a British Marquess

(1878–1949)'' ***** Coronet of a British Marquess

'' Edward Charles Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902–1955)'' ****** Coronet of a British Marquess

'' Alexander Charles Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry (1937–2012)'' ******* Coronet of a British Marquess

Frederick Aubrey Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 10th Marquess of Londonderry (born 1972) ******* (1) ''Lord'' Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b. 1977) ******** (2) Robin Gabriel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b. 2004) ** ''Lord Ernest McDonnell Vane-Tempest (1836–1885)'' *** ''Charles Henry Vane-Tempest (1871–1899)'' **** ''Ernest Charles William Vane-Tempest (1894–1957)'' ***** ''Charles Stewart McDonnell Vane-Tempest (1921–2008)'' ****** (3) Charles Stewart Martin St. George Vane-Tempest (b. 1950) ******* (4) Christopher James Stewart St. George Vane-Tempest (b. 1978) ******* (5) James Alexander Stewart Vane-Tempest (b. 1981) ******** (6) George Frederick Stewart Vane-Tempest (b. 2012) ******** (7) Harry John Stewart Vane-Tempest (b. 2014) ****** (8) Charles Erkki William Vane-Tempest (b. 1958) *******(9) Charles Petter Vane-Tempest (b. 1990) ****** (10) Donald John Ernest Vane-Tempest (b. 1961) ******* (11) Thomas Christopher Vane-Tempest (b. 1986) ****** (12) Harold Michael St. George Vane-Tempest (b. 1962) *******(13) John Michael Vane-Tempest (b. 1990) *******(14) Timothy Alexander Vane-Tempest (b. 1992)

Family tree

Notes

References

Works cited

* Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *

External links

European Heraldry page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Londonderry Marquessates in the Peerage of Ireland Vane-Tempest-Stewart family Noble titles created in 1816

History

Residences

Marquesses of Londonderry (1816)

Present peer

Line of succession (simplified)

Family tree

See also

Notes

References

Works cited

External links