Earl of Sandwich is a noble 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 ...

, held since its creation by the

House of Montagu The House of Montagu (, ), also known throughout history as Montagud, Montaigu, Montague, Montacute (; ), is an British nobility, English noble family founded in Somerset after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by the Normans, Norman warrior Drogo ...

. It is nominally associated with

Sandwich, Kent Sandwich is a town and civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, south-east England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour and has a population of 4,985. Sandwich was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval build ...

. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. He was made Baron Montagu of St Neots, of

St Neots St NeotsPronunciation of the town name: Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of in the final syllable ...

in the County of Huntingdon, and Viscount Hinchingbrooke, at the same time, also in the Peerage of England. The viscountcy is used as 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 ...

by the heir apparent to the earldom. A member of the prominent Montagu family, Lord Sandwich was the son of Sir Sidney Montagu, youngest brother of

Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester (7 November 1642) was an English judge, politician and peer. He is mainly remembered today as the judge who sentenced Sir Walter Raleigh to death. Life He was the 3rd son of Edward Montagu of Boughton and ...

(from whom the

Dukes of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Man ...

descend), and Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton (from whom the

Dukes of Montagu The title of Duke of Montagu has been created twice, firstly for the Montagu family of Boughton, Northamptonshire, and secondly for the Brudenell family, Earls of Cardigan. It was first created in the Peerage of England in 1705 for Ralph Mon ...

descended). He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He briefly represented

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

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 Ambassador to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and as

Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire. Huntingdonshire became part of Huntingdon and Peterborough in 1965; see Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdon and Peterborough. From 1672 until 1965, all Lords Lieutenant were al ...

and

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

. The second Earl's great-grandson was The 4th Earl of Sandwich, who was a prominent statesman and served as

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

and as

Secretary of State for the Northern Department The secretary of state for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet (government), Cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain up to 1782. Following this, the Northern Department became the Foreign Office, a ...

. Lord Sandwich is also remembered for sponsoring the voyages of discovery made by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

, R.N., who named the

Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly ca ...

in his honour, and as the namesake of the sandwich. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Earl. He sat as Member of Parliament for

Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is on the borders with Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, east-southeast of Banbury, north-northeast of Oxford, and ...

and

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...

and served as

Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and ...

and as

Master of the Buckhounds The Master of the Buckhounds (or Master of the Hounds) was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. The role was to oversee a hunting pack; a ...

. His son, the sixth Earl, also represented Huntingdonshire in Parliament. He was succeeded by his son, the seventh Earl. He held office in the first two

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 ...

administrations of the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and Master of the Buckhounds and was also Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire. His eldest son, the eighth Earl, represented

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

in the House of Commons as a Conservative and served as Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire. He was succeeded by his nephew, the ninth Earl. He was the son of Rear-Admiral the Hon. Victor Alexander Montagu, second son of the seventh Earl. Lord Sandwich was Member of Parliament for

and Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire. His son, the tenth Earl, represented

South Dorset South Dorset is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since 2024 by Lloyd Hatton, of th ...

in Parliament as a Conservative from 1941 to 1962, when he succeeded his father in the earldom and had to resign his seat in the House of Commons and enter 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 ...

. He disclaimed his peerages in 1964 but never returned to the House of Commons. He was succeeded by his eldest son, John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich, who succeeded him in 1995. John Montagu was one of the ninety elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, and sat as a

cross-bencher A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...

. The twelfth and current Earl succeeded his father in 2025. Lord Sandwich is known for his philanthropy, and was once Director at the

MetFilm School MetFilm School (MFS) is a private film school headquartered at Ealing Studios in London, United Kingdom. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as short courses in filmmaking, screenwriting, and related disciplines. The sch ...

. Today the family seat is at

Mapperton Mapperton is a hamlet and civil parish in Dorset, England, south-east of Beaminster. Dorset County Council estimated that the population of the parish was 60 in 2013. Parish The parish of Mapperton is comparatively small at . The population ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

. From the 17th century until the 1960s, the family also owned

Hinchingbrooke House Hinchingbrooke House is an English stately home in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, now part of Hinchingbrooke School. The house was built around an 11th-century Benedictine nunnery. After the Reformation it passed into the hands of the Cromwell f ...

, now a school, from which the title Viscount Hinchingbrooke was derived. Some historical papers of the family and its Hinchingbrooke estate are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office in

Earls of Sandwich (1660)

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, (27 July 1625 – 28 May 1672), was an English military officer, politician and diplomat from Barnwell, Northamptonshire. During the First English Civil War, he served with the Parliamentarian army, and was ...

(1625–1672) *

Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich (3 January 1647/48 – 29 November 1688) was an English aristocrat and politician. Early life Montagu was born in Hinchinbrooke, Huntingdonshire, England on 3 January 1647/48. He was a son of the former ...

(1644–1689) *

Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich (10 April 1670 – 20 October 1729) was born in Burlington House, London, England to Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich and Lady Ann Boyle. He was styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke from 1672 until his access ...

(1670–1729) ** Edward Richard Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke (1692–1722) *

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, Privy Council of Great Britain, PC, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British politician, statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwic ...

(1718–1792) (inventor of the sandwich) *

John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich, PC (26 January 1744 – 6 June 1814), styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke until 1792, was a British peer and Tory politician. Background and education Montagu was the eldest son of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sand ...

(1744–1814) *

George John Montagu, 6th Earl of Sandwich George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

(1773–1818) *

John William Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich John William Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (8 November 1811 – 3 March 1884), styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke from 1814 to 1818, was a British Peerage, peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. ...

(1811–1884) * Edward George Henry Montagu, 8th Earl of Sandwich (1839–1916) **

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...

Victor Alexander Montagu (1841–1915) *

George Charles Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorgi ...

(1874–1962) * (Alexander) Victor Edward Paulet Montagu, 10th Earl of Sandwich (1906–1995) ( disclaimed 1964) * John Edward Hollister Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich (1943–2025) * Luke Timothy Charles Montagu, 12th Earl of Sandwich (born 1969) The heir apparent is the current Earl's eldest son, William James Hayman Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke (b. 2004).Michael Rhodes. "Hon William James Hayman Montagu" birth announced on ''Peerage News'' group on Google Groups on 7 November 2005, based on birth notice in ''Daily Telegraph'' on 6 November 2004. Retrieved 10 August 2007.

Family tree

Line of succession (selected)

* '' Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu, 10th Earl of Sandwich (1906–1995) ( disclaimed 1964)'' ** ''

John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich John Edward Hollister Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich (11 April 1943 – 1 February 2025) was a British businessman and politician. He was a crossbench member of the House of Lords from 1995 to 2024. Early life and career Lord Sandwich was the ...

(1943–2025)'' *** Luke Timothy Charles Montagu, 12th Earl of Sandwich (b. 1969) **** (1) William James Hayman Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke (b. 2004) **** (2) ''The Hon.'' Nestor John Sturges Montagu (b. 2006) *** (3) ''The Hon.'' Orlando William Montagu (b. 1971) **** (4) Walter Frederick Montagu (b. 2005) ** (5) ''The Hon.'' George Charles Robert Montagu (b. 1949) *** (6) Oliver Drogo Montagu (b. 1974) *** (7) Cosimo Ralph Montagu (b. 1988)

Notes

References

* * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandwich, Earl of Earldoms in the Peerage of England * Noble titles created in 1660 1660 establishments in England