Baron Walpole of Walpole in the

County of Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, a ...

is a title 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 ...

. Since 1797 holders also hold the title of Baron Walpole of Wolterton. Past holders have also held the titles Baron Walpole of Houghton in the County of Norfolk, Viscount Walpole and

Earl of Orford Earl of Orford is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1697 when the naval commander Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell was made Earl of Orford, in the County of Suffolk. He was cre ...

(second creation; 1742 to 1797), and Earl of Orford (third creation; 1806 to 1931). One holder held the title of

Baron Clinton Baron Clinton is a title in the Peerage of England. Created in 1298 for Sir John de Clinton, it is the seventh-oldest barony in England. Creation and early history The title was granted in 1298 to Sir John de Clinton, a knight who had served ...

from 1781 to 1791.

History

Grants

The title of Baron Walpole of Walpole in the County of Norfolk was created in the

in 1723 for

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...

, in honour of and during the lifetime of his father

Sir Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prime Minister of Great Britain, ser ...

, the '' de facto'' first

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pr ...

, with special remainder, failing male issue, to his brothers

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

and

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

, in default of this to the heirs male of his father, and in default of this to the heirs male of his grandfather Sir Thomas Walpole. On Sir Robert's retirement from 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 ...

in 1742, he received the titles Baron Walpole of Houghton in the County of Norfolk, Viscount Walpole and Earl of Orford, with the standard remainder. The title of Baron Walpole of Wolterton in the County of Norfolk was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1756 for Horatio Walpole, envoy to Paris and later The Hague, and younger brother of Sir Robert.

Early holders

When Sir Robert, the 1st Earl of Orford, died in 1745, he was succeeded by his eldest son, the aforementioned Robert, Lord Walpole of Walpole, who thus became the 2nd Earl of Orford. He had married Devonshire heiress Margaret Rolle in 1724. In 1751, she, by survival, became one of the co-heirs to the ancient Clinton barony, which was in

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ' meaning "gaping") describes a state of temporary dormancy or suspension. In law, it can refer to a situation where the ownership of property, titles, or office is not currently Vesting, vested in any specific perso ...

. That abeyance was terminated in her favour in 1760, and she became the 15th Baroness Clinton. The 2nd Earl of Orford was succeeded by his eldest son, the 3rd Earl. He notably served as

Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk This is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk. Since 1689, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Norfolk. * William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, 1549 – *Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of S ...

from 1757 to 1797. In 1781 he also succeeded his mother as 16th Baron Clinton. Lord Orford never married and on his death the barony of Clinton became dormant (see the

article for later history of this peerage), while the other titles were inherited by his uncle, the 4th Earl, at birth known as

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

, who was a politician and early expounder of the

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

in architecture and the

Gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean ...

. He never married either and so on his death in 1797, three of his titles of different ranks became extinct, while he was succeeded as Baron Walpole of Walpole according to the special remainder by his cousin Horatio Walpole (known as the younger), who had already inherited his own father's title, Baron Walpole of Wolterton.

Horatio Walpole the Younger

As said, Horatio Walpole (the Younger) succeeded his father as Baron Walpole of Wolterton in 1757 and eventually as Baron Walpole of Walpole in 1797. He had earlier represented

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

in Parliament. In favour with those in power, in 1806 the earldom of Orford was recreated for him.

Later holders

Horatio the younger's son sat as Member of Parliament for

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

and

before coming into his earldom. His grandson, the 4th Earl, briefly represented

in the

. The baronies of Walpole of Walpole and Walpole of Wolterton were inherited by the late 5th Earl's distant cousin, who was a male-line descendant of the Hon.

Thomas Walpole Thomas Walpole (6 October 1727 – March 1803), styled from 1756 The Hon. Thomas Walpole, was a British MP and banker in Paris. Life Thomas Walpole was born into a political family. The second son of the 1st Baron Walpole and his wife Telisha ...

, second son of the 1st Baron Walpole of Wolterton. , the two remaining peerages are held by the 9th/7th Baron's grandson, the 11th/9th Baron Walpole. The 10/8th Baron was one of the ninety hereditary peers who remained 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 ...

after the passing of the House of Lords Act of 1999, and sat as a cross-bencher, until his retirement on 13 June 2017. The family seat is

Mannington Hall Mannington Hall is a moated medieval country house in the civil parish of Itteringham near the village of the same name and is in the English county of Norfolk within the United Kingdom. The first manor house built on this site was constructed in ...

, near

Itteringham Itteringham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Itteringham is located north-west of Aylsham and north of Norwich. History Itteringham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for ''Ytra ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

Barons Walpole of Walpole (1723)

* Robert Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of Walpole (1701–1751) (succeeded as 2nd Earl of Orford in 1745)

Earls of Orford, Viscounts Walpole, Barons Walpole of Houghton (1742)

Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prime Minister of Great Britain, ser ...

, 1st Viscount Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of Houghton (1676–1745) *

Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford, Knight of the Bath, KB (1701 – 31 March 1751), was a British Peerage, peer and politician, styled Lord Walpole from 1723 to 1745. Origins He was the eldest son of Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), the Ki ...

, 2nd Viscount Walpole, 2nd Baron Walpole of Houghton, 1st Baron Walpole of Walpole (1701–1751) *

George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford (2 April 1730 – 5 December 1791), was a British administrator, politician, and peer. Life Lord Orford was the only child of the 2nd Earl of Orford and his wife Margaret Rolle, who was Baroness Clinton in ...

, 3rd Viscount Walpole, 3rd Baron Walpole of Houghton, 2nd Baron Walpole of Walpole (1730–1791) (succeeded as 16th

in 1781) *

Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London, ...

, 4th Viscount Walpole, 4th Baron Walpole of Houghton, 3rd Baron Walpole of Walpole (1717–1797)

Barons Walpole of Wolterton (1756)

Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, (8 December 16785 February 1757) was an English diplomat, politician and peer who served as the British ambassador to France from 1724 to 1730. He was the son of Robert Walpole and the younger brother of ...

of Wolterton (1678–1757) * Horatio Walpole, 2nd Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1723–1809) (succeeded as 4th Baron Walpole of Walpole in 1797 and created Earl of Orford in 1806)

Earls of Orford (1806), Barons Walpole of Walpole and Barons Walpole of Wolterton

Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (12 June 1723 – 24 February 1809)L. G. Pine, The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), p. 2 ...

, 4th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 2nd Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1723–1809) *

Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford (13 ''or'' 24 June 1752 – 15 June 1822), styled The Honourable Horatio Walpole between 1757 and 1806 and Lord Walpole between 1806 and 1809, was a British peer and politician. Background Orford was the son ...

, 5th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 3rd Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1752–1822) *

Horatio Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford, (14 June 1783 – 29 December 1858), styled Lord Walpole between 1809 and 1822, was a British peer and politician. Background He was the eldest son of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford, by his wife Sophia ...

, 6th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 4th Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1783–1858) *

Horatio William Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford Horatio William Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (18 April 1813 – 7 December 1894), styled Lord Walpole between 1822 and 1858, was a British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Background Orford was the son of Horatio Wal ...

, 7th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 5th Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1813–1894) * Robert Horace Walpole, 5th Earl of Orford, 8th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 6th Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1854–1931)

Barons Walpole of Walpole and Barons Walpole of Wolterton following reversion

* Robert Henry Montgomerie Walpole, 9th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 7th Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1913–1989) * Robert Horatio Walpole, 10th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 8th Baron Walpole of Wolterton (1938–2021) * Jonathan Robert Hugh Walpole, 11th Baron Walpole of Walpole, 9th Baron Walpole of Wolterton (b. 1967) 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 brother, Hon. Benedict Thomas Orford Walpole (b. 1969).
The heir presumptive's

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 his elder son, Thomas Charles Walpole (b. 2003).

Title succession chart

Notes and references

Notes References

References

* Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * ''Burkes Peerage and Baronetage'' (1939) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walpole Baronies in the Peerage of Great Britain Extinct baronies in the Peerage of Great Britain Noble titles created in 1723 Noble titles created in 1742 Noble titles created in 1756 Robert Walpole

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Peerages created with special remainders