Viscount Massereene 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 ...

. It was created in 1660, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Loughneagh. From 1665 to 1816 the Skeffington Baronetcy of Fisherwick was attached to the viscountcy and from 1756 to 1816 the Viscounts also held the title of Earl of Massereene. Since 1843 the peerages are united with titles of Viscount Ferrard, of Oriel and Baron Oriel, both in the Peerage of Ireland, and Baron Oriel, 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 ...

. The Viscount also holds the subsidiary titles of ''Baron Loughneagh'' (1660) and ''Baron Oriel'' (1790) in the Peerage of Ireland and ''Baron Oriel'' (1821) in the

. As Baron Oriel, he 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 ...

until 1999. The family seat was

Chilham Castle Chilham Castle is a Jacobean manor house and keep in the village of Chilham, between Ashford and Canterbury in the county of Kent, England. The keep is of Norman origin and dates to 1174, although it may have been built on an older Anglo-Sax ...

, near

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Viscount Massereene

John Clotworthy John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene (died September 1665) was a prominent Anglo-Irish politician. Origins He was the son and heir of Sir Hugh Clotworthy (died 1630), High Sheriff of Antrim (who first came to Ireland as a soldier in the Ni ...

was a prominent Anglo-Irish politician during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In 1660 he was created Baron Loughneagh (after

Lough Neagh Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...

) and Viscount Massereene in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his son-in-law Sir John Skeffington, 4th Baronet, of Fisherwick, the husband of his daughter the Hon. Mary Clotworthy, and in default thereof to his heirs general. This makes the peerages unique in being the only extant Irish peerages that can descend through heirs general rather than heirs male only. Lord Massereene was succeeded according to the special remainder by his son-in-law, the second Viscount. In 1756 his great-grandson, the fifth Viscount, was created Earl of Massereene in Peerage of Ireland. However, the earldom and baronetcy became extinct in 1816 on the death of his grandson, the fourth Earl. The barony of Loughneugh and viscountcy of Massereene were inherited according to the special remainder (which allowed them to be passed on through the female line) by his daughter Harriet, the ninth Viscountess. She was the wife of Thomas Henry Foster, 2nd Viscount Ferrard (see below). Lord Ferrard and Lady Massereene were both succeeded by their son, the tenth Viscount Massereene and third Viscount Ferrard. In 1817 he assumed by Royal licence the surname of Skeffington in lieu of Foster. His son, the eleventh and fourth Viscount, notably served as Lord Lieutenant of County Louth. His son, the twelfth and fifth Viscount, was

Lord Lieutenant of Antrim A list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Antrim, located in Northern Ireland. There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II, when they were renamed governors. G. E. C., ed. Vicary Gibbs, ''The Complete ...

and a member of the

Senate of Northern Ireland The Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. Powers In practice the Se ...

. the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the fourteenth and seventh Viscount, who succeeded his father in 1992. Both he and his father have been presidents of the

Conservative Monday Club The Conservative Monday Club (usually known as the Monday Club) was a British political pressure group, aligned with the Conservative Party, though no longer endorsed by it. It also had links to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unio ...

Viscount Ferrard and Baron Oriel

John Foster served as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer and as Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and also represented

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

. In 1821 he was created Baron Oriel, of Ferrard in the County of Louth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. His wife Margaretta Amelia Foster was created Baroness Oriel, of Collon, in 1790, and Viscountess Ferrard, of Oriel in 1797, both in the Peerage of Ireland. Both Lord Oriel and Lady Ferrard were succeeded by their son, the second Viscount. He was the husband of Harriet Skeffington, 9th Viscountess Massereene. Both he and his wife were succeeded by their son, the tenth Viscount Massereene and third Viscount Ferrard. The titles remain united. For later history of the peerages, see above.

Skeffington baronets, of Fisherwick

William Skeffington was

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities as ...

in 1601 and 1623. On 8 May 1627 he was created a Baronet, of Fisherwick in the County of Stafford, in the

Baronetage of England 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 ...

. The second Baronet was 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 ...

and served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1637. The fourth Baronet married Hon. Mary Clotworthy, daughter of

John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene (died September 1665) was a prominent Anglo-Irish politician. Origins He was the son and heir of Sir Hugh Clotworthy (died 1630), High Sheriff of Antrim (who first came to Ireland as a soldier in the N ...

. In 1665 he succeeded his father-in-law as second Viscount Massereene according to a special remainder in the letters patent. The titles remained united until the extinction of the baronetcy in 1816. For later history of the titles, see above.

Viscounts Massereene (1660)

(died 1665) *

John Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Massereene John Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Massereene (December 1632 – 21 June 1695) was an Anglo-Irish politician, official, and peer. He was one of the leading Presbyterians in Ireland during his lifetime. Early life and family Skeffington was the son of ...

(died 1695) *

Clotworthy Skeffington, 3rd Viscount Massereene Clotworthy Skeffington, 3rd Viscount Massereene (1661 – 1714) was an Anglo-Irish soldier, politician and peer. Skeffington was the son of John Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Massereene and Mary Clotworthy, the daughter of John Clotworthy, 1st Viscoun ...

(1660–1714) *

Clotworthy Skeffington, 4th Viscount Massereene Clotworthy Skeffington, 4th Viscount Massereene (died 11 February 1738) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Biography He was the son of Clotworthy Skeffington, 3rd Viscount Massereene and Rachel Hungerford. He served in the Irish House of Com ...

(died 1738)O'Sullivan, Donal, ''Carolan: The Life Times and Music of an Irish Harper'', London, 1958, Vol. II, p. 63. * Clotworthy Skeffington, 5th Viscount Massereene (1715–1757) (created Earl of Massereene in 1756)

Earls of Massereene (1756)

* Clotworthy Skeffington, 1st Earl of Massereene, 5th Viscount Massereene (1715–1757) * Clotworthy Skeffington, 2nd Earl of Massereene, 6th Viscount Massereene (1743–1805) * Henry Skeffington, 3rd Earl of Massereene, 7th Viscount Massereene (died 1811) * Chichester Skeffington, 4th Earl of Massereene, 8th Viscount Massereene (died 1816)

Viscounts Massereene (1660; reverted)

* Harriet Skeffington, 9th Viscountess Massereene (died 1831) * John Skeffington, 10th Viscount Massereene, 3rd Viscount Ferrard (1812–1863) * Clotworthy John Skeffington, 11th Viscount Massereene, 4th Viscount Ferrard (1842–1905) * Algernon William John Clotworthy Skeffington, 12th Viscount Massereene, 5th Viscount Ferrard (1873–1956) * John Clotworthy Talbot Foster Whyte-Melville-Skeffington, 13th Viscount Massereene, 6th Viscount Ferrard, 6th Baron Oriel (1914–1992) * John David Clotworthy Whyte-Melville Foster Skeffington, 14th Viscount Massereene, 7th Viscount Ferrard, 7th Baron Oriel (1940–2024) * Charles Clotworthy Whyte-Melville Foster Skeffington, 15th Viscount Massereene, 8th Viscount Ferrard, 8th Baron Oriel (born 1973) 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, the Hon. James Algernon Foster Clotworthy Skeffington (born 2014).

Skeffington baronets, of Fisherwick (1627)

* Sir William Skeffington, 1st Baronet (died 1635) *

Sir John Skeffington, 2nd Baronet Sir John Skeffington, 2nd Baronet (c. 1590 – 19 November 1651) was an English landowner and politician, elected to the House of Commons in 1626. He was fined a high sum for supporting the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Public life Ske ...

(–1651). * Sir William Skeffington, 3rd Baronet (died 1652) * Sir John Skeffington, 4th Baronet (died 1695) (succeeded as 2nd Viscount Massereene in 1665) ''See above for further succession.''

Viscounts Ferrard (1797)

* Margaretta Amelia Foster, 1st Viscountess Ferrard (died 1821) * Thomas Henry Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Ferrard (1772–1843) * John Skeffington, 3rd Viscount Ferrard (1812–1863) (succeeded as 10th Viscount Massereene in 1831) ''See above for further succession.''

Barons Oriel (1821)

John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel PC (Ire) (1740 – 23 August 1828) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer who thrice served as Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland and also served as the last speaker of the Irish House of Commons. Early lif ...

(1740–1828) * Thomas Henry Skeffington, 2nd Baron Oriel (1772–1843) (succeeded as 2nd Viscount Ferrard in 1821) ''See above for further succession.''

References

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