| Earl of Ducie | |
|---|---|
  Arms: Quarterly: 1st & 4th, Argent, a Chevron Gules, between three square Buckles Sable (Moreton); 2nd & 3rd, Or, two Lions passant guardant Gules (Ducie).Crest: A Moorcock’s Head Or, combed and wattled Gules, between two Wings displayed Azure.Supporters: On either side a Unicorn Argent, armed,unguled, maned and tufted Or, gorged with a Ducal Coronet per pale Gold and Gules. | |
| Creation date | 28 January 1837 |
| Created by | King William IV |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | Thomas Reynolds-Moreton, 1st Earl of Ducie |
| Present holder | David Leslie Moreton, 7th Earl of Ducie |
| Heir apparent | James Moreton, Lord Moreton |
| Remainder to | the 1st Earl’sheirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Baron Ducie Baron Moreton |
| Status | Extant |
| Motto | PERSEVERANDO (By persevering) |
Earl of Ducie is a title in thePeerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Thomas Reynolds Moreton, 4th Baron Ducie.
The Moreton family descends from Edward Moreton, who in the 17th century married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Ducie. Their sonMatthew-Ducie Moreton representedGloucestershire in theHouse of Commons. In 1720 he was raised to thePeerage of Great Britain asBaron Ducie de Moreton, in theCounty of Stafford.[1] He was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He was also aMember of Parliament and served asLord-Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. In 1763 he was createdBaron Ducie, ofTortworth in theCounty of Gloucester, with remainder to the sons of his sister Elizabeth Reynolds.[2] This title was also in the Peerage of Great Britain.
On his death in 1770 the barony of 1720 became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of 1763 according to the special remainder by his nephew, the second Baron. He assumed the surname of Moreton by Act of Parliament in 1771. He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother,Francis Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Baron Ducie, a notable naval commander. He had earlier representedLancaster in Parliament. Lord Ducie assumed the surname of Moreton by Act of Parliament in 1786. The remoteDucie Island in the South Pacific is named after him. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Baron. In 1837 he was createdBaron Moreton, of Tortworth in the County of Gloucester, andEarl of Ducie.[3] These titles are in thePeerage of the United Kingdom.
His son, the second Earl, represented Gloucestershire andGloucestershire East in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the third Earl. He was aLiberal politician and served asCaptain of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1859 to 1866 underLord Palmerston andLord Russell. His only sonHenry Reynolds-Moreton, Lord Moreton, sat as Member of Parliament forGloucestershire West. However, he predeceased his father and on Lord Ducie's death the titles passed to his younger brother, the fourth Earl. He was a sheep and cattle farmer inQueensland,Australia, and also held several political offices in the state government. His son, the fifth Earl, was a dairy and fruit farmer in Australia. He was succeeded by his nephew, the sixth Earl. He was the son of Algernon Howard Moreton, second son of the fourth Earl. As of 2010[update] the titles are held by his eldest son, the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 1991.
Augustus Macdonald (who assumed the surname of Macdonald in lieu of Moreton), younger son of the first Earl, was a politician and writer.
The ancestral seat of the Moreton family wasTortworth Court, Gloucestershire. Between 1848 and 1853, a new Tortworth Court was built for the second Earl of Ducie, in aTudor style,[4] to designs by the architectSamuel Sanders Teulon.[5]Another family seat was Spring Park, Gloucestershire, which was demolished and replaced with the incompleteWoodchester Mansion.
The present family seat is the more modest Talbots End Farm, nearCromhall,Gloucestershire.
.png)
Theheir apparent is the present holder's son James Berkeley Moreton, Lord Moreton (b. 1981)
|
|
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Earl of Ducie" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
