Earldom of Sandwich
Quarterly, first and fourth, Argent, three lozenges conjoined in fess Gules, within a border Sable; for Montagu. Second and third, Or, an eagle displayed Vert, beaked and membered Gules; for Monthermer.
Creation date	12 July 1660
Created by	Charles II
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Sir Edward Montagu
Present holder	Luke Montagu, 12th Earl of Sandwich
Heir apparent	William Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Hinchingbrooke Baron Montagu of St Neots
Seats	Mapperton House,Dorset
Former seats	Hinchingbrooke House,Cambridgeshire Hock Court
Motto	Post tot naufragia portum ("After so many shipwrecks a haven")[1]

Earl of Sandwich is a noble title in thePeerage of England, held since its creation by theHouse of Montagu. It is nominally associated withSandwich, Kent. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander AdmiralSir Edward Montagu. He was madeBaron Montagu of St Neots, ofSt Neots in the County of Huntingdon, andViscount Hinchingbrooke, at the same time, also in the Peerage of England. The viscountcy is used as thecourtesy title 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 ofHenry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester (from whom theDukes of Manchester descend), and Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton (from whom theDukes of Montagu descended).

He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He briefly representedDover in theHouse of Commons and served as Ambassador toPortugal and asLord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire andCambridgeshire.

The second Earl's great-grandson wasThe 4th Earl of Sandwich, who was a prominent statesman and served asFirst Lord of the Admiralty and asSecretary of State for the Northern Department. Lord Sandwich is also remembered for sponsoring the voyages of discovery made byCaptainJames Cook,R.N., who named theSandwich Islands in his honour, and as thenamesake of the sandwich.

He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Earl. He sat asMember of Parliament forBrackley andHuntingdonshire and served asVice-Chamberlain of the Household and asMaster of the Buckhounds. 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 twoConservative administrations of theEarl of Derby asCaptain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Master of the Buckhounds and was also Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire. His eldest son, the eighth Earl, representedHuntingdon 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 forHuntingdon and Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire.

His son, the tenth Earl, representedSouth Dorset 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 theHouse of Lords. Hedisclaimed 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 theninety elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of theHouse of Lords Act 1999, and sat as across-bencher.

The twelfth and current Earl succeeded his father in 2025. Lord Sandwich is known for his philanthropy, and was once Director at theMetFilm School.^[2]

Today the family seat is atMapperton inDorset.^[3] From the 17th century until the 1960s, the family also ownedHinchingbrooke House inHuntingdonshire, now a school, from which the title Viscount Hinchingbrooke was derived.

Some historical papers of the family and its Hinchingbrooke estate are held byCambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office inHuntingdon.

• Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich (1625–1672)
• Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich (1644–1689)
• Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich (1670–1729)
  • Edward Richard Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke (1692–1722)
• John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718–1792) (inventor of the sandwich)
• John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich (1744–1814)
• George John Montagu, 6th Earl of Sandwich (1773–1818)
• John William Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich (1811–1884)
• Edward George Henry Montagu, 8th Earl of Sandwich (1839–1916)
  • The HonourableVictor Alexander Montagu (1841–1915)
• George Charles Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich (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)^[4]
• 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).^[5]

• Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David (1990).Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. London and New York: St Martin's Press.
• Mosley, Charles (2003).Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (107th ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry.ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page

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• Earldoms in the Peerage of England
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