| Earldom of Waldegrave | |
|---|---|
  Arms: Per pale argent and gules.Crest: Out of a Ducal Coronet Or, a Plume of five Ostrich Feathers, the first two Argent, the third per pale Argent and Gules, the last two Gules.Supporters: On either side a Talbot Sable, eared Or, gorged with a Mural Crown Argent.[1] | |
| Creation date | 1729 |
| Created by | George II |
| Peerage | Peerage of Great Britain |
| First holder | James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave |
| Present holder | James Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave |
| Heir apparent | Edward Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton |
| Subsidiary titles | Viscount Chewton Baron Waldegrave of Chewton Baronet Waldegrave of Hever Castle |
| Seat(s) | Chewton House |
| Former seat(s) | Hever Castle |
| Motto | PASSES AVANT (Push forward) |
Earl Waldegrave is a title in thePeerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1729 forJames Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave.
TheWaldegrave family descends fromSir Richard Waldegrave,Speaker of the House of Commons from 1381 to 1382. His son and namesake,Sir Richard Waldegrave, was a soldier and fought in theHundred Years' War. His descendantSir Edward Waldegrave was a politician and courtier. A prominent Catholic, he held office underQueen Mary I, who granted him the Chewton estate inSomerset. However, Waldegrave was imprisoned in theTower of London after the accession ofQueen Elizabeth I, where he died in 1561. His grandsonEdward Waldegrave fought as a Royalist in theCivil War despite his old age. In 1643 he was created a baronet, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, in theBaronetage of England.
Henry Waldegrave, the fourth Baronet and Richard's great-grandson (the title having descended from father to son), marriedHenrietta FitzJames, illegitimate daughter ofKing James II and his mistressArabella Churchill. Mainly thanks to this marriage Waldegrave was raised to thePeerage of England asBaron Waldegrave, of Chewton in the County of Somerset. He was succeeded by his sonJames Waldegrave, the second Baron. He served as Ambassador to theHoly Roman Empire and toFrance. In 1729 he was honoured when he was createdViscount Chewton, of Chewton in the County of Somerset, andEarl Waldegrave in thePeerage of Great Britain. On his death the titles passed to his son, the second Earl. He was invited to form a government by the King in 1757, but was unsuccessful (and is normally not considered to have held the post of Prime Minister). Lord Waldegrave marriedMaria Walpole, illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole, son of Prime MinisterSir Robert Walpole. He died without male issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Earl. He was a general in the Army and also held political office. When he died the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Earl. He fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War and also representedNewcastle-under-Lyme in theHouse of Commons of Great Britain.
His eldest son, the fifth Earl, died from drowning at the age of nine. The young Earl was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Earl. He was a soldier and commanded the 54th Regiment of Foot at theBattle of Waterloo. He was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son, the seventh Earl. He died childless at an early age and was succeeded by his uncle, the eighth Earl. He was avice-admiral in theRoyal Navy and also sat asMember of Parliament forBedford. His eldest son William Frederick Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton, died in 1854 from wounds received at theBattle of Alma during theCrimean War. Lord Waldegrave was therefore succeeded by his grandson, the ninth Earl (the eldest son of Viscount Chewton). He was aConservative politician and served asCaptain of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1896 to 1905. He was succeeded by his only son, the tenth Earl. He never married and on his death in 1933 the titles passed to his uncle, the eleventh Earl. He was the second son of the aforementioned Viscount Chewton. On his death the titles passed to his only son, the twelfth Earl. He sat on the Conservative benches in theHouse of Lords and served as JointParliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1957 to 1962. Lord Waldegrave also held the honorary post ofLord Warden of the Stannaries from 1965 to 1976. As of 2010[update] the titles are held by his eldest son, the thirteenth Earl, who succeeded in 1995.
Three other members of the Waldegrave family have also gained distinction.William Waldegrave, second son of the third Earl, was a prominent naval commander and was createdBaron Radstock in 1800 (see this title for further information on this branch of the family).Samuel Waldegrave, second son of the eighth Earl, was a clergyman and served asBishop of Carlisle from 1860 to 1869.William Waldegrave, second son of the twelfth Earl, is a Conservative politician and was created alife peer as Baron Waldegrave of North Hill in 1999.
The family seat isChewton House, nearChewton Mendip,Somerset. As suggested by the territorial designation of the baronetcy, the family once ownedHever Castle. The family'scoat of arms is one of the easiest to describe:Per pale argent and gules. Its supporters are twotalbots, sable, eared or, gorged with a coronet argent. The crest is a set of five plumes.[2]
Theheir apparent is the present holder's eldest son Edward Robert Waldegrave, Viscount Chewton (born 1986)
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