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LONSDALE, EARLS OF

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Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 987 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LONSDALE, EARLS OF . This See also:English earldom is held by the See also:ancient See also:family of Lowther, which traces its descent to See also:Sir See also:Hugh Lowther, who flourished in the reign of See also:Edward I. Sir Hugh's descendant Sir See also:Richard Lowther (1529--1607) received See also:Mary See also:queen of Scots on her See also:flight into See also:England in 1568, and in the two following years was concerned with his See also:brother See also:Gerard in attempts to See also:release her from captivity. He was See also:sheriff of See also:Cumberland and See also:lord See also:warden of the See also:west See also:marches. A See also:house built by Gerard Lowther at See also:Penrith is now the " Two Lions See also:Inn." Sir Richard's eldest son, Sir See also:Christopher Lowther (d. 1617), was the ancestor of the later Lowthers, and another son, Sir Gerard Lowther (d. 1624), was See also:judge of the See also:common pleas in See also:Ireland. One of Sir Christopher's descendants was Sir See also:John Lowther, See also:Bart. (d. 1706), the founder of the See also:trade of See also:Whitehaven, andanother was John Lowther (165,5—1700), who was created See also:Viscount Lonsdale in 1696. Before this creation John had succeeded his grandfather, another Sir John Lowther (d. 1675), as a See also:baronet, and had been member of See also:parliament for See also:Westmorland from 1675 to 1696.

In 1688 he was serviceable in securing Cumberland and Westmorland for See also:

William of See also:Orange; in 1690 he was first lord of the See also:treasury, and he was lord privy See also:seal from See also:March 1699 until his See also:death in See also:July 1700. Lonsdale wrote See also:Memoirs of thee Reign of See also:James II., which were printed in 18o8 and again in 1857. His family became See also:extinct when his son . See also:Henry, the 3rd viscount (1694—1751), died unmarried in March 1751. James Lowther, 1st See also:earl of Lonsdale (1736—1802), was a son of See also:Robert Lowther (d. 1745) of Maulds Meaburn, Westmorland., who was for some See also:time See also:governor of See also:Barbados, and was descended from Sir Christopher Lowther; through his See also:mother See also:Catherine Pennington, James was a See also:great-See also:grandson of the 1st viscount Lonsdale. He inherited one of the family baronetcies in 1751; and from three See also:sources he obtained immense See also:wealth, being the See also:heir of the 3rd viscount Lonsdale, of Sir James Lowther, Bart. (d. 1755) of Whitehaven, and of Sir William Lowther, Bart. (d. 1756). From 1757 to 1784 he was a member of parliament, exercising enormous See also:influence on elections in the See also:north of England and usually controlling nine seats in the House of See also:Commons,.. where his nominees were known as " Sir James's ninepins." He secured the See also:election of William See also:Pitt as member for his See also:borough of See also:Appleby in 1781, and his dispute with the 3rd See also:duke of See also:Portland over the See also:possession of the See also:socage See also:manor of See also:Carlisle and the See also:forest of Inglewood gave rise to lengthy proceedings, both in parliament and in the See also:law courts.

In 1784 Lowther was created earl of Lonsdale and in 1797 Viscount Lowther with an extended See also:

remainder. The earl's enormous wealth enabled him to gratify his See also:political ambitions. Sir N. W. See also:Wraxall (See also:Historical and See also:Posthumous Memoirs, ed. H.B. See also:Wheatley, 1884), who gives interesting glimpses of his See also:life, speaks of his " prodigious See also:property " and quotes See also:Junius, who called him " the little contemptible See also:tyrant of the north." He was known as the " See also:bad earl," and See also:Horace See also:Walpole and others speak slightingly of him; he was, however, a benefactor to Whitehaven, where he boasted he owned the " See also:land, See also:fire and See also:water." He married Mary (1768—1824) daughter of See also:George .I1I.'s favourite, John See also:Stuart, 3rd earl of See also:Bute, but died childless on the 24th of May 1802, when the earldom became extinct; but a kinsman, Sir William Lowther, Bart. (1757—1844), of Swillington, became 2nd viscount Lowther. This viscount, who was created earl of Lonsdale in 1807, is chiefly famous as the friend of See also:Wordsworth and the builder of Lowther See also:Castle, Penrith. His son, William Lowther, 3rd earl of Lonsdale (1787-1872), held several subordinate positions in various Tory ministries, and was lord See also:president of the See also:council in 1852. He died unmarried, and was succeeded by his See also:nephew Henry (1818—1876), whose. son Hugh See also:Cecil (b. 1857) succeeded his brother as 6th earl of Lonsdale in 1882.

Other prominent members of the Lowther family are the Right Hon. James William Lowther (b. 1855), who became See also:

speaker of the House of Commons in 19o5; Sir Gerard See also:Augustus Lowther (b. 1858), who became See also:British See also:ambassador at See also:Constantinople in 1908; and the Right Hon. James Lowther (1840-19o4), who was a well-known Conservative member of parliament from 1865 . onwards, and See also:chief secretary for Ireland from 1878 to 1880..

End of Article: LONSDALE, EARLS OF

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