| BARONETAGE | ||||||
| Last updated 04/12/2025 | ||||||
| Names of baronets shown in blue | ||||||
| have not yet proved succession and, as a | ||||||
| result, their name has not yet been placed on | ||||||
| the Official Roll of the Baronetage. | ||||||
| Date | Type | Order | Name | Born | Died | Age |
| Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the baronet was | ||||||
| baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate | ||||||
| that the baronet was buried on that date | ||||||
| SETON of Abercorn,Linlithgow | ||||||
| 3 Jun 1663 | NS | 1 | Walter Seton | 20 Feb 1692 | ||
| 20 Feb 1692 | 2 | Walter Seton | 3 Jan 1708 | |||
| 3 Jan 1708 | 3 | Henry Seton | 1751 | |||
| 1751 | 4 | Henry Seton | 29 Jun 1788 | |||
| 29 Jun 1788 | 5 | Alexander Seton | 4 May 1772 | 4 Feb 1810 | 37 | |
| 4 Feb 1810 | 6 | Henry John Seton | 4 Apr 1796 | 21 Jul 1868 | 72 | |
| For information on the death of this baronet, | ||||||
| see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 21 Jul 1868 | 7 | Charles Hay Seton | 14 Nov 1797 | 11 Jun 1869 | 71 | |
| 11 Jun 1869 | 8 | Bruce Maxwell Seton | 31 Jan 1836 | 12 Mar 1915 | 79 | |
| 12 Mar 1915 | 9 | Bruce Gordon Seton | 13 Oct 1868 | 3 Jul 1932 | 63 | |
| 3 Jul 1932 | 10 | Alexander Hay Seton | 14 Aug 1904 | 7 Feb 1963 | 58 | |
| For further information on this baronet,see | ||||||
| the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 7 Feb 1963 | 11 | Bruce Lovat Seton | 29 May 1909 | 28 Sep 1969 | 60 | |
| 28 Sep 1969 | 12 | Christopher Bruce Seton | 3 Oct 1909 | 17 Jan 1988 | 78 | |
| 17 Jan 1988 | 13 | Iain Bruce Seton | 27 Aug 1942 | 13 Jun 2025 | 82 | |
| 13 Jun 2025 | 14 | Laurence Bruce Seton | 1 Jul 1968 | |||
| SETON of Garleton,Haddington | ||||||
| 9 Dec 1664 | NS | 1 | John Seton | 29 Sep 1639 | Feb 1686 | 46 |
| Feb 1686 | 2 | George Seton | c 1720 | |||
| to | On his death the heir was under attainder | |||||
| c 1720 | and the baronetcy was thus forfeited | |||||
| SETON of Windygowl | ||||||
| 24 Jan 1671 | NS | 1 | Robert Seton | 10 Nov 1641 | Nov 1671 | 30 |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| Nov 1671 | ||||||
| SETON of Pitmedden,Aberdeen | ||||||
| 15 Jan 1683 | NS | 1 | Alexander Seton | 29 May 1719 | ||
| 29 May 1719 | 2 | William Seton | 6 Mar 1673 | 1744 | 71 | |
| MP for Scotland 1707-1708 | ||||||
| 1744 | 3 | Alexander Seton | 19 Jan 1703 | 21 Jul 1750 | 47 | |
| 21 Jul 1750 | 4 | William Seton | 11 Oct 1774 | |||
| 11 Oct 1774 | 5 | Archibald Seton | 26 May 1775 | |||
| 26 May 1775 | 6 | William Seton | 16 Feb 1818 | |||
| 16 Feb 1818 | 7 | William Coote Seton | 19 Dec 1808 | 30 Dec 1880 | 72 | |
| 30 Dec 1880 | 8 | James Lumsden Seton | 1 Sep 1835 | 26 Sep 1884 | 49 | |
| For information on the death of this baronet, | ||||||
| see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 26 Sep 1884 | 9 | William Samuel Seton | 22 May 1837 | 5 Mar 1914 | 76 | |
| 5 Mar 1914 | 10 | John Hastings Seton | 20 Sep 1888 | 21 Jun 1956 | 67 | |
| 21 Jun 1956 | 11 | Robert James Seton | 20 Apr 1926 | 29 Oct 1993 | 67 | |
| 29 Oct 1993 | 12 | James Christall Seton | 21 Jan 1913 | 4 Apr 1998 | 85 | |
| 4 Apr 1998 | 13 | Charles Wallace Seton | 25 Aug 1948 | 20 Jul 2025 | 76 | |
| 20 Jul 2025 | 14 | Bruce Anthony Seton | 29 Apr 1957 | |||
| SETON-STEUART of Allanton,Lanark | ||||||
| 22 May 1815 | UK | 1 | Henry Steuart | 20 Oct 1759 | 1836 | 76 |
| For details of the special remainder included | ||||||
| in the creation of this baronetcy,see the note | ||||||
| at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 1836 | 2 | Reginald Macdonald | 15 Apr 1838 | |||
| 15 Apr 1838 | 3 | Henry James Seton-Steuart | 5 Nov 1812 | 6 Dec 1884 | 72 | |
| 6 Dec 1884 | 4 | Alan Henry Seton-Steuart | 23 Apr 1856 | 3 Apr 1913 | 56 | |
| 3 Apr 1913 | 5 | Douglas Archibald Seton-Steuart | 20 Aug 1857 | 19 Feb 1930 | 72 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 19 Feb 1930 | ||||||
| SEYLIARD of Delaware,Kent | ||||||
| 18 Jun 1661 | E | 1 | John Sylyard | c 1613 | 19 Dec 1667 | |
| Dec 1667 | 2 | Thomas Seylyiard | c 1648 | 4 May 1692 | ||
| May 1692 | 3 | Thomas Seylyiard | c 1673 | 11 Jan 1701 | ||
| Jan 1701 | 4 | John Seyliard | 25 Jul 1700 | 23 Sep 1701 | 1 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| Sep 1701 | ||||||
| SEYMOUR of Berry Pomeroy,Devon | ||||||
| 29 Jun 1611 | E | 1 | Edward Seymour | c 1563 | 11 Apr 1613 | |
| MP for Devon 1590,1601 and 1604-1611 | ||||||
| 11 Apr 1613 | 2 | Edward Seymour | c 1580 | 5 Oct 1659 | ||
| MP for Penrhyn 1601 and Newport 1604- | ||||||
| 1611, Lyme Regis 1614, Devon 1621-1622, | ||||||
| Callington 1624-1625 and Totnes 1625 | ||||||
| 5 Oct 1659 | 3 | Edward Seymour | 10 Sep 1610 | 7 Dec 1688 | 78 | |
| MP for Devon 1640, 1640-1644 and 1660 | ||||||
| and Totnes 1661-1687 | ||||||
| 7 Dec 1688 | 4 | Edward Seymour | 1633 | 17 Feb 1708 | 74 | |
| MP for Hindon 1661-1679, Devon 1679, | ||||||
| Totnes 1679-1681 and 1695-1698, Exeter | ||||||
| 1685-1695 and 1698-1708. PC 1679 | ||||||
| Treasurer of the Navy 1673-1681 | ||||||
| 17 Feb 1708 | 5 | Edward Seymour | 18 Dec 1663 | 29 Dec 1740 | 77 | |
| MP for West Looe 1690-1695, Totnes 1708- | ||||||
| 1710 and Great Bedwyn 1710-1715 | ||||||
| 29 Dec 1740 | 6 | Edward Seymour | 17 Jan 1695 | 15 Dec 1757 | 62 | |
| He subsequently succeeded to the Dukedom | ||||||
| of Somerset (qv) in 1750 with which title | ||||||
| the baronetcy remains merged | ||||||
| SEYMOUR of Langley,Bucks | ||||||
| 4 Jul 1681 | E | 1 | Henry Seymour | 20 Oct 1674 | Apr 1714 | 39 |
| to | MP for East Looe 1699-1713 | |||||
| Apr 1714 | Extinct on his death | |||||
| SEYMOUR of High Mount,Limerick | ||||||
| 31 May 1809 | UK | See "Culme-Seymour" | ||||
| SEYMOUR of the Army | ||||||
| 28 Oct 1869 | UK | 1 | Francis Seymour | 2 Aug 1813 | 10 Jul 1890 | 76 |
| 10 Jul 1890 | 2 | Albert Victor Francis Seymour | 1 Dec 1887 | 2 May 1949 | 61 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 2 May 1949 | ||||||
| SHAEN of Kilmore,Roscommon | ||||||
| 7 Feb 1663 | I | 1 | James Shaen | by 1629 | 13 Dec 1695 | |
| 13 Dec 1695 | 2 | Arthur Shaen | after 1650 | 24 Jun 1725 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 24 Jun 1725 | ||||||
| SHAKERLEY of Somerford Hall,Cheshire | ||||||
| 30 Jul 1838 | UK | 1 | Charles Peter Shakerley | 27 Dec 1792 | 14 Sep 1857 | 64 |
| 14 Sep 1857 | 2 | Charles Watkin Shakerley | 27 Mar 1833 | 20 Oct 1898 | 65 | |
| 20 Oct 1898 | 3 | Walter Geoffrey Shakerley | 26 Nov 1859 | 11 Jan 1943 | 83 | |
| 11 Jan 1943 | 4 | George Herbert Shakerley | 27 Sep 1863 | 7 Aug 1945 | 81 | |
| 7 Aug 1945 | 5 | Cyril Holland Shakerley | 28 Feb 1897 | 21 Aug 1970 | 73 | |
| 21 Aug 1970 | 6 | Geoffrey Adam Shakerley | 9 Dec 1932 | 3 Dec 2012 | 79 | |
| 3 Dec 2012 | 7 | Nicholas Simon Adam Shakerley | 20 Dec 1963 | |||
| SHAKESPEARE of Lakenham,Norfolk | ||||||
| 11 Jul 1942 | UK | 1 | Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare | 23 Sep 1893 | 8 Sep 1980 | 86 |
| MP for Norwich 1929-1945. PC 1945 | ||||||
| 8 Sep 1980 | 2 | William Geoffrey Shakespeare | 12 Oct 1927 | 12 Mar 1996 | 68 | |
| 12 Mar 1996 | 3 | Thomas William Shakespeare | 11 May 1966 | |||
| SHARP of Scotscraig,Fife | ||||||
| 21 Apr 1683 | NS | See "Bethune" | ||||
| SHARP of Heckmondwike,Yorks | ||||||
| 28 Jun 1920 | UK | 1 | Milton Sheridan Sharp | 30 Jan 1856 | 22 May 1924 | 68 |
| 22 May 1924 | 2 | Milton Sharp | 22 Apr 1880 | 17 Dec 1941 | 61 | |
| 17 Dec 1941 | 3 | Milton Reginald Sharp | 21 Nov 1909 | 4 May 1996 | 86 | |
| 4 May 1996 | 4 | Sheridan Christopher Robin Sharp | 25 Apr 1936 | 4 Dec 2014 | 78 | |
| 4 Dec 2014 | 5 | Fabian Alexander Sebastian Sharp | 5 Nov 1973 | |||
| SHARP of Warden Court,Maidstone,Kent | ||||||
| 23 Jun 1922 | UK | 1 | Edward Sharp | 13 May 1854 | 23 Aug 1931 | 77 |
| 23 Aug 1931 | 2 | Herbert Edward Sharp | 25 Apr 1879 | 16 Jun 1936 | 57 | |
| 16 Jun 1936 | 3 | Edward Herbert Sharp | 3 Dec 1927 | 4 Nov 1985 | 57 | |
| 4 Nov 1985 | 4 | Adrian Sharp | 17 Sep 1951 | |||
| SHAW of Eltham,Kent | ||||||
| 15 Apr 1665 | E | See "Best-Shaw" | ||||
| SHAW of Greenock,Renfrew | ||||||
| 28 Jun 1687 | NS | 1 | John Shaw | 16 Apr 1693 | ||
| 16 Apr 1693 | 2 | John Shaw | 16 Apr 1702 | |||
| 16 Apr 1702 | 3 | John Shaw | c 1679 | 5 Apr 1752 | ||
| to | MP for Renfrewshire 1708-1710 and 1727- | |||||
| 5 Apr 1752 | 1734, and Clackmannanshire 1722-1727 | |||||
| Extinct on his death | ||||||
| SHAW of Kilmarnock,Ayr | ||||||
| 21 Sep 1809 | UK | 1 | James Shaw | 26 Aug 1764 | 22 Oct 1843 | 79 |
| to | MP for London 1806-1818 | |||||
| 22 Oct 1843 | He obtained a new patent in 1813 - | |||||
| see below | ||||||
| Extinct on his death | ||||||
| SHAW of Kilmarnock,Ayr | ||||||
| 14 Jan 1813 | UK | 1 | James Shaw | 26 Aug 1764 | 22 Oct 1843 | 79 |
| This creation contained a special remainder,quoted | ||||||
| in the London Gazette (issue 16676,page 2420) as | ||||||
| follows:- "His Royal Highness,the Prince Regent, | ||||||
| has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf | ||||||
| of His Majesty,to grant the dignity of a Baronet of | ||||||
| the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | ||||||
| unto Sir James Shaw,of Kilmarnock in the County | ||||||
| of Ayr,and Polmadie, in the Stewartry of | ||||||
| Kirkcudbright, and to the heirs male of his body | ||||||
| lawfully begotten,with remainder to John Shaw, | ||||||
| of Whitehall-place,in the City of Westminster,and | ||||||
| of Kilmarnock,in the County of Ayr, Esq.,nephew | ||||||
| of the said Sir James Shaw,and to the heirs male | ||||||
| of his body lawfully begotten." | ||||||
| 22 Oct 1843 | 2 | John Shaw | c 1788 | 19 Nov 1868 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 19 Nov 1868 | ||||||
| SHAW of Bushy Park,co.Dublin | ||||||
| 17 Aug 1821 | UK | 1 | Robert Shaw | 29 Jan 1774 | 10 Mar 1849 | 75 |
| MP for Dublin 1804-1826 | ||||||
| 10 Mar 1849 | 2 | Robert Shaw | 28 Sep 1796 | 19 Feb 1869 | 72 | |
| 19 Feb 1869 | 3 | Frederick Shaw | 11 Dec 1799 | 30 Jun 1876 | 76 | |
| MP for Dublin 1830-1831 and 1831-1832 | ||||||
| and Dublin University 1832-1848. PC [I] | ||||||
| 1835 | ||||||
| 30 Jun 1876 | 4 | Robert Shaw | 3 Aug 1821 | 16 May 1895 | 73 | |
| 16 May 1895 | 5 | Frederick William Shaw | 15 Mar 1858 | 15 Jul 1927 | 69 | |
| 15 Jul 1927 | 6 | Robert de Vere Shaw | 24 Feb 1890 | 26 Mar 1969 | 79 | |
| 26 Mar 1969 | 7 | Robert Shaw | 31 Jan 1925 | 18 Dec 2002 | 77 | |
| 18 Dec 2002 | 8 | Charles de Vere Shaw | 1 Mar 1957 | |||
| SHAW of Wolverhampton,Warwicks | ||||||
| 30 Nov 1908 | UK | 1 | Theodore Frederick Charles Edward Shaw | 11 Sep 1859 | 17 Apr 1942 | 82 |
| to | MP for Stafford 1892-1911 | |||||
| 17 Apr 1942 | Extinct on his death | |||||
| SHAW-STEWART of Blackhall and | ||||||
| Greenock,Renfrew | ||||||
| 27 Mar 1667 | NS | 1 | Archibald Stewart | c 1635 | c 1722 | |
| c 1722 | 2 | Archibald Stewart | Apr 1724 | |||
| Apr 1724 | 3 | Michael Stewart | c 1712 | 20 Oct 1796 | ||
| 20 Oct 1796 | 4 | John Shaw-Stewart | c 1740 | 7 Aug 1812 | ||
| MP for Renfrewshire 1780-1783 and 1786-1796 | ||||||
| 7 Aug 1812 | 5 | Michael Shaw-Stewart | 10 Feb 1766 | 25 Aug 1825 | 59 | |
| Lord Lieutenant Renfrew 1822-1825 | ||||||
| 25 Aug 1825 | 6 | Michael Shaw-Stewart | 4 Oct 1788 | 19 Dec 1836 | 48 | |
| MP for Lanarkshire 1827-1830 and | ||||||
| Renfrewshire 1830-1837 | ||||||
| 19 Dec 1836 | 7 | Michael Robert Shaw-Stewart | 26 Nov 1826 | 10 Dec 1903 | 77 | |
| MP for Renfrewshire 1855-1865. Lord | ||||||
| Lieutenant Renfrew 1869-1903 | ||||||
| 10 Dec 1903 | 8 | Michael Hugh Shaw-Stewart | 11 Jul 1854 | 29 Jun 1942 | 87 | |
| MP for Renfrewshire East 1886-1906. Lord | ||||||
| Lieutenant Renfrew 1922-1942 | ||||||
| 29 Jun 1942 | 9 | Walter Guy Shaw-Stewart | 10 Aug 1892 | 26 Apr 1976 | 83 | |
| Lord Lieutenant Renfrew 1950-1967 | ||||||
| 26 Apr 1976 | 10 | Euan Guy Shaw-Stewart | 11 Oct 1928 | 30 Jan 1980 | 51 | |
| 30 Jan 1980 | 11 | Houston Mark Shaw-Stewart | 24 Apr 1931 | 21 Feb 2004 | 72 | |
| 21 Feb 2004 | 12 | Ludovic Houston Shaw-Stewart | 12 Nov 1986 | |||
| SHEAFFE of Boston,Massachusetts | ||||||
| 16 Jan 1813 | UK | 1 | Roger Hale Sheaffe | 15 Jul 1763 | 17 Jul 1851 | 88 |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 17 Jul 1851 | ||||||
| SHEE of Dunmore,Galway | ||||||
| 22 Jan 1794 | I | 1 | George Shee | Jan 1754 | 3 Feb 1825 | 71 |
| 3 Feb 1825 | 2 | George Shee | 14 Jun 1785 | 25 Jan 1870 | 84 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 25 Jan 1870 | ||||||
| SHEFFIELD of Normanby,Lincs | ||||||
| 1 Mar 1755 | GB | 1 | Charles Sheffield | c 1706 | 5 Sep 1774 | |
| 5 Sep 1774 | 2 | John Sheffield | c 1743 | 4 Feb 1815 | ||
| 4 Feb 1815 | 3 | Robert Sheffield | c 1758 | 26 Feb 1815 | ||
| 26 Feb 1815 | 4 | Robert Sheffield | 25 Feb 1786 | 7 Nov 1862 | 76 | |
| 7 Nov 1862 | 5 | Robert Sheffield | 8 Dec 1823 | 23 Oct 1886 | 62 | |
| 23 Oct 1886 | 6 | Berkeley Digby George Sheffield | 19 Jan 1876 | 26 Nov 1946 | 70 | |
| MP for Brigg 1907-1910 and 1922-1929 | ||||||
| 26 Nov 1946 | 7 | Robert Arthur Sheffield | 18 Oct 1905 | 2 Jun 1977 | 71 | |
| 2 Jun 1977 | 8 | Reginald Adrian Berkeley Sheffield | 9 May 1946 | |||
| SHELLEY of Michelgrove,Sussex | ||||||
| 22 May 1611 | E | 1 | John Shelley | c 1644 | ||
| c 1644 | 2 | Charles Shelley | 1681 | |||
| 1681 | 3 | John Shelley | after 1662 | 25 Apr 1703 | ||
| 25 Apr 1703 | 4 | John Shelley | 6 Mar 1692 | 6 Sep 1771 | 79 | |
| MP for Arundel 1727-1741 and Lewes | ||||||
| 1743-1747 | ||||||
| 6 Sep 1771 | 5 | John Shelley | c 1730 | 11 Sep 1783 | ||
| MP for East Retford 1751-1758 and | ||||||
| Newark 1768-1774. PC 1766 | ||||||
| 11 Sep 1783 | 6 | John Shelley | 3 Mar 1772 | 28 Mar 1852 | 80 | |
| MP for Helston 1806 and Lewes 1816-1831 | ||||||
| 28 Mar 1852 | 7 | John Villiers Shelley | 18 Mar 1808 | 28 Jan 1867 | 58 | |
| MP for Gatton 1830-1831,Grimsby 1831-1832 | ||||||
| and Westminster 1852-1865 | ||||||
| 28 Jan 1867 | 8 | Frederic Shelley | 5 May 1809 | 19 Mar 1869 | 59 | |
| 19 Mar 1869 | 9 | John Shelley | 31 Aug 1848 | 29 Mar 1931 | 82 | |
| 29 Mar 1931 | 10 | John Frederick Shelley | 14 Oct 1884 | 8 Mar 1976 | 91 | |
| 8 Mar 1976 | 11 | John Richard Shelley | 18 Jan 1943 | |||
| SHELLEY of Castle Goring,Sussex | ||||||
| 3 Mar 1806 | UK | 1 | Bysshe Shelley | 12 Jun 1731 | 6 Jan 1815 | 83 |
| 6 Jan 1815 | 2 | Timothy Shelley | Sep 1753 | 24 Apr 1844 | 90 | |
| 24 Apr 1844 | 3 | Percy Florence Shelley | 12 Nov 1819 | 5 Dec 1889 | 70 | |
| 5 Dec 1889 | 4 | Edward Shelley | 10 Dec 1827 | 17 Sep 1890 | 62 | |
| 17 Sep 1890 | 5 | Charles Shelley | 14 May 1838 | 20 Jul 1902 | 64 | |
| 20 Jul 1902 | 6 | John Courtown Edward Shelley (Shelley-Rolls | ||||
| from 1917) | 5 Aug 1871 | 18 Feb 1951 | 79 | |||
| 18 Feb 1951 | 7 | Percy Bysshe Shelley | 24 Jun 1872 | 24 Sep 1953 | 81 | |
| 24 Sep 1953 | 8 | Sidney Patrick Shelley | 18 Jan 1880 | 25 Jul 1965 | 85 | |
| 25 Jul 1965 | 9 | William Philip Sidney | 23 May 1909 | 5 Apr 1991 | 81 | |
| He had previously been created Viscount | ||||||
| de L'Isle (qv) in 1956 with which title the | ||||||
| baronetcy remains merged | ||||||
| SHELLEY-SIDNEY of Penshurst Place,Kent | ||||||
| 12 Dec 1818 | UK | 1 | John Shelley-Sidney | 18 Dec 1771 | 14 Mar 1849 | 77 |
| 14 Mar 1849 | 2 | Philip Charles Sidney | 11 Mar 1800 | 4 Mar 1851 | 50 | |
| He had previously been created Baron | ||||||
| de L'Isle and Dudley (qv) in 1835 with | ||||||
| which title the baronetcy remains merged | ||||||
| SHEPPARD of Thornton Hall,Bucks | ||||||
| 29 Sep 1809 | UK | 1 | Thomas Sheppard | 21 Nov 1821 | ||
| 21 Nov 1821 | 2 | Thomas Sheppard-Cotton | 3 Mar 1785 | 5 Apr 1848 | 63 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 5 Apr 1848 | ||||||
| SHEPPERSON of Upwood,Hunts | ||||||
| 20 Jun 1945 | UK | 1 | Sir Ernest Whittome Shepperson | 4 Oct 1874 | 22 Aug 1949 | 74 |
| to | MP for Leominster 1922-1945 | |||||
| 22 Aug 1949 | Extinct on his death | |||||
| SHERARD of Lopthorp,Lincs | ||||||
| 25 May 1674 | E | 1 | John Sherard | c 1662 | 1 Jan 1725 | |
| 1 Jan 1725 | 2 | Richard Sherard | c 1666 | 14 Jun 1730 | ||
| 14 Jun 1730 | 3 | Brownlow Sherard | 7 Feb 1668 | 30 Jan 1736 | 67 | |
| 30 Jan 1736 | 4 | Brownlow Sherard | c 1702 | 25 Nov 1748 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 25 Nov 1748 | ||||||
| SHERBURNE of Stonyhurst,Lancs | ||||||
| 4 Feb 1686 | E | 1 | Nicholas Sherburne | 14 Dec 1717 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 14 Dec 1717 | ||||||
| SHERSTON-BAKER of Dunstable House,Surrey | ||||||
| 14 May 1796 | GB | 1 | Robert Baker | 20 Apr 1754 | 4 Feb 1826 | 71 |
| 4 Feb 1826 | 2 | Henry Loraine Baker | 3 Jan 1787 | 2 Nov 1859 | 72 | |
| 2 Nov 1859 | 3 | Henry Williams Baker | 27 May 1821 | 12 Feb 1877 | 55 | |
| 12 Feb 1877 | 4 | George Edward Dundas Sherston Baker | 19 May 1846 | 15 Mar 1923 | 76 | |
| 15 Mar 1923 | 5 | Dodington George Richard Sherston-Baker | 22 Jul 1877 | 18 Nov 1944 | 67 | |
| 18 Nov 1944 | 6 | Humphrey Dodington Benedict Sherston- | ||||
| Baker | 13 Oct 1907 | 15 Feb 1990 | 82 | |||
| 15 Feb 1990 | 7 | Robert George Humphrey Sherston-Baker | 3 Apr 1951 | |||
| SHIERS of Slyfield,Surrey | ||||||
| 16 Oct 1684 | E | 1 | George Shiers | c 1660 | 18 Jul 1685 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 16 Jul 1685 | ||||||
| SHIFFNER of Coombe Place,Sussex | ||||||
| 16 Dec 1818 | UK | 1 | George Shiffner | 17 Nov 1762 | Feb 1842 | 79 |
| Feb 1842 | 2 | Henry Shiffner | 4 Nov 1788 | 18 Mar 1859 | 70 | |
| 18 Mar 1859 | 3 | George Shiffner | 17 May 1791 | 14 Dec 1863 | 72 | |
| 14 Dec 1863 | 4 | George Croxton Shiffner | 21 Aug 1819 | 23 Jan 1906 | 86 | |
| 23 Jan 1906 | 5 | John Shiffner | 8 Aug 1857 | 5 Apr 1914 | 56 | |
| For information on the death of this baronet, | ||||||
| see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 5 Apr 1914 | 6 | John Bridger Shiffner | 5 Aug 1899 | 24 Sep 1918 | 19 | |
| 24 Sep 1918 | 7 | Henry Burrowes Shiffner | 29 Jul 1902 | 22 Nov 1941 | 39 | |
| 22 Nov 1941 | 8 | Henry David Shiffner | 2 Feb 1930 | 22 Aug 2018 | 88 | |
| For information on this baronet, see the note | ||||||
| at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 22 Aug 2018 | 9 | Michael George Edward Shiffner | 5 Mar 1963 | |||
| SHIRLEY of Staunton Harold,Leics | ||||||
| 22 May 1611 | E | 1 | George Shirley | 23 Apr 1559 | 27 Apr 1622 | 63 |
| 27 Apr 1622 | 2 | Henry Shirley | c 1588 | 8 Feb 1633 | ||
| 8 Feb 1633 | 3 | Charles Shirley | 9 Sep 1623 | 7 Jun 1646 | 22 | |
| 7 Jun 1646 | 4 | Robert Shirley | 1629 | 6 Nov 1656 | 27 | |
| 6 Nov 1656 | 5 | Seymour Shirley | 23 Jan 1647 | 16 Jul 1667 | 20 | |
| Jan 1668 | 6 | Robert Shirley | Jan 1668 | 11 Mar 1669 | 1 | |
| Mar 1669 | 7 | Robert Shirley | 20 Oct 1650 | 25 Dec 1717 | 67 | |
| He was subsequently created Earl Ferrers | ||||||
| (qv) in 1711 with which title the | ||||||
| baronetcy remains merged | ||||||
| SHIRLEY of Preston,Sussex | ||||||
| 6 Mar 1666 | E | 1 | Anthony Shirley | 5 Jul 1624 | 22 Jun 1683 | 58 |
| MP for Arundel 1654-1655, Sussex 1656- | ||||||
| 1658 and Steyning 1659 | ||||||
| Jun 1683 | 2 | Richard Shirley | c 1655 | 30 Mar 1692 | ||
| Mar 1692 | 3 | Richard Shirley | c 1680 | 1705 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 1705 | ||||||
| SHIRLEY of Oat Hall,Sussex | ||||||
| 27 Jun 1786 | GB | 1 | Thomas Shirley | 30 Dec 1727 | 18 Feb 1800 | 72 |
| Governor of the Bahamas 1767, Dominica | ||||||
| 1774 and the Leeward Islands 1781 | ||||||
| 18 Feb 1800 | 2 | William Warden Shirley | 4 Aug 1772 | 26 Feb 1815 | 42 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 26 Feb 1815 | ||||||
| SHORE of Heathcote,Derby | ||||||
| 27 Oct 1792 | GB | 1 | John Shore | 5 Oct 1751 | 14 Feb 1834 | 82 |
| He was subsequently created Baron | ||||||
| Teignmouth (qv) in 1798 with which title | ||||||
| the baronetcy then merged until its | ||||||
| extinction in 1981 | ||||||
| SHUCKBURGH of Shuckburgh,Warwicks | ||||||
| 25 Jun 1660 | E | 1 | John Shuckburgh | 1635 | 1661 | 26 |
| 1661 | 2 | Charles Shuckburgh | Nov 1659 | 2 Sep 1705 | 45 | |
| MP for Warwickshire 1698-1705 | ||||||
| 2 Sep 1705 | 3 | John Shuckburgh | 18 Aug 1683 | 19 Jun 1724 | 40 | |
| 19 Jun 1724 | 4 | Stewkley Shuckburgh | 9 Mar 1711 | 10 Mar 1759 | 48 | |
| 10 Mar 1759 | 5 | Charles Shuckburgh | 17 Mar 1722 | 10 Aug 1773 | 51 | |
| 10 Aug 1773 | 6 | George Augustus William Shuckburgh | ||||
| (Shuckburgh-Evelyn from Jul 1793) | 23 Aug 1751 | 11 Aug 1804 | 52 | |||
| MP for Warwickshire 1780-1804 | ||||||
| 11 Aug 1804 | 7 | Stewkley Shuckburgh | c 1760 | 21 Jul 1809 | ||
| 21 Jul 1809 | 8 | Francis Shuckburgh | 12 Mar 1789 | 29 Oct 1876 | 87 | |
| 29 Oct 1876 | 9 | George Thomas Francis Shuckburgh | 23 Jul 1829 | 12 Jan 1884 | 54 | |
| 12 Jan 1884 | 10 | Stewkley Frederick Draycott Shuckburgh | 20 Jun 1880 | 17 Nov 1917 | 37 | |
| 17 Nov 1917 | 11 | Gerald Francis Stewkley Shuckburgh | 28 Feb 1882 | 3 Aug 1939 | 57 | |
| 3 Aug 1939 | 12 | Charles Gerald Stewkley Shuckburgh | 28 Feb 1911 | 4 May 1988 | 77 | |
| 4 May 1988 | 13 | Rupert Charles Gerald Shuckburgh | 12 Feb 1949 | 24 Jan 2012 | 62 | |
| 24 Jan 2012 | 14 | James Rupert Charles Shuckburgh | 4 Jan 1978 | |||
| SHUTTLEWORTH of Gawthorpe Hall,Lancs | ||||||
| 22 Dec 1849 | UK | See "Kay-Shuttleworth" | ||||
| SIBBALD of Rankelour,Fife | ||||||
| 24 Jul 1630 | NS | 1 | James Sibbald | 21 May 1650 | ||
| 21 May 1650 | 2 | David Sibbald | c 1680 | |||
| to | On his death the baronetcy became dormant | |||||
| c 1680 | ||||||
| SIDNEY of Penshurst,Kent | ||||||
| 12 Dec 1818 | UK | See "Shelley-Sidney" | ||||
| SILVESTER of Yardley | ||||||
| 20 May 1815 | UK | 1 | John Silvester | Sep 1745 | 30 Mar 1822 | 76 |
| to | He was granted a fresh patent in 1822 - see | |||||
| 30 Mar 1822 | below | |||||
| Extinct on his death | ||||||
| SILVESTER of Yardley | ||||||
| 11 Feb 1822 | UK | 1 | John Silvester | Sep 1745 | 30 Mar 1822 | 76 |
| 30 Mar 1822 | 2 | Philip Carteret Silvester | Aug 1828 | |||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| Aug 1828 | ||||||
| SIMEON of Chilworth,Oxon | ||||||
| 18 Oct 1677 | E | 1 | James Simeon | 15 Jan 1709 | ||
| 15 Jan 1709 | 2 | Edward Simeon | c 1682 | 22 Dec 1768 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 22 Dec 1768 | ||||||
| SIMEON of Grazeley,Berks | ||||||
| 22 May 1815 | UK | 1 | John Simeon | 4 Feb 1824 | ||
| 4 Feb 1824 | 2 | Richard Godin Simeon | 21 May 1784 | 4 Jan 1854 | 69 | |
| MP for Isle of Wight 1832-1837 | ||||||
| 4 Jan 1854 | 3 | John Simeon | 5 Feb 1815 | 21 May 1870 | 55 | |
| MP for Isle of Wight 1847-1851 | ||||||
| 21 May 1870 | 4 | John Stephen Barrington Simeon | 31 Aug 1850 | 26 Apr 1909 | 58 | |
| MP for Southampton 1895-1906 | ||||||
| 26 Apr 1909 | 5 | Edmund Charles Simeon | 11 Dec 1855 | 18 Jun 1915 | 59 | |
| 18 Jun 1915 | 6 | John Walter Barrington Simeon | Jan 1886 | 24 Jun 1957 | 71 | |
| 24 Jun 1957 | 7 | John Edmund Barrington Simeon | 1 Mar 1911 | 6 Dec 1999 | 88 | |
| 6 Dec 1999 | 8 | Richard Edmund Barrington Simeon | 2 Mar 1943 | 11 Oct 2013 | 70 | |
| 11 Oct 2013 | 9 | Stephen George Barrington Simeon | 29 Oct 1970 | |||
| SIMPSON of Strathavon,Linlithgow | ||||||
| 3 Feb 1866 | UK | 1 | James Young Simpson | 7 Jun 1811 | 5 May 1870 | 58 |
| 5 May 1870 | 2 | Walter Grindlay Simpson | 1 Sep 1843 | 29 May 1898 | 54 | |
| 29 May 1898 | 3 | James Walter Mackay Simpson | 6 Sep 1882 | 16 Mar 1924 | 41 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 16 Mar 1924 | ||||||
| SIMPSON of Bradley Hall,Durham | ||||||
| 1 Feb 1935 | UK | 1 | Frank Robert Simpson | 12 Apr 1864 | 29 Apr 1949 | 85 |
| 29 Apr 1949 | 2 | Basil Robert James Simpson | 13 Feb 1898 | 19 Aug 1968 | 70 | |
| 19 Aug 1968 | 3 | John Cyril Finucane Simpson | 10 Feb 1899 | 21 Dec 1981 | 82 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 21 Dec 1981 | ||||||
| SINCLAIR of Dunbeath,Caithness | ||||||
| 3 Jan 1631 | NS | 1 | John Sinclair | c 1652 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| c 1652 | ||||||
| SINCLAIR of Canisbay,Caithness | ||||||
| 2 Jun 1631 | NS | 1 | James Sinclair | 1662 | ||
| 1662 | 2 | William Sinclair | c 1677 | |||
| c 1677 | 3 | James Sinclair | c 1710 | |||
| c 1710 | 4 | James Sinclair | c 1730 | |||
| c 1730 | 5 | James Sinclair | 4 Oct 1760 | |||
| 4 Oct 1760 | 6 | John Sinclair | Apr 1774 | |||
| Apr 1774 | 7 | James Sinclair | 31 Oct 1766 | 16 Jul 1823 | 56 | |
| He subsequently succeeded to the Earldom | ||||||
| of Caithness (qv) in 1789 with which title | ||||||
| the baronetcy remains merged | ||||||
| SINCLAIR of Longformacus,Berwick | ||||||
| 10 Dec 1664 | NS | 1 | Robert Sinclair | 1678 | ||
| 1678 | 2 | John Sinclair | after 1696 | |||
| after 1696 | 3 | Robert Sinclair | 28 Sep 1727 | |||
| 28 Sep 1727 | 4 | John Sinclair | 5 Dec 1764 | |||
| 5 Dec 1764 | 5 | Harry Sinclair | 25 Jun 1768 | |||
| 25 Jun 1768 | 6 | John Sinclair | 7 Jan 1798 | |||
| 7 Jan 1798 | 7 | John Sinclair | c 1843 | |||
| to | On his death the baronetcy became either | |||||
| c 1843 | extinct or dormant | |||||
| SINCLAIR of Kinnaird,Fife | ||||||
| c 1675 | NS | 1 | James Sinclair | c 1702 | ||
| c 1702 | 2 | George Sinclair | 1726 | |||
| 1726 | 3 | John Sinclair | 25 Dec 1767 | |||
| 25 Dec 1767 | 4 | John Sinclair | 1763 | |||
| Nothing further is known of him or his | ||||||
| successors (if any) | ||||||
| SINCLAIR of Dunbeath,Caithness | ||||||
| 12 Oct 1704 | NS | 1 | James Sinclair | 28 Sep 1742 | ||
| 28 Sep 1742 | 2 | William Sinclair | 2 Aug 1767 | |||
| 2 Aug 1767 | 3 | Alexander Sinclair | 1786 | |||
| 1786 | 4 | Benjamin Sinclair | 26 Oct 1796 | |||
| 26 Oct 1796 | 5 | John Sinclair | 1 Oct 1842 | |||
| 1 Oct 1842 | 6 | John Sinclair | 16 Sep 1794 | 21 Apr 1873 | 78 | |
| 21 Apr 1873 | 7 | John Rose George Sinclair | 10 Aug 1864 | 3 Nov 1926 | 62 | |
| 3 Nov 1926 | 8 | Ronald Norman John Charles Udny Sinclair | 30 Jun 1899 | 19 Oct 1952 | 53 | |
| 19 Oct 1952 | 9 | John Rollo Norman Blair Sinclair | 4 Nov 1928 | 10 Mar 1990 | 62 | |
| 10 Mar 1990 | 10 | Patrick Robert Richard Sinclair | 21 May 1936 | 5 Mar 2011 | 74 | |
| 5 Mar 2011 | 11 | William Robert Francis Sinclair | 27 Mar 1979 | |||
| SINCLAIR of Ulbster,Caithness | ||||||
| 14 Feb 1786 | GB | 1 | John Sinclair | 10 May 1754 | 21 Dec 1835 | 81 |
| For information on the special remainder | ||||||
| included in this creation, see the note at | ||||||
| the foot of this page | ||||||
| MP for Caithness 1780-1784,1790-1796, | ||||||
| 1802-1806 and 1807-1811, Lostwithiel | ||||||
| 1784-1790 and Petersfield 1797-1802 | ||||||
| 21 Dec 1835 | 2 | George Sinclair | 23 Aug 1790 | 9 Oct 1868 | 78 | |
| MP for Caithness 1811-1812,1818-1820 | ||||||
| and 1831-1841 | ||||||
| 9 Oct 1868 | 3 | John George Tollemache Sinclair | 8 Nov 1824 | 29 Sep 1912 | 87 | |
| MP for Caithness 1869-1885 | ||||||
| For further information on this baronet,see | ||||||
| the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 29 Sep 1912 | 4 | Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair | 22 Oct 1890 | 15 Jun 1970 | 79 | |
| He was subsequently created Viscount | ||||||
| Thurso (qv) in 1952 with which title the | ||||||
| baronetcy then merged | ||||||
| SINCLAIR-LOCKHART | ||||||
| of Stevenston,Haddington | ||||||
| 18 Jun 1636 | NS | 1 | John Sinclair | 1649 | ||
| 1649 | 2 | John Sinclair | 26 Jul 1642 | 1652 | 9 | |
| 1652 | 3 | Robert Sinclair | 15 Oct 1643 | Jul 1713 | 69 | |
| Jul 1713 | 4 | John Sinclair | 1726 | |||
| 1726 | 5 | Robert Sinclair | 25 Oct 1754 | |||
| 25 Oct 1754 | 6 | John Sinclair | 13 Feb 1789 | |||
| 13 Feb 1789 | 7 | Robert Sinclair | 4 Aug 1795 | |||
| 4 Aug 1795 | 8 | John Gordon Sinclair | 31 Jul 1790 | 12 Nov 1863 | 73 | |
| 12 Nov 1863 | 9 | Robert Charles Sinclair | 25 Aug 1820 | 5 May 1899 | 78 | |
| 5 May 1899 | 10 | Graeme Alexander Sinclair-Lockhart | 23 Jan 1820 | 20 Mar 1904 | 84 | |
| 20 Mar 1904 | 11 | Robert Duncan Sinclair-Lockhart | 12 Nov 1856 | 8 Nov 1919 | 62 | |
| 8 Nov 1919 | 12 | Graeme Duncan Power Sinclair-Lockhart | 29 Jan 1897 | 15 Feb 1959 | 62 | |
| 15 Feb 1959 | 13 | John Beresford Sinclair-Lockhart | 4 Nov 1904 | 11 Mar 1970 | 65 | |
| 11 Mar 1970 | 14 | Muir Edward Sinclair-Lockhart | 23 Jul 1906 | 10 Feb 1985 | 78 | |
| 10 Feb 1985 | 15 | Simon John Edward Francis Sinclair-Lockhart | 22 Jul 1941 | |||
| SITWELL of Renishaw,Derby | ||||||
| 3 Oct 1808 | UK | 1 | Sitwell Sitwell | 14 Jul 1811 | ||
| MP for West Looe 1796-1802 | ||||||
| 14 Jul 1811 | 2 | George Sitwell | 20 Apr 1797 | 12 Mar 1853 | 55 | |
| 12 Mar 1853 | 3 | Sitwell Reresby Sitwell | 6 Oct 1820 | 12 Apr 1862 | 41 | |
| 12 Apr 1862 | 4 | George Reresby Sitwell | 27 Jan 1860 | 8 Jul 1948 | 88 | |
| MP for Scarborough 1885-1886 and 1892-95 | ||||||
| 8 Jul 1948 | 5 | (Francis) Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell | 6 Dec 1892 | 4 May 1969 | 76 | |
| CH 1958 | ||||||
| 4 May 1969 | 6 | Sacheverell Sitwell | 15 Nov 1897 | 1 Oct 1988 | 90 | |
| CH 1984 | ||||||
| 1 Oct 1988 | 7 | Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell | 15 Apr 1927 | 31 Mar 2009 | 81 | |
| 31 Mar 2009 | 8 | George Reresby Sacheverell Sitwell | 22 Apr 1967 | |||
| SKEFFINGTON of Fisherwick,Staffs | ||||||
| 8 May 1627 | E | 1 | William Skeffington | 16 Sep 1635 | ||
| Sep 1635 | 2 | John Skeffington | c 1590 | 19 Nov 1651 | ||
| MP for Newcastle under Lyme 1626 | ||||||
| 19 Nov 1651 | 3 | William Skeffington | 7 Apr 1652 | |||
| Apr 1652 | 4 | John Skeffington | 21 Jun 1695 | |||
| He subsequently succeeded to the | ||||||
| Viscountcy of Massereene (qv) in 1665 with | ||||||
| which title the baronetcy then merged until | ||||||
| its extinction in 1816 | ||||||
| SKEFFINGTON of Skeffington,Leics | ||||||
| 27 Jun 1786 | GB | 1 | William Charles Farrell-Skeffington | 24 Jun 1742 | 26 Jan 1815 | 72 |
| 26 Jan 1815 | 2 | Lumley St.George Skeffington | 23 Mar 1771 | 10 Nov 1850 | 79 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 10 Nov 1850 | ||||||
| SKENE of Curriehill | ||||||
| 22 Feb 1628 | NS | 1 | James Skene | 10 Oct 1633 | ||
| 10 Oct 1633 | 2 | John Skene | c 1680 | |||
| to | On his death the baronetcy became either | |||||
| c 1680 | extinct or dormant | |||||
| SKINNER of Pont Street,Chelsea | ||||||
| 9 Feb 1912 | UK | 1 | Thomas Skinner | 23 Nov 1840 | 11 May 1926 | 85 |
| 11 May 1926 | 2 | Thomas Hewitt Skinner | 12 Jun 1875 | 4 Oct 1968 | 93 | |
| 4 Oct 1968 | 3 | Thomas Gordon Skinner | 29 Dec 1899 | 22 Nov 1972 | 72 | |
| 22 Nov 1972 | 4 | Thomas Keith Hewitt Skinner | 6 Dec 1927 | 18 Oct 2021 | 93 | |
| 18 Oct 2021 | 5 | Thomas James Hewitt Skinner | 11 Sep 1962 | |||
| SKIPWITH of Prestwould,Leics | ||||||
| 20 Dec 1622 | E | 1 | Henry Skipwith | c 1658 | ||
| c 1658 | 2 | Henry Skipwith | c 1616 | c 1663 | ||
| c 1663 | 3 | Grey Skipwith | c 1680 | |||
| c 1680 | 4 | William Skipwith | c 1670 | c 1730 | ||
| c 1730 | 5 | Grey Skipwith | c 1700 | c 1750 | ||
| c 1750 | 6 | William Skipwith | 1703 | 26 Feb 1764 | 60 | |
| 26 Feb 1764 | 7 | Peyton Skipwith | 9 Oct 1805 | |||
| 9 Oct 1805 | 8 | Grey Skipwith | 17 Sep 1771 | 13 May 1852 | 80 | |
| MP for Warwickshire 1831-1832 and | ||||||
| Warwickshire South 1832-1835 | ||||||
| 13 May 1852 | 9 | Thomas George Skipwith | 9 Feb 1803 | 30 Nov 1863 | 60 | |
| 30 Nov 1863 | 10 | Peyton Estoteville Skipwith | 12 Feb 1857 | 12 May 1891 | 34 | |
| 12 May 1891 | 11 | Gray Humberston d'Estoteville Skipwith | 1 Dec 1884 | 3 Feb 1950 | 65 | |
| 3 Feb 1950 | 12 | Patrick Alexander d'Estoteville Skipwith | 1 Sep 1938 | 6 Oct 2016 | 78 | |
| 6 Oct 2016 | 13 | Alexander Sebastian Grey d'Estoteville Skipwith | 9 Apr 1969 | |||
| SKIPWITH of Newbold Hall,Warwicks | ||||||
| 25 Oct 1670 | E | 1 | Fulwar Skipwith | 18 Nov 1677 | ||
| 18 Nov 1677 | 2 | Fulwar Skipwith | 24 Jun 1676 | 14 May 1728 | 51 | |
| MP for Coventry 1713-1715 | ||||||
| 14 May 1728 | 3 | Francis Skipwith | c 1705 | 6 Dec 1778 | ||
| 6 Dec 1778 | 4 | Thomas George Skipwith | c 1735 | 28 Jan 1790 | ||
| to | MP for Warwickshire 1769-1780 and | |||||
| 28 Jan 1790 | Steyning 1780-1784 | |||||
| Extinct on his death | ||||||
| SKIPWITH of Metheringham,Lincs | ||||||
| 27 Jul 1678 | E | 1 | Thomas Skipwith | c 1620 | 2 Jun 1694 | |
| MP for Grantham 1659 and 1660 | ||||||
| 2 Jun 1694 | 2 | Thomas Skipwith | c 1652 | 15 Jun 1710 | ||
| MP for Malmesbury 1696-1698 | ||||||
| 15 Jun 1710 | 3 | George Brydges Skipwith | 7 Nov 1686 | 4 Jun 1756 | 69 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 4 Jun 1756 | ||||||
| SLADE of Maunsell House,Somerset | ||||||
| 30 Sep 1831 | UK | 1 | John Slade | 1762 | 13 Aug 1859 | 97 |
| 13 Aug 1859 | 2 | Frederick William Slade | 21 Jan 1801 | 8 Aug 1863 | 62 | |
| 8 Aug 1863 | 3 | Alfred Frederic Adolphus Slade | 28 May 1834 | 19 Jul 1890 | 56 | |
| For information about the Slade baronetcy case | ||||||
| of 1867,see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 19 Jul 1890 | 4 | Cuthbert Slade | 10 Apr 1863 | 9 Feb 1908 | 44 | |
| 9 Feb 1908 | 5 | Alfred Fothringham Slade | 17 Jan 1898 | 28 Oct 1960 | 62 | |
| 28 Oct 1960 | 6 | Michael Nial Slade | 30 Jul 1900 | 15 Apr 1962 | 61 | |
| 15 Apr 1962 | 7 | Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade | 22 May 1946 | |||
| For further information regarding this baronet | ||||||
| see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| SLANNING of Maristow,Devon | ||||||
| 19 Jan 1663 | E | 1 | Nicholas Slanning | Jun 1643 | c Apr 1691 | |
| MP for Plympton Erle 1667-1679 and | ||||||
| Penrhyn 1679-1689 | ||||||
| c Apr 1691 | 2 | Andrew Slanning | c 1674 | 21 Nov 1700 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 21 Nov 1700 | For information on the death of this baronet, | |||||
| see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| SLEIGHT of Weelsby Hall,Lincs | ||||||
| 29 Jun 1920 | UK | 1 | George Frederick Sleight | 26 Mar 1853 | 19 Mar 1921 | 67 |
| 19 Mar 1921 | 2 | Ernest Sleight | 14 Oct 1873 | 16 Jul 1946 | 72 | |
| 16 Jul 1946 | 3 | John Frederick Sleight | 13 Apr 1909 | 12 Feb 1990 | 80 | |
| 12 Feb 1990 | 4 | Richard Sleight | 27 May 1946 | |||
| SLINGSBY of Scriven,Yorks | ||||||
| 23 Oct 1628 | E | 1 | Anthony Slingsby | 1630 | ||
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 1630 | ||||||
| SLINGSBY of Scriven,Yorks | ||||||
| 2 Mar 1638 | NS | 1 | Henry Slingsby | 14 Jan 1602 | 8 Jun 1658 | 56 |
| MP for Knaresborough 1625, 1640 and | ||||||
| 1640-1642 | ||||||
| For further information on the death of this | ||||||
| baronet,see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| 8 Jun 1658 | 2 | Thomas Slingsby | 15 Jun 1636 | 1 Mar 1688 | 51 | |
| MP for Yorkshire 1670-1679, Knaresborough | ||||||
| 1679-1685 and Scarborough 1685-1687 | ||||||
| Mar 1688 | 3 | Henry Slingsby | c 1660 | 15 Sep 1691 | ||
| MP for Knaresborough 1685-1689 | ||||||
| Sep 1691 | 4 | Thomas Slingsby | c 1668 | 15 Nov 1726 | ||
| Nov 1726 | 5 | Henry Slingsby | c 1693 | 18 Jan 1763 | ||
| MP for Knaresborough 1714-1715 and | ||||||
| 1722-1763 | ||||||
| 18 Jan 1763 | 6 | Thomas Slingsby | c 1695 | 18 Jan 1765 | ||
| 18 Jan 1765 | 7 | Savile Slingsby | c 1698 | Nov 1780 | ||
| Nov 1780 | 8 | Thomas Turner Slingsby | c 1741 | 14 Apr 1806 | ||
| 14 Apr 1806 | 9 | Thomas Slingsby | 10 Jan 1775 | 26 Feb 1835 | 60 | |
| 26 Feb 1835 | 10 | Charles Slingsby | 22 Aug 1824 | 4 Feb 1869 | 44 | |
| to | On his death the baronetcy became dormant | |||||
| 4 Feb 1869 | For further information on the death of this | |||||
| baronet,see the note at the foot of this page | ||||||
| SLINGSBY of Bifrons,Kent | ||||||
| 19 Oct 1657 | E | 1 | Arthur Slingsby | c 1623 | 12 Feb 1666 | |
| Feb 1666 | 2 | Charles Slingsby | after 1677 | |||
| to | On his death the baronetcy is presumed to | |||||
| after 1677 | have become either extinct or dormant | |||||
| SLINGSBY of Newcells,Herts | ||||||
| 16 Mar 1661 | E | 1 | Robert Slingsby | c 1611 | 26 Oct 1661 | |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 26 Oct 1661 | ||||||
| SLOANE of Chelsea,Middlesex | ||||||
| 3 Apr 1716 | GB | 1 | Hans Sloane | 10 Apr 1660 | 11 Jan 1753 | 92 |
| to | Extinct on his death | |||||
| 11 Jan 1753 | ||||||
| SMIJTH of Hill Hall,Essex | ||||||
| 28 Nov 1661 | E | See "Bowyer-Smyth" | ||||
| SMILEY of Drumalis,Larne,co. Antrim | ||||||
| and Gallowhill,Paisley,Renfrewshire | ||||||
| 13 Oct 1903 | UK | 1 | Hugh Houston Smiley | 5 Jan 1841 | 1 Mar 1909 | 68 |
| 1 Mar 1909 | 2 | John Smiley | 28 Oct 1876 | 13 Apr 1930 | 53 | |
| 13 Apr 1930 | 3 | Hugh Houston Smiley | 14 Nov 1905 | 1 Nov 1990 | 84 | |
| 1 Nov 1990 | 4 | John Philip Smiley | 24 Feb 1934 | |||
| Sir Henry John Seton, 6th baronet [NS 1663] | ||||||
| Sir Henry died in 1868 after being run down by a hansom cab. The following report appeared | ||||||
| in the "Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald" on 28 July 1868:- | ||||||
| 'On Wednesday evening [22 July 1868] Mr. St.Clare Bedford, Coroner for Westminster, held | ||||||
| an inquest at St.James's Vestry-hall, Piccadilly, on the body of Sir Henry John Seaton [sic], | ||||||
| aged 71, who was run over in St.James's-street on the previous Saturday. Mr. R. B. Mackay, | ||||||
| an East India merchant, said that on Saturday evening, a little before seven o'clock, he was | ||||||
| in a hansom cab driving up St.James's-street, Piccadilly. When opposite the end of King- | ||||||
| street he observed deceased endeavouring to cross the street, and shouted to him. He looked | ||||||
| at the cab, and seemed to think that he could get across in time, but became confused, and | ||||||
| stepped back, and then forward right in front of the horse. The shaft of the cab struck him on | ||||||
| the right shoulder, throwing him down in the roadway. The wheel went on him and over his | ||||||
| side, but just as it was going over his head the driver pulled up so vigorously as to avert it. | ||||||
| Witness jumped out of the cab, and rendered what assistance he could to deceased, whom | ||||||
| he found quite insensible, and he was carried in a chair to his rooms in King-street. The driver | ||||||
| of the cab was quite sober, and could not have avoided the occurrence. The deceased stepped | ||||||
| into the roadway when the cab was so close to him that it was impossible to pull up in time | ||||||
| to prevent the accident. | ||||||
| 'Mr. William Friker said he witnessed the whole occurrence, and that the cab was not going | ||||||
| faster than six miles an hour. | ||||||
| 'Mr. W. Miller, surgeon, said that he was called to deceased immediately after the accident. | ||||||
| He was insensible, but he recovered for a minute and said, "Let me go to the Club." He again | ||||||
| became insensible, and never uttered any more words. Two of his ribs were fractured, and he | ||||||
| had received a blow on the forehead which had produced concussion of the brain. Everything | ||||||
| possible was done for his relief, but he remained insensible throughout Sunday and Monday, | ||||||
| and on Tuesday morning he died. | ||||||
| 'Samuel Standen, the driver of the cab, said he did see deceased until he was close to the | ||||||
| horse's head. | ||||||
| 'The Coroner having summed up the evidence, the Jury returned a verdict of "Accidental | ||||||
| death." | ||||||
| Sir Alexander Hay Seton, 10th baronet [NS 1663] | ||||||
| The following report appeared in 'The Irish Times' of 29 March 1937:- | ||||||
| 'Sir Alexander Seton, of Edinburgh, believes he and his family are "haunted" by a sacred bone, | ||||||
| supposed to carry with it the curse of a Pharaoh. | ||||||
| 'So serious and persistent have been a series of accidents suffered by his family since the bone | ||||||
| has been in their possession that Lady Seton is to make a special trip to Egypt shortly to | ||||||
| replace the bone in the tomb from which it was acquired last year. | ||||||
| 'Speaking from Edinburgh yesterday, Sir Alexander told the Press Association that since the | ||||||
| bone was brought to his home, Prestonfield House, Duddingston, by Lady Seton, their life had | ||||||
| been made miserable by accidents that could not be coincidences. | ||||||
| 'He and Lady Seton visited Egypt last year. As a curio Lady Seton brought back a glass case, | ||||||
| containing a piece of bone believed to be part of the skeleton of a Pharaoh of one of the lesser | ||||||
| dynasties, and the curio was given a place of honour in the lounge. | ||||||
| 'From the moment it was placed there an unprecedented series of happenings occurred in the | ||||||
| household. Sudden illnesses attacked the family and staff, two fires broke out, and visitors still | ||||||
| complain of a mysterious robed figure which wanders through the house at night. Glassware put | ||||||
| away in cabinets was found smashed to atoms in other parts of the room in the morning, and | ||||||
| on Saturday, when no-one was near the lounge, the glass case fell only two feet from the | ||||||
| table and yet was pounded to splinters while the bone was undamaged. | ||||||
| 'Maids will not stay in the house more than one night, and each complained of meeting the | ||||||
| spectral robed figure. | ||||||
| "This is the last straw," said Sir Alexander yesterday. "My friends have laughed at the whole | ||||||
| affair - until they stayed here a night - and though I have tried to have an open mind this is far | ||||||
| more than coincidence. It is perfectly astounding how we have been dogged by this shadow of | ||||||
| ill-luck ever since that wretched bone was brought into the house." | ||||||
| 'Sir Alexander, a soldier, business man and diplomat, has received about 80 offers for the bone, | ||||||
| but he is determined that no one else shall suffer the experiences of Lady Seton and himself. | ||||||
| "That bone is going to be replaced in the tomb we took it from as quickly as possible," he said, | ||||||
| "and Lady Seton is making the trip herself to ensure that it gets there. This ghastly business | ||||||
| has got to stop, and we are taking no chances." | ||||||
| 'Sir Alexander once gave the bone to a surgeon, and that very night the surgeon's maid broke | ||||||
| a leg running away in terror, as she said, from a robed figure. He brought it back next day.' | ||||||
| Sir James Lumsden Seton, 8th baronet [NS 1683] | ||||||
| Sir James committed suicide in September 1884. The following report on the subsequent inquest | ||||||
| appeared in the 'Leeds Mercury' on 1 October 1884:- | ||||||
| 'An inquest was held yesterday afternoon at Kensington on the body of Sir James Lumsden | ||||||
| Seton, Bart., who had committed suicide by cutting his throat. Lady Elizabeth Seton, wife of | ||||||
| the deceased, said Sir James, who was 49 years of age, had lately been in depressed spirits. | ||||||
| He went to his bath-room on Sunday morning about eight o'clock, and an hour later, the door | ||||||
| being forced, he was found dead. Other evidence showed that the deceased had an extensive | ||||||
| gash in his throat. Lieut.-Colonel William Samuel Seton, of Penally, near Denbigh, stated that | ||||||
| some years ago the deceased had a fall from his horse, and in consequence had suffered | ||||||
| mentally at varying intervals. A verdict of "Suicide whilst in a state of unsound mind" was | ||||||
| returned.' | ||||||
| The special remainder to the baronetcy of Seton-Steuart created in 1815 | ||||||
| From the "London Gazette" of 27 December 1814 (issue 16969, page 2535):- | ||||||
| 'His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has been pleased, in the name and on behalf of His | ||||||
| Majesty, to grant the Dignity of a Baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | ||||||
| to Henry Steuart, of Allanton, in the County of Lanark, Esq; with remainder to his son in law, | ||||||
| Ranald or Reginald Macdonald, of Stalfa, and his heirs male.' | ||||||
| Sir John Shiffner, 5th baronet | ||||||
| Sir John accidentally shot himself while cleaning his rifle. The following report of the subsequent | ||||||
| inquest is taken from 'The Times' of 7 April 1914:- | ||||||
| 'The death of Sir John Shiffner on Sunday formed the subject of an inquiry at Bevern Bridge | ||||||
| House, Chailey, near Lewes, Sir John's residence, yesterday afternoon. The inquiry was held | ||||||
| by Dr. Dow, Deputy-Coroner for East Sussex, and Mr. W.W. Grantham, son of the late Mr. | ||||||
| Justice Grantham, was foreman of the jury. | ||||||
| 'Lord Calthorpe gave evidence of identification, stating that Sir John Shiffner was a retired | ||||||
| captain of the Royal Artillery and was 56 years of age. Lady Shiffner and Miss Betty Shiffner | ||||||
| had been staying with the witness, and the latter was returning to Chailey on the evening | ||||||
| of the occurrence and Lady Shiffner was to follow at the end of the week. | ||||||
| 'Mr. Douglas Crocket, living at Barcombe, said he was invited to lunch by Sir John Shiffner | ||||||
| on Sunday and arrived about 10 minutes past 1. A servant let him in and went to the study. | ||||||
| She came running back saying, "Do come here. Whatever has happened?" He went into the | ||||||
| study and found Sir John dead with a bullet wound in his face. He locked the room up and | ||||||
| hailing the first motor-car which passed the house, drove into Lewes for medical assistance. | ||||||
| 'Police-constable Lyon, of Chailey, said he found Sir John sitting in an arm chair in his study. | ||||||
| He had the barrel of a rifle between his legs, and another rifle was lying on the floor. There | ||||||
| was a cleaning rag in the right hand and other articles for cleaning rifles were on the floor. | ||||||
| In the barrel between the legs was a spent bullet case. It appeared that this had become | ||||||
| fixed in the barrel and that an attempt had been made to dislodge it with a screw driver, and | ||||||
| then by means of the extractor. This caused the cartridge to explode. | ||||||
| 'Dr. Andrews, of Lewes, said Sir John Shiffner was evidently smoking a pipe at the time, for | ||||||
| there was one on the floor at his side. All the evidence, added the witness, suggested that | ||||||
| Sir John was cleaning the rifle and was not aware that the cartridge was a live one. | ||||||
| The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death." | ||||||
| Sir Henry David Shiffner, 8th baronet [UK 1818] | ||||||
| Sir Henry, a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's Union Movement, was prosecuted but eventually | ||||||
| acquitted on charges that he, along with others, had set fire to the offices of the Anti- | ||||||
| Apartheid movement, a natural enemy of Mosley's followers. | ||||||
| The story of Sir Henry's court appearances was told in a number of separate instalments in the | ||||||
| London "Daily Telegraph," commencing on 29 March 1961:- | ||||||
| 'Witnesses at Clerkenwell yesterday said that after they saw men go into a house in Gower | ||||||
| Street, Euston, where the headquarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement are located, they saw | ||||||
| flames coming from the basement. | ||||||
| 'Sir Henry David Shiffner, 35 [sic], the eighth baronet of Old School House, Offham, Lewes: | ||||||
| Peter Dawson, 35, sales representative, Quaker Street, Spitalfields, and Francis John Elliott, 16, | ||||||
| electrical apprentice, Freshwater Road, Tooting, were charged on remand with maliciously | ||||||
| setting fire to the house. In addition, there was a further charge yesterday of conspiring | ||||||
| together, and with others, to break into the house with intent to commit a felony. The Anti- | ||||||
| Apartheid movement occupies the basement of the house. | ||||||
| 'The basement was set on fire on March 4 and furniture and papers damaged. Mr. Ian Holden, | ||||||
| of Scotland Yard's forensic laboratory, said the damage was "typical of that resulting from a | ||||||
| highly inflammable liquid being poured on articles and ignited." | ||||||
| 'He produced a black oblong tin which he said had contained paraffin. He added: "Something | ||||||
| more than paraffin would be needed to start a fire like this." | ||||||
| 'Mr. Theodore Theobalds, a Jamaican solicitor whose address was withheld, said he had let "four | ||||||
| or five young men" into the house. They had said they had come to collect posters and he | ||||||
| showed them the steps to the basement. At the time he and his wife had a flat in the house. | ||||||
| 'Two of the men were downstairs for about half a minute and then left by the front door. A few | ||||||
| seconds later three other men came up and went out. A van had moved off shortly before that. | ||||||
| 'He added: "After they had gone I notice smoke coming from the basement." When he went | ||||||
| down he saw: "A mass of flames and a lot of smoke." He could not recognise any of the men. | ||||||
| 'Det. Supt. William Brereton said he had had a telephone call from Shiffner on March 20, whom | ||||||
| he later told he was believed to have been involved in a case of arson. Shiffner had replied: "I | ||||||
| would not like to be involved in such a stupid escapade as setting fire to a place." | ||||||
| 'Shiffner, when asked if he were in Gower Street, had said: "This is very difficult. I have been | ||||||
| wondering where my duty lies. You see, I did find myself in Gower Street that afternoon, but | ||||||
| not by choice. When I realised someone had set fire to the place it was my duty to inform the | ||||||
| police." | ||||||
| Supt. Brereton said that Shiffner added: "But I really only know the hierarchy of the movement, | ||||||
| so it would not have been much use. I did not know the others, apart from Dawson, and he did | ||||||
| not go into the house." | ||||||
| 'When told he would be charged with arson he said: "That's rather hard after telling you the | ||||||
| truth." When charged, he said: "I set fire to nothing." | ||||||
| 'The three were further remanded until April 6. Elliott's bail of £40 and Shiffner's of £200 were | ||||||
| continued, and Dawson, previously remanded in custody, was allowed bail on his own bail of | ||||||
| £500 and two sureties of £250.' | ||||||
| The "Daily Telegraph" of 7 April 1961:- | ||||||
| 'A trip by van through London to the Bloomsbury headquarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement, | ||||||
| where fire later broke out, was described in extracts from a statement read at Clerkenwell | ||||||
| yesterday. The statement was made by Sir Henry David Shiffner. In it he said he thought he was | ||||||
| being driven in the van to the Dorchester, where the South African Prime Minister, Dr. Verwoerd, | ||||||
| was staying. | ||||||
| 'Shiffner, 31, the eighth baronet, a company director, of Old School House, Offham, Lewes, | ||||||
| appeared on remand with three other men on charges of arson and conspiring to break into a | ||||||
| house in Gower Street, Bloomsbury, on March 4, with intent to commit a felony. The basement | ||||||
| of the building is occupied by the Anti-Apartheid movement. | ||||||
| 'In the statement, read in court by his counsel, Mr. William Howard, Shiffner said that when he | ||||||
| found he had not been taken to the Dorchester, he said: "Where the hell are we?" Someone | ||||||
| said: "This is the opposition headquarters. Let's go in and see what their plans are, pretending | ||||||
| we are provincial demonstrators arriving late." | ||||||
| "I still maintained that we were in the wrong place and acting against strict instructions that | ||||||
| we confine our activities to the Dorchester," the statement said. Shiffner said he remained in | ||||||
| the van. There was a shout of "Fire," and everyone jumped into the van. It was driven off at | ||||||
| "great speed." | ||||||
| 'All four pleaded not guilty and reserved their defence. They were committed for trial at the Old | ||||||
| Bailey and all allowed bail.' | ||||||
| The "Daily Telegraph" of 10 May 1961:- | ||||||
| 'Sir Henry Shiffner, 31, the eighth baronet and a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's Union move- | ||||||
| ment, was acquitted at the Old Bailey yesterday of maliciously setting fire to the London head- | ||||||
| quarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement. | ||||||
| 'Outside the court Sir Henry said: "Whether or not I remain a member of the Union movement | ||||||
| depends on talks I must have with the leader. I have planned a meeting with him very soon." | ||||||
| 'Sir Henry, a former Cambridge University jazz band player, was discharged on the second day | ||||||
| of his trial after a successful submission by his counsel, Mr. Victor Durand QC that there was | ||||||
| no case for him to answer. | ||||||
| 'The crown had alleged that Sir Henry and three other members of the Union movement had | ||||||
| arranged to take part in a demonstration on March 4 to welcome Dr. Verwoerd, the South | ||||||
| African Premier, to London. | ||||||
| 'Later that afternoon, according to the prosecution, the four men went in a van to the head- | ||||||
| quarters of the Anti-Apartheid movement in Gower Street, Bloomsbury, and set light to its | ||||||
| basement offices. | ||||||
| 'In a statement to the police Sir Henry had said that he thought the van was going to the | ||||||
| Dorchester Hotel. At Gower Street, he just sat in the van and only later realised something | ||||||
| more serious had happened. | ||||||
| 'After Mr. Durand's successful submission Sir Henry was discharged by Mr. Justice Widgery. | ||||||
| 'Sir Henry, of Old School House, Offham, near Arundel, Sussex, who inherited £70,000 from his | ||||||
| father, a soldier, who was killed at Tobruk, said afterwards: "I first went to Africa 18 months | ||||||
| ago and came back with certain views. I felt the withdrawal of British rule in Africa was wrong. | ||||||
| Sir Oswald Mosley's Union movement seemed to me the only one which was prepared to stand | ||||||
| up for the white man in Africa. I joined it six months ago and paid the normal subscription. I am | ||||||
| disillusioned by the movement's methods, although I agree with some of their policies, especially | ||||||
| about the control of coloured immigrants. Sir Oswald is a personal and social friend of mine and | ||||||
| that is another reason why I joined his movement. I think I'm the only British baronet in it." | ||||||
| The special remainder to the baronetcy of Sinclair created in 1786 | ||||||
| From the "London Gazette" of 31 January 1786 (issue 12722, page 45):- | ||||||
| 'The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baronet of the Kingdom of Great Britain to | ||||||
| John Sinclair, of Ulbster in the County of Caithness, Esq; and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully | ||||||
| begotten; with Remainders severally to the first and every other Son and Sons successively of | ||||||
| Hannah Sinclair, his eldest Daughter, and of Janet Sinclair, another of his Daughters, and their | ||||||
| respective Heirs Male.' | ||||||
| Sir John George Tollemache Sinclair, 3rd baronet [GB 1786] | ||||||
| After the death of Sir John Sinclair, the following article appeared in the 'Washington Post' on | ||||||
| 5 October 1912:- | ||||||
| 'Sir Archibald Sinclair, 22 years of age, a lieutenant in the Second life guards, and who is half | ||||||
| American, has just succeeded to the title and the immense estates of his nonagenarian | ||||||
| grandfather, the late Sir John Tollemache Sinclair. [Sir Archibald later became the 1st Viscount | ||||||
| Thurso]. | ||||||
| 'The landed property is very great, extending over an area of 100 square miles in Scotland, | ||||||
| comprising some of the finest shooting in the northern kingdom, and the wonderfully | ||||||
| picturesque castle of Thurso, which looks over the stormy tides of the Pentland Firth, and | ||||||
| is so close to the sea that one can literally fish from the spray-flecked windows. | ||||||
| 'Just east of the castle, which is exceedingly spacious, is Harold's Tower, containing the tomb | ||||||
| of Earl Harold, who was the possessor at one time of half or Orkney, of Shetland, and of | ||||||
| Caithness, and who fell in battle against his namesake, Earl Harold the Wicked, in 1190. | ||||||
| 'Sir Archibald's mother was Mabel, the beautiful daughter of Mahlon Sands, of New York, and | ||||||
| through her he is connected by ties of kinsmanship with a number of New York families, | ||||||
| including the Rutherfurds and the Vanderbilts. Sir Archibald will be known henceforth north of | ||||||
| the Tweed as the Laird of Ulbster, and has now become chieftain of one of the branches of | ||||||
| that great clan of Sinclair of which the seventeenth Earl of Caithness is the head. | ||||||
| 'His grandfather, the late Sir John, was a very eccentric character. He rarely, if ever, dined at | ||||||
| a restaurant in vogue, never used to go to a theater or to the opera or even to a music hall, | ||||||
| rarely dined out, and was never seen at a ball or party. In spite of his great wealth, he had | ||||||
| neither carriages, horse, nor automobiles; walked by preference, and when riding was | ||||||
| imperative, made use of the democratic omnibus. | ||||||
| 'He would live on herrings and hominy, cooked in his lodgings just off St. James street by | ||||||
| himself over a spirit lamp, and then on the following day would fuss over the merits or demerits | ||||||
| of the world-famed chef of the Travelers, the most exclusive club in London, of which this | ||||||
| wonderful old laird, with his odd-looking wig and his beard, his erect and spare, tall figure, and | ||||||
| his extraordinary flow of conversation was one of the oldest members. | ||||||
| 'In spite of his numerous castles, country seats, and houses in England, Scotland, and on the | ||||||
| Continent, he lived entirely, during the last 30 years of his life, in his lodgings off St. James | ||||||
| street, the walls of which were hung with the not particularly attractive Sinclair tartan. Its | ||||||
| hues, however, were more or less concealed by the most heterogeneous collection of pictures, | ||||||
| some of them priceless gems, others the most worthless daubs. In one word, his rooms, like | ||||||
| his castles and country seats, were filled with a mixture of art treasures and art rubbish. | ||||||
| 'Sir John may be said to have commenced his public career rather early, since he was page of | ||||||
| honor to Queen Adelaide in the reign of William IV, receiving, on his resignation of that post, | ||||||
| at the age of 17, the customary commission in the Scots Guards. He married away back in the | ||||||
| early fifties one of the beautiful Anglo-French Standishes of Duxbury Park, and this naturally | ||||||
| brought him into close contact with the court of the Tuileries, and with the great world in Paris | ||||||
| during the palmy days of the empire. | ||||||
| 'Indeed, Sir John was at one time a familiar a figure in Paris as in London, and it is no | ||||||
| exaggeration to assert that he met and was personally acquainted more or less intimately with | ||||||
| nearly every notable personage of the Victorian era, from Nicholas I of Russia and the great | ||||||
| Duke of Wellington to the present czar and Emperor William, and comprising Prince Bismarck, | ||||||
| with whom he stayed at Friedrichsruhe: Count Cavour, Mazzini, Garibaldi, Empress Eugenie, | ||||||
| both prior and subsequent to her marriage: Marshal Prim, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, Thiers | ||||||
| etc. | ||||||
| 'His "Reminiscences" which he printed for private circulation, and of which he sent me a copy | ||||||
| some years ago, contain many things that are trivial, almost to the point of childishness, and | ||||||
| here and there something of real importance. But such as they are, they all help to increase | ||||||
| the understanding of the personages with whom they deal. | ||||||
| 'To record Sir John's eccentricities would fill a volume. Some years ago he endeavored to | ||||||
| relieve the monotony of the poorhouses all over England and Scotland by presenting them | ||||||
| with gramophones, the records consisting, however, not of popular tunes, but of speeches | ||||||
| which he delivered and of recitations which he had given, either of his own works or of his | ||||||
| favorite authors. | ||||||
| 'Among the latter, first and foremost, was Byron, among the most extraordinary memorials | ||||||
| that have ever been designed to perpetuate the name of this or any other bard is that which | ||||||
| Sir John conceived and put into execution. Instead of taking the form of a statue, it assumed | ||||||
| the altogether utilitarian shape of an office building, occupying the site of the old offices of | ||||||
| the London comic weekly Punch, on the south side of Fleet street, near St. Bride's Church. | ||||||
| 'Every stone of the hall pavement of this great office building, which will bring in a large | ||||||
| income to his grandson and heir, the now baronet, young Sir Archibald, in the way of rental, | ||||||
| is inscribed, "Byron, the Pilgrim of Eternity," and the dates of his birth and death. Each tile is | ||||||
| adorned with the words "Crede Byron," while on every block of marble lining the walls are | ||||||
| verses from his poems, particularly stanzas from "Childe Harold" and "Don Juan." | ||||||
| 'And as if Byron's verses were not sufficient, other inscriptions on the walls record the opinions | ||||||
| expressed concerning him by such men as Schiller, Goethe, Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Tennyson, | ||||||
| Chateaubriand, Sir Walter Scott and Matthew Arnold. Yet another inscription on the wall states | ||||||
| that the British Museum library catalogue devotes 28 pages to Byron and only 10 to Tennyson. | ||||||
| On still another, Sir John Sinclair records the fact that one edition for the blind has been | ||||||
| published of Byron's works, and none of Tennyson's. Over the entrance is a beautiful medallion | ||||||
| portrait of Byron in white marble, with Shelley's splendid epitaph, "The Pilgrim of Eternity," and I | ||||||
| need scarcely say that the office building bears the name of Byron House. | ||||||
| 'One would be apt to imagine that the overwhelming quantity of Byronic quotations, adorning | ||||||
| as they do every vacant place, every stone and tile, and all the walls, floors and ceilings, | ||||||
| would be apt to get on the nerves of the occupants. But apparently this is not the case. The | ||||||
| building is full of tenants.' | ||||||
| Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th baronet | ||||||
| The following is extracted from "The Emperor of the United States of America and Other | ||||||
| Magnificent British Eccentrics" by Catherine Caufield (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1981) | ||||||
| Although Sir George Sitwell lived in the 19th and 20th centuries, his heart and mind were in the | ||||||
| fourteenth. He was lord of the manor of Eckington in Derbyshire for eighty-one years, a position | ||||||
| that suited him to perfection, or would have if the world hadn't changed so much in the last | ||||||
| 500 years. A sign in his house ran: 'I must ask anyone entering the house never to contradict | ||||||
| me in any way, as it interferes with the functioning of the gastric juices and prevents my | ||||||
| sleeping at night.' | ||||||
| His interests, though obscure, were wide-ranging. Seven sitting-rooms at Renishaw Hall were | ||||||
| co-opted to serve as his studies. All were littered with books and notes, each subject filed in | ||||||
| its own specially constructed box. Some of the more intriguing titles for possible future | ||||||
| monographs were: | ||||||
| The Black Death at Rotherham | ||||||
| The Use of the Bed | ||||||
| Osbert's Debts | ||||||
| Acorns as an Article of Medieval Diet | ||||||
| Sachie's Mistakes | ||||||
| Pig Keeping in the Thirteenth Century | ||||||
| The History of the Fork | ||||||
| Domestic Manners in Sheffield in the Year 1250 | ||||||
| My Advice on Poetry | ||||||
| Lepers' Squints [my personal favourite] | ||||||
| Wool-Gathering in Medieval Times and Since | ||||||
| The Errors of Modern Parents | ||||||
| The Eckington Dump | ||||||
| The Origin of the Word Gentleman | ||||||
| The History of the Cold | ||||||
| My Inventions | ||||||
| Any article on the last subject would have to include the Sitwell Egg. With a yolk of smoked | ||||||
| meat, a white of compressed rice and a shell of synthetic lime, this was intended to be a | ||||||
| convenient and nourishing meal for travellers. Sir George decided to put the marketing of his | ||||||
| egg into the experienced hands of Mr Gordon Selfridge, founder of the famous Oxford Street | ||||||
| shop. Wearing a silk hat and frock coat, he appeared in Selfridge's office one morning without | ||||||
| an appointment, and announced, 'I'm Sir George Sitwell and I've brought my egg with me.' He | ||||||
| told no one what Selfridge said, but soon after this encounter the egg project was quietly | ||||||
| shelved. There were other inventions, however, including a musical toothbrush that played | ||||||
| 'Annie Laurie' and a small revolver for killing wasps. | ||||||
| Sir George's strength of personality was matched by that of his three talented children, or | ||||||
| nearly so, for although they all managed successful careers of their own in the end, his | ||||||
| disapproval of virtually everything they did was a major factor in their development. When | ||||||
| Osbert announced that he was thinking of writing a novel, he was told, 'Oh I shouldn't do that | ||||||
| if I were you! My cousin, Stephen Arthington, had a friend who utterly ruined his health writing | ||||||
| a novel!' Of Edith's literary aspirations, his comment was: 'Edith made a great mistake by not | ||||||
| going in for lawn tennis.' He was also an enthusiastic advocate of gymnastics: ' Nothing a | ||||||
| young man likes so much as a girl who's good at the parallel bars.' This is at least as useful a | ||||||
| piece of advice as another of his favourite maxims: 'Nothing makes a man so popular as singing | ||||||
| after dinner.' Sitwell's attitude towards his children is summarised in his comment to Osbert: 'It | ||||||
| is dangerous for you to lose touch with me for a single day. You never know when you may | ||||||
| need the benefit of my experience and advice.' | ||||||
| Losing touch for as many days as possible became a major preoccupation for Osbert and | ||||||
| Sacheverell who invented a mythical yacht, the Rover, and had headed notepaper printed on | ||||||
| which they wrote to their father regretting that as the itinerary was as yet unsettled they | ||||||
| could not give him an address where they might be contacted. All this time they were in London | ||||||
| or Italy, but in spite of Sir George's not infrequent excursions to both places, they were in little | ||||||
| danger of being discovered since he rarely recognised his children outside the home. | ||||||
| Of course the temptation, one might almost say the need, to tease such a father was great. | ||||||
| Sir George was particularly vulnerable with regard to modern developments, say since 1650. He | ||||||
| knew nothing of modern slang. Shocked by the bad behaviour of an acquaintance who offered | ||||||
| him a piece of jewellery and failed to deliver it, Sir George complained to Osbert about modern | ||||||
| manners. 'Such a pity to promise people things and then forget about them. It is most | ||||||
| inconsiderate - really inexcusable.' The cause of this lament was the parting remark: 'I'll give | ||||||
| you a ring, Sir George, on Thursday.' | ||||||
| At one period Osbert used the word 'blotto' frequently and deliberately until his father finally | ||||||
| rose to the bait and asked what it meant. He seemed interested to learn that it was slang for | ||||||
| very tired. Shortly afterwards he took the opportunity of demonstrating how au fait he was | ||||||
| with modern ways by suggesting to two guests that they should take a rest after lunch as | ||||||
| they both seemed quite blotto. The children once got him to book a month's holiday at a | ||||||
| lunatic asylum by representing it as a charming retreat, affectionately nicknamed 'the bin' by a | ||||||
| core of loyal residents would could hardly bear to tear themselves away. | ||||||
| Sir George's ignorance of, or refusal to acknowledge, the facts of modern life was extraordinary. | ||||||
| He proposed, in the 1930s, an artist's ball, to which he suggested inviting Degas, Renoir, Rodin | ||||||
| and Sergeant. [Degas had died in 1917, Renoir in 1919, Rodin in 1917 and Sargent, whom I | ||||||
| presume is meant by 'Sergeant', in 1925.] For a while farming was his passion and he gave his | ||||||
| long-suffering agent many valuable hints on how it was done in the fourteenth century. During | ||||||
| this time he tried to pay, whenever possible, in kind: offering pigs and potatoes to Eton for | ||||||
| Sacheverell's school fees. Osbert managed to get his allowance paid in currency, but his father | ||||||
| arrived at the proper amount by studying the allowance granted the eldest son of the Lord of | ||||||
| the Eckington Manor at the time of the Black Death. Lady Ida, Sir George's wife, got involved | ||||||
| with an unscrupulous money-lender and, when her husband refused on principle to bail her out, | ||||||
| became the centre of a painful and notorious lawsuit. This dreadful experience confirmed Sir | ||||||
| George in his misanthropic views - as he said to Osbert, 'such a mistake to have friends.' - and | ||||||
| drove him even further into the life of a recluse. | ||||||
| Sir George was acutely conscious of his many acts of generosity. What some misguided people | ||||||
| saw as meddling, was, he knew only too well, self-sacrifice: the dedication of his time and | ||||||
| thought to advance the good of others. This could be wearying and occasionally he gave vent | ||||||
| to an exhausted plea for understanding. To a Salvation Army lass soliciting funds for Self-Denial | ||||||
| Week, he sighed, 'For some people, self-denial week is every week.' | ||||||
| He gave Osbert the benefit of his experience when in 1914 he wrote from Scarborough to his | ||||||
| son, who was then an officer in the trenches: 'though you will not, of course, have to | ||||||
| encounter anywhere abroad the same weight of gunfire that your mother and I had to face | ||||||
| here, yet my experience may be useful to you. Directly you hear the first shell, retire, as I did, | ||||||
| to the Undercroft, and remain there quietly until all firing had ceased. Even then a bombardment | ||||||
| …..is a strain upon the nervous system - but the best remedy for that, as always, is to keep | ||||||
| warm and have plenty of plain, nourishing food at frequent but regular intervals. And, of course, | ||||||
| plenty of rest, I find a nap in the afternoon most helpful…….and I advise you to try it whenever | ||||||
| possible.' | ||||||
| Among his characteristic acts were banning electricity from Renishaw during his lifetime; limiting | ||||||
| guests to two candles apiece; and insisting that the family drink cold boiled water rather than | ||||||
| wine during travels in Italy. | ||||||
| On his journeys alone through Italy Sir George stayed at very primitive inns, quite often sharing | ||||||
| a dormitory with eight or ten other men in what was little more than a doss house. But he had | ||||||
| with him his valet, Henry Moat, known as 'the Great Man', whose responsibility it was to rig the | ||||||
| mosquito net each night and lay out the formal evening dress in which Sir George insisted on | ||||||
| appearing for dinner at these tumbledown inns. The mosquito net was basic equipment - at | ||||||
| home and abroad - for someone with Sir George's dread of disease and germs. He travelled with | ||||||
| an extensive supply of medicines, all mislabelled to discourage - or at least to punish - anybody | ||||||
| wanting to sample. His inflatable air cushion, another ever-present companion, was doughnut- | ||||||
| shaped so that Sir George could slip it over his arm when not in using it. | ||||||
| Decorating his two houses, Renishaw in Derbyshire and Montegufoni in Italy, and redesigning | ||||||
| their gardens were Sir George's greatest pleasures. He spent enormous sums of money and a | ||||||
| great deal of his own and other people's time on an endless succession of alterations and | ||||||
| improvements. As Henry Moat said, 'He never entered any place, but he commencing pulling | ||||||
| down and building up.' | ||||||
| Sir George thought nothing of lowering lawns by several feet, making hills, relocating vast trees, | ||||||
| creating or draining lakes. He had schemes for constructing or importing fountains, aqueducts, | ||||||
| cascades, and statues of all descriptions. Four thousand men were set to work on an artificial | ||||||
| lake at Renishaw. A plan was mooted to stencil Chinese blue-willow patterns on his white cows, | ||||||
| but the cows' objections put an end to the project. Wooden survey towers loomed out of the | ||||||
| lake to provide a vantage point for plotting further changes to the landscape. Nothing was ever | ||||||
| completed, but that didn't prevent new projects being planned. And each new scheme struck | ||||||
| terror into someone's heart; visiting his son Sacheverell's home in Weston in Northamptonshire | ||||||
| in 1924, Sir George casually remarked as he looked out across the grounds. 'I don't propose to | ||||||
| do much here; just a sheet of water and a line of statues.' | ||||||
| ********************** | ||||||
| Sir George's wife, Lady Ida, was the daughter of the 1st Earl of Londesborough. She had little, | ||||||
| if any, notion of the value of money and didn't have the first idea of any matter connected | ||||||
| with business. This led to appear in court on several occasions over money matters, as referred | ||||||
| to above. She appeared in court in January 1899, October 1913 and November 1914, each | ||||||
| appearance being related to her financial affairs. The most serious case was, however, in March | ||||||
| 1915, when she was convicted on charges of conspiracy to cheat and defraud and sentenced | ||||||
| to three months' imprisonment. | ||||||
| The Slade baronetcy case of 1867 | ||||||
| Like so many nineteenth century claims to titles, this case revolved around the legality of an | ||||||
| earlier marriage ceremony, and the consequent legitimacy of the children born of that marriage. | ||||||
| In 1867, General Marcus Slade challenged the legality of his brother's marriage, and claimed | ||||||
| that the baronetcy and estates were rightfully his, rather than his nephew's. The following | ||||||
| summary of the case appeared in the 'Newcastle Courant' on 17 May 1867:- | ||||||
| 'Celebrated as are the superior law courts for cases of romantic interest, it is seldom that a | ||||||
| trial occurs involving more remarkable incidents than are to be found in that which has just | ||||||
| been brought to a termination in the Court of Exchequer. It is called the Slade baronetcy case, | ||||||
| by which the disposal of considerable estates in Somersetshire is challenged, the legitimacy of | ||||||
| a family which has unquestionably been brought up on the estates, on the supposition of the | ||||||
| right of inheritance, is impugned, and the question of the validity of the marriage of her who | ||||||
| has passed for many years, and still passes, under the name of Lady Slade, is raised. | ||||||
| 'To trace the affair from its source, we must begin with the entail of the estates in 1832 by | ||||||
| General Sir John Slade. To him succeeded, in turn, his sons Henry and Charles, but they both | ||||||
| died without issue, and the estates then devolved upon the third son, Frederick, so well known | ||||||
| in legal circles under the name Sir Frederick William Slade. It appears that Sir Frederick, then | ||||||
| Mr. Slade, probably without any expectation of succeeding to the family inheritance, whilst | ||||||
| travelling on the continent about forty years since made the acquaintance of a Miss Mostyn, | ||||||
| who lived with her mother. She was of good family, accomplished, and beautiful, apparently | ||||||
| wealthy, and in social position by no means inferior to her admirer. From the evidence it would | ||||||
| seem that Miss Mostyn's appearance had created quite a furore in Northern Italy, and Italians | ||||||
| are still living who can speak with fervour of her beauty in 1825. This is not the only romantic | ||||||
| recollection attached to the lady's life, but it may be passed over for the present. About 1833 | ||||||
| she was married to Mr. Slade in England. This is beyond all question, though it is affirmed that | ||||||
| the marriage was not made public till 1848, when her husband succeeded to the baronetcy | ||||||
| and estates in Somersetshire [This is certainly not correct - he did not succeed to the title | ||||||
| until 1859]. Since that period, however, Sir Frederick and Lady Slade lived in the enjoyment | ||||||
| of social rank and distinction, their children were called by the family name, and no cloud - | ||||||
| at least no cloud apparent to the public - obscured their happiness till the death of Sir | ||||||
| Frederick in 1863. | ||||||
| 'Then a singular difficulty arose, which has yet to be solved by the judges of the Exchequer | ||||||
| Court. They have heard the evidence, and it is for them to decide what is legal or otherwise. | ||||||
| In the meanwhile, the history may be given without prejudicing what is to follow. Miss Mostyn's | ||||||
| beauty, while some gentlemen, who cannot be called chickens, still remember, did not alone | ||||||
| move the impressionable Italians. One Baron Von Korber, a lieutenant in the Austrian service, | ||||||
| was struck by it. He sought her hand, and won it. This was in 1825. But there was a difficulty | ||||||
| in the way. The baron was a Protestant, the lady belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. | ||||||
| Now the lovers were in Lombardy, where, as elsewhere, mixed marriages were forbidden except | ||||||
| by express permission of the Pope, and it is certain that in this case the permission of the Pope | ||||||
| was not obtained. Von Korber applied to the priest of the parish in Milan in which Miss Mostyn | ||||||
| resided, but he declined to tie the conjugal knot. He knew the law, and he obeyed it. But his | ||||||
| refusal, it seems, daunted neither Von Korber nor Miss Mostyn, for they, or he, at least, applied | ||||||
| to a military chaplain of superior rank, and the thing was done. | ||||||
| 'But the marriage was a most unhappy one. In six months the young couple separated never to | ||||||
| meet again. A divorce a mensa et thoro [i.e. "from table and bed" - it refers to a type of | ||||||
| divorce in which a couple is legally separated, but the marriage is still considered to be valid. | ||||||
| The legitimacy of any children in the marriage remains intact, but the partners may not | ||||||
| re-marry. This type of divorce allows partners to live apart without fear of being taken to court | ||||||
| for desertion] was granted to them, and Von Korber's conscience permitted him to accept an | ||||||
| annuity from his divorced wife in lieu of her affection and household management. | ||||||
| 'The question which the Court of Exchequer must decide is the legality or illegality of this | ||||||
| marriage. It is apparent that there was an incompatibility of temper, but that is not the matter | ||||||
| at issue, because it is not sufficient to establish the validity of the divorce or the invalidity of | ||||||
| the marriage. Both sides agree that, according to the Austrian law, the only person competent | ||||||
| to celebrate a marriage is the man who had the cure of souls over one of the bridal persons, | ||||||
| and the military chaplain could have no ecclesiastical authority over Miss Mostyn. Had he any | ||||||
| over Von Korber? On one side it is contended that he had none whatever. Von Korber was a | ||||||
| Protestant, and the regimental chaplain, who belonged to another sect, could not have had any | ||||||
| ecclesiastical authority over him. But then, it is said, a soldier in the Austrian service differs | ||||||
| from a civilian in this respect. It is insisted that an Austrian soldier is under special legislation, | ||||||
| which "cures" him spiritually whether he is willing or not, so that Von Korber in this sense was | ||||||
| performing a strictly legal act when he, a Protestant soldier, went to a Roman Catholic priest | ||||||
| to be married. | ||||||
| 'The business of the Court of Exchequer is to clear up and decide these subtle points; but | ||||||
| though the solution of them will decide this important case, something still remains to be told of | ||||||
| the interesting history. The plaintiff [General Marcus Slade], who claims the estates and the | ||||||
| baronetcy, is a younger [twin] brother of the late Sir Frederick. He is a general in the army, | ||||||
| and he holds the position of Governor of Guernsey Castle. He declares that he challenged the | ||||||
| marriage of his brother as illegal as soon as he heard of it in 1848, and the correspondence is | ||||||
| extant to prove his assertion. In 1860, his nephew, the eldest son of Sir Frederick Slade, wrote | ||||||
| to him on the subject, and the general in reply urged him to settle the case by law. He | ||||||
| acknowledged him as the son of his brother, but not as his legitimate son, for Von Korber did | ||||||
| not die till 1854, and then he added that, whatever the legal decision might be, his nephew | ||||||
| might reckon upon him as a friend at all times. His letter was frank and manly in tone, nor was | ||||||
| that of his nephew at all deficient in these qualities. For the estates, he said, he did not care, | ||||||
| but for his legitimacy he did, and if his uncle would help him to procure a legal decision, he | ||||||
| would have the case cleared up as soon as possible. | ||||||
| 'In this painful romance there is, therefore, no family bitterness or animosity. It is one of the | ||||||
| curiosities of the law of entail, one of the pleasures the landed gentry indulge in by the rule of | ||||||
| primogeniture. It is absurd to suppose that Sir Frederick and Lady Slade did not believe they | ||||||
| were married in 1833. It is contrary to evidence to imagine that they did not bring up their | ||||||
| family since 1848 according to the rules of legitimacy prevailing in their circle, and yet, though | ||||||
| Sir Frederick Slade could, and no doubt did, dispose of his personalty by will, he must leave to | ||||||
| a law court to resolve whether those nearest to him in blood and love could succeed to the | ||||||
| property he enjoyed in his lifetime, or whether it must go to others over whom he had no legal | ||||||
| control or direction.' | ||||||
| When the Court of Exchequer gave its judgment in June 1867, the four judges were locked at | ||||||
| 2-all. The Chief Baron, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, and one of the other three Puisne Barons, Sir Samuel | ||||||
| Martin found in favour of Sir Alfred Slade. The remaining two Barons, Sir George Bramwell (later | ||||||
| Baron Bramwell) and Sir Gillery Pigott, found in favour of General Slade. In the event of a split | ||||||
| decision, it was the custom at that time for the junior Baron (in this case, Sir Gillery Pigott) to | ||||||
| withdraw his opinion, and the case to be then transferred to the House of Lords for judgment. | ||||||
| Before this could occur, however, the case was settled out of court, as reported in the | ||||||
| 'Aberdeen Journal' of 31 July 1867:- | ||||||
| 'The Slade baronetcy case has been compromised. General Slade, according to the terms of | ||||||
| arrangement brought about by the action of mutual friends, abandons all claim to the title and | ||||||
| the estates, receiving from his nephew, the present inheritor, £28,000, and the amount of | ||||||
| costs for which he had become liable in connection with the recent litigation.' | ||||||
| Sir Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade, 7th baronet | ||||||
| Sir Benjamin is a magnificent eccentric whose exploits have appeared in the newspapers in | ||||||
| recent years. His major goal in life appears to be the discovery of a male heir to inherit his | ||||||
| 13th century estate, variously valued at between £7 million to £20 million. | ||||||
| In February 2007, it was reported that Sir Benjamin "is a firm believer in his aristocratic | ||||||
| bloodline, claiming that he can trace his ancestry back to Alfred the Great. For this reason, | ||||||
| he hopes to use DNA testing to find his closest genetic relative in the U.S. 'I'm hoping it won't | ||||||
| be some cowpoke or someone who lives on a trailer park surrounded by rattlesnakes. I would | ||||||
| have a screaming fit if I found out it was some chap like that. I want someone with a bit of | ||||||
| money and a couple of yachts.' " | ||||||
| Sir Benjamin later changed tack and began seeking a woman to give him an heir. "I need a male | ||||||
| heir. I'm the last of the line. Father would be appalled. It's a terrible disgrace. When you die | ||||||
| without an heir they cut your crest in half on your coffin with a sword and some other lot go | ||||||
| and grab it. Awful. It's like losing your rugger colours." | ||||||
| When describing the ideal woman, Sir Benjamin said, "They wouldn't want to be gypsies. They | ||||||
| wouldn't want to be Guardian readers either. Africa's out. So is anywhere that's got green in | ||||||
| its flag, begins with an 'I' or where they don’t wear overcoats in the winter. Iceland, Ireland, | ||||||
| Israel, Iraq, Iran - all out. I won't go to holidays in these places. I don't want anything to do | ||||||
| with them. Oh, and the breeders couldn't be too eccentric because I'm eccentric, so you'd | ||||||
| get someone coming out who's utterly raving." | ||||||
| Sir Benjamin said he has nine months supply of "little wrigglers" frozen and ready for the right | ||||||
| woman to carry his child. The French, drug users, communists, and homosexuals have also | ||||||
| been ruled out. | ||||||
| In keeping with Sir Benjamin's sense of civic duty, he offered the services of his dog as a | ||||||
| best man for gay weddings at his country seat. According to his master, the dog, a labrador- | ||||||
| Doberman cross named Jasper, is ideally suited for this task. "Jasper is absolutely perfect for | ||||||
| the role. For one thing, he is gay himself. He may also appeal to the more cosmopolitan among | ||||||
| potential same-sex suitors as he is anti-hunting, a pacifist and probably supports New Labour." | ||||||
| In October 2007, Sir Benjamin made a claim on his insurers for £4,000 after he alleged that a | ||||||
| randy peacock had 'sexually attacked' one of his employee's cars. He subsequently banned | ||||||
| peacock blue Lexus cars from the estate's car park. According to Sir Benjamin, the incident | ||||||
| proved that the peacock was gay, since peahens are brown and only males are blue. He said | ||||||
| that the peacock had damaged the car because it looked like "another peacock boy. He | ||||||
| attacked the panels so hard that the car needs a total respray. The insurers are not very | ||||||
| happy about it. They've had claims for all sorts of things like lions biting people, but never have | ||||||
| they heard of a peacock sexually attacking a car." | ||||||
| For an hilarious interview with Sir Benjamin, cut and paste the following link into your browser:- | ||||||
| http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sir-benjamin-slade-i-am-going-to-be-a-mega-megastar-815130.html | ||||||
| A more recent article on Sir Benjamin's efforts appeared in the "Daily Mail" on 21 April 2017, | ||||||
| written by Jane Fryer:- | ||||||
| 'Sir Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade is a rheumy-eyed Casanova who has a most disconcerting | ||||||
| habit of pointing his crotch and talking about 'business down there'. | ||||||
| 'He describes his ideal woman as 'a big strong healthy warrior, the bigger the better - if I see | ||||||
| a tall woman coming into a room, I just fall over backwards. My tongue hangs out. It gets | ||||||
| exciting." | ||||||
| 'Last week he caused a furore when he denounced one of his recent (extremely attractive) | ||||||
| companions, Bridget Convet, 50, as 'too old to have children' and reminded all young, fertile | ||||||
| ladies that he is once again 'interviewing hard' for the position of Lady Slade. | ||||||
| "I have had a few proposals," he said. "But sometimes the women are past their sell-by date | ||||||
| and have been over the guns a few times." | ||||||
| 'Sir Ben, as he likes to be addressed, is 70 years old himself. | ||||||
| 'Subsequently he announced that he wanted to 'road-test' young women, adding: "It would | ||||||
| be nice if they were a breeder, of an age where they can have a couple of sons." | ||||||
| 'On paper - away from the leery, pink-cheeked flesh - Sir Ben's pedigree is impeccable. His | ||||||
| ancestors fought in the Crimean War; he had links to Horatio Nelson; General Sir John Slade, | ||||||
| who bought the family seat, Maunsel House, in 1772, danced with Marie Antoinette; and | ||||||
| his aunt Madeleine Slade, as he indelicately puts it, "s*****d [Mahatma] Gandhi." | ||||||
| 'He is worth about £20 million and owns two Somerset stately homes, 13th-century Maunsel | ||||||
| House and 19th-century Woodlands Castle, from which he runs a thriving wedding business. | ||||||
| He also has thousands of acres, a handful of farms, a grouse shoot in Scotland, a collection | ||||||
| of moth-eaten stuffed animal heads, hundreds of guns and wardrobes of red trousers. | ||||||
| 'Which presumably is why he is so desperate for an heir (plus a spare) to inherit it all when | ||||||
| he dies. "Daughters don't count," he says. "Wonderful things to have around, of course, but | ||||||
| they don't count." | ||||||
| 'Over the years he has been relentless in his quest, rattling through a wife, Pauline Myburgh; | ||||||
| several long-term lovers including Fiona Aitken, now wife of the Earl of Carnarvon and | ||||||
| chatelaine of Highclere Castle, where Downton [Abbey] was filmed. ("absolutely impossible | ||||||
| woman; social astronaut, drove me mad!"); actress Kirsten Hughes and, by his own account, | ||||||
| more members of European 'jet-trash' society than most gentry have had roast grouse dinners. | ||||||
| 'But he can't seem to get it right. "I'm the worst judge of women in England. I've had five mad | ||||||
| women on the trot; it's been very difficult." | ||||||
| 'In 2007 he made a public appeal for an heir of sorts, offering his entire estate to whichever | ||||||
| stranger most closely matched his DNA, so long as they weren't Guardian readers, drug-users or | ||||||
| communists. That didn't work because the winner, Isaac Slade, who fronts U.S. rock group The | ||||||
| Fray, was too busy with his band to deal with sweeping driveways and the worry of dry rot. | ||||||
| 'Then in 2012, after Kirsten, then 49, had, according to him, "run off with the handyman," Sir | ||||||
| Ben wasted no time in advertising to replace not only the handyman but Kirsten, too, offering | ||||||
| a £50,000 salary plus car, house, food and holidays. | ||||||
| Crucially, the successful candidate would have a shotgun certificate, be able to run two | ||||||
| castles and must be able to breed two sons (it didn't matter if she had bred before). And when | ||||||
| that didn't bear fruit, he had his sperm frozen ("it's very good stuff") and carried on chatting up | ||||||
| 'any bit of crumpet that moves' - so long as she didn't come from a country with green in its | ||||||
| flag, beginning with an "I", or anywhere they don't wear overcoats in the winter. | ||||||
| 'But still there was no heir apparent riding a trike through the great hall. | ||||||
| 'So is he really an appalling man, playing for laughs or publicity, or has desperation made him so | ||||||
| ungallant? | ||||||
| 'Whatever the truth, his recent comments have not gone down well. Bridget, unsurprisingly, | ||||||
| was hopping mad, not least because they haven't been an item since 2014 and she is actually | ||||||
| happily engaged to a chap called Alister. Online, thousands have denounced Sir Ben as a sexist | ||||||
| dinosaur. | ||||||
| "I'm not sexist," he says. "Men want to carve a joint and pour the drinks, women want to make | ||||||
| sure the table looks nice. It's a partnership!" | ||||||
| 'But a fair few, perhaps tempted by his surprisingly good skin as much as his fortune, got in | ||||||
| touch this week. "I've been inundated with offers!" he chirps happily, oblivious to the feminist | ||||||
| blood boiling around him. "I'm going to have a party and get them all down. The more the | ||||||
| merrier!" | ||||||
| 'Hugely encouraged, he has even added new criteria to his list of required attributes. Driving | ||||||
| and shooting licences are now non-negotiable. The former is to drive him to long boozy lunches, | ||||||
| while the latter is more pressing since police found an unlicensed shotgun in his bedroom - he | ||||||
| liked to shoot foxes in his pyjamas - and he nearly landed in prison. Scorpios are also a no-no. | ||||||
| And now he is slowing down a bit, so is anyone much under 30 or over 40. | ||||||
| 'A 'terribly exotic Spanish creature' he dated 18 months ago was duly informed of this necessity. | ||||||
| She said: "Darling, you're too old for me." And I said:"No darling, you'll be 40 next year - you're | ||||||
| too old for me!" | ||||||
| 'Sir Ben, who made his fortune in shipping but then put most of his money into his estate, is | ||||||
| now asset-rich but cash-poor, so life with him will not be all butlers, polished silverware and | ||||||
| devilled kidneys. He re-uses teabags and lives on vegetable juice, Ryvita, watery porridge and | ||||||
| the occasional gull's egg as a treat. | ||||||
| 'To save £15,000 tax a year, he has moved out of Maunsel House into a half-built farmhouse | ||||||
| where he scrimps on the heating, shares a bedroom with his Jack Russell, Bully, and labrador, | ||||||
| Gerald, names after the late Duke of Westminster, and has an inspirational message from | ||||||
| Donald Trump by his bed (he and Trump's first wife, Ivana, were good pals). | ||||||
| 'He rises at six, works all hours on his wedding business and wears holey jumpers. "Most women | ||||||
| don't understand," he says. "It's a nightmare running this place. The heating bill's £50,000 a | ||||||
| year. They don't tend to stay." | ||||||
| 'He is also constantly tired tanks to a sleep disorder, and has suffered a brief problem with his | ||||||
| prostate - or 'bicycle pump' as he calls it - which he keeps 'fired up' with oysters. Other than | ||||||
| that he claims to be in excellent health and even hangs upside down in a harness every | ||||||
| morning to reduce stress. "Stress is not good - and it's not good for down there, either," he | ||||||
| says, stabbing at his crotch yet again. "That's why I need a good woman to help with it all. | ||||||
| A good woman could be worth £100k to me, minimum, and she could pop out some heirs while | ||||||
| she's at it." | ||||||
| 'But, given his health problem, is he up to the job? "Mao Tse Tung was bonking away when he | ||||||
| was 80! So was Moses. I'm slowing down a bit - I just don't get enough practice in," he says | ||||||
| sadly. Then he tells me he isn't a fan of Viagra, preferring a similar drug called Cialis: "It's really | ||||||
| good - lasts all weekend." There is also a concoction that his French nephew obtains from the | ||||||
| Far East, which he puts in his tea and which makes him go 'like greased lightning.' | ||||||
| 'I wonder if all this is bluster and fantasy. So we move back to his childhood, which went from | ||||||
| happy to unutterably miserable when he was ten and his elder brother died (in a car crash), | ||||||
| followed by his mother the next year, then his uncle, then his father the year after that. Young | ||||||
| Ben was shipped off to a distant relative for his troubled teens, then packed off to Australia on | ||||||
| a one-way ticket, where he worked in the mines and on sheep stations and slept rough. Despite | ||||||
| having to overcome the odds, his grief and terrible dyslexia he pulled through, made a fortune | ||||||
| in shipping and bought back the family seat from his aunt. | ||||||
| 'Given the parallels, I ask about Prince Harry's mental health charity. But he just harrumphs. | ||||||
| "They're all nuts, really. And his mother was totally screwed up. Everyone knows there are | ||||||
| three families you should never marry into and the Spencers is one!" | ||||||
| 'It is easy to see why he wants children - "if I drop dead today, this place will be on the market | ||||||
| in a month" - and he is convinced he'd make a good father. "People tell me 'you're too old. You'll | ||||||
| die.' So what? I was bloody orphaned. Anyway, a nice young attractive widow with two castles | ||||||
| and a title is going to get snapped up pretty quickly." | ||||||
| 'What is surprising is that he never did manage to father a child, despite all that frantic rutting. | ||||||
| He blames what he calls "Fallopian complications" and claims "too many cats" were responsible | ||||||
| for his marriage failure. But what about adoption? He looks horrified. "People don't give anything | ||||||
| away that's any good, do they?" And a baby from overseas, he says, was completely out of | ||||||
| the question. "If you're living in the countryside and into hunting and shooting, an Aboriginal or | ||||||
| an African probably wouldn't go down too well round here. They might not let someone like me | ||||||
| adopt anyway." This is probably the wisest thing he has said so far. | ||||||
| 'On the flip side, though, having Sir Ben as your dad might be a relentlessly politically incorrect | ||||||
| experience and you'd never dare bring anyone home for tea, but it would never be dull. He is | ||||||
| the sort of man who throws wild parties, has 5,000 people in his address book and is someone | ||||||
| to whom mad things inevitably happen. | ||||||
| 'Who else would have a peacock called Ron Davies (after the Labour MP whose career was | ||||||
| destroyed by a 'moment of madness' involving a homosexual encounter on Clapham Common) | ||||||
| which caused £4,000 damage to a peacock-blue car in a bout of misplaced ardour? Sir Ben also | ||||||
| cited a tomcat as co-respondent in his divorce. Then there was the time he went to court to | ||||||
| fight for custody of a rescue dog called Jasper that had been rehomed to a brewery heiress. | ||||||
| He was bequeathed to Slade, along with a trust fund that rose in value to £100,000 when his | ||||||
| owner died. | ||||||
| 'Extraordinarily, Sir Ben's exes seem genuinely fond of him. "For some reason they all want to | ||||||
| come back - even Kirsten, who behaved disgracefully. Because I might not be the best looker | ||||||
| but there's always something happening and I make them laugh." And then, just as he is | ||||||
| finally starting to sound more like a naughty uncle than a sexist oaf, he blows it by describing | ||||||
| the shape of his favourite breasts. "I do like them pointing upwards. I once had an American | ||||||
| girlfriend who had them pointing upwards. Just wonderful. And big, ideally, but I certainly don't | ||||||
| want some tired old flap they can throw over the shoulder!" | ||||||
| 'Oh stop it, Sir Ben! You are clearly far brighter that you let on and work like a Trojan, but it's | ||||||
| as if you have a constant need to offend - especially when, against all odds, someone might | ||||||
| actually be warming to you.' | ||||||
| Sir Andrew Slanning, 2nd and last baronet | ||||||
| Sir Andrew was murdered in November 1700. The following account of his murder is taken from | ||||||
| "Celebrated Trials and Remarkable Cases of Criminal Jurisprudence from the earliest records to | ||||||
| the year 1825" by George Borrow [1803-1881] (6 vols, Knight and Lacey, London, 1825). | ||||||
| "One evening John Cowland, with some other bon vivants, followed Sir Andrew Slanning, bart. | ||||||
| who had made a temporary acquaintance with an orange-woman while in the pit at the Drury | ||||||
| Lane play-house, and retired with her as soon as the play was ended. They had gone but a | ||||||
| few yards before Mr. Cowland put his arm round the woman's neck; on which Sir Andrew | ||||||
| desired he would desist, as she was his wife. | ||||||
| "Cowland, knowing Sir Andrew was married to a woman of honour, gave him the lie, and swords | ||||||
| were drawn on both sides; but some gentlemen coming up at this juncture, no immediate ill | ||||||
| consequence happened. They all now agreed to adjourn to the Rose tavern; and Capt. Wagget | ||||||
| having there used his utmost endeavours to reconcile the offended parties, it appeared that his | ||||||
| mediation was attended with success; but, as they were going upstairs to drink a glass of wine, | ||||||
| Mr. Cowland drew his sword, and stabbed Sir Andrew in the belly, who finding himself wounded, | ||||||
| cried out "murder." One of Lord Warwick's servants, and two other persons who were within | ||||||
| the house, ran up immediately, and disarmed Cowland of his sword, which was bloody to the | ||||||
| depth of five inches, and took him into custody. Cowland was instantly conducted before a | ||||||
| justice of the peace, who committed him; and on Dec. the 5th, 1700, he was tried at the Old | ||||||
| Bailey on three indictments - the first at the common law, the second on the statute of | ||||||
| stabbing, and the third on the coroner's inquest for the murder. Every fact was fully proved | ||||||
| on the trial; and among other things, it was deposed, that the deceased possessed an estate | ||||||
| of £20,000 a year, and that his family became extinct by his death; and that he had been a | ||||||
| gentleman of great good-nature, and by no means disposed to animosity. On Cowland's being | ||||||
| found guilty, sentence of death was passed on him; and though great interest was made to | ||||||
| obtain a pardon, he was executed at Tyburn the 20th Dec. 1700." | ||||||
| Sir Henry Slingsby, 1st baronet | ||||||
| Sir Henry was executed in June 1658 due to his loyalty to the Royalist cause during the English | ||||||
| Civil War. Following a planned Royalist insurrection in 1655, Slingsby was arrested and impris- | ||||||
| oned at Hull, and later at York, where he remained until 1658, but following a further royal plot | ||||||
| against the Commonwealth in that year, he was brought before the High Court and charged | ||||||
| with treason. He was initially sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, but the sentence | ||||||
| was later commuted to beheading, the sentence being carried out on Tower Hill on 8 June 1658. | ||||||
| The following account of his execution is taken from "The characters of the several noblemen | ||||||
| and gentlemen that have died in the defence of their respective princes...." by Thomas Salmon | ||||||
| [London 1724]:- | ||||||
| 'About Eleven of the Clock, Sir Henry Slingsby was brought from the Tower to the Scaffold on | ||||||
| Tower-Hill; whither being come, he fell upon his Knees, and for a short Space pray'd privately. | ||||||
| Then standing up, he did in a short Speech, and with a very low Voice, address himself to Mr. | ||||||
| Sheriff Robinson, telling him, that what he had to say he would speak to him; which was to this | ||||||
| purpose: | ||||||
| "That he had receiv'd a Sentence to die, upon account of his endeavouring to betray the | ||||||
| Garrison of Hull: But said, All that he did in that Business he was drawn into by others. | ||||||
| "That the Officers of that Garrison did believe he had some greater Design in hand, and there- | ||||||
| fore they would needs pump him to the bottom: But what he spoke to them in private was | ||||||
| brought into Evidence against him. He likewise said, That he did no more than any Person would | ||||||
| have done that was so brought on. | ||||||
| "That he had made many Applications (by his Friends) for a Reprieve, but found his Highness | ||||||
| was inexorable. | ||||||
| "He did confess, that he did deliver a Commission (as it was charged against him:) But said, | ||||||
| that it was an old Commission, and what he meant was well known to himself; but what | ||||||
| Constructions others had made of it might appear by his present Condition." | ||||||
| 'He discover'd little Sense of Sorrow, or Fear of Death; but said, He was ready to submit, or | ||||||
| Words to like purpose. | ||||||
| 'Then he addressed himself to private Prayer again; and kneeling down to the Block, he pray'd | ||||||
| privately for a short space: Then he laid his Head upon the Block, and at the Sign given, the | ||||||
| Executioner sever'd his Head from his Body at one Blow: And his Friends put his Body into a | ||||||
| Coffin, and remov'd it into a close Coach prepared near the Place.' | ||||||
| Sir Charles Slingsby, 10th baronet | ||||||
| Sir Charles, along with five others, was drowned in 1869 when the boat upon which he was | ||||||
| crossing a river capsized. The following edited account of the accident appeared in the Dublin | ||||||
| 'Freeman's Journal' on 8 February 1869:- | ||||||
| '[After describing at length the names of the persons who had met for a fox-hunt]…..no fox | ||||||
| was found until the hounds reached Monckton Whin; but a good run of about an hour's duration | ||||||
| was had towards Copgrove and Newby Hall, and near the latter the fox and the pack crossed | ||||||
| the river Ure. Several of the gentlemen who were in pursuit attempted to cross the river at a | ||||||
| ford some distance up the stream, but Sir Charles Slingsby and a majority of those who were | ||||||
| close up made for the ferry, which is almost directly opposite Newby-hall, and signalled for the | ||||||
| boat to be sent across. Swollen by the late rains, and to a great extent diverted from its | ||||||
| natural channel, the river, at this point some fifty or sixty yards broad, swept along with a | ||||||
| strong deep current. | ||||||
| 'With little or no hesitation the master of the hounds [Sir Charles] sprang into the boat, to be | ||||||
| piloted across by the Newby-hall gardener and his son, and this example was so largely | ||||||
| followed that in a very short time some twelve or fourteen gentlemen with their horses, | ||||||
| crowded into a vessel intended to accommodate only half that number….[a number of others] | ||||||
| who were either unable to find room in the boat or had their doubts as to its safety, remained | ||||||
| on the banks awaiting its return. No warning voice cautioned them when they started on what | ||||||
| proved to some of them a fatal journey; indeed, their apparent luck in having gained the start | ||||||
| of the others was looked on many envious eyes. Any such feeling was, however, of short | ||||||
| duration. | ||||||
| 'Seizing the chain by which the flat-bottomed boat is propelled, Captain Vyner and his brother | ||||||
| pushed it off from the river side, and sent the vessel right into the stream. Before one-third of | ||||||
| the distance had been traversed, Sir Charles Slingsby's horse became restive, and kicked the | ||||||
| animal belonging to Sir George Wombwell. The latter - a high-mettled chestnut - returned the | ||||||
| kick, and something very like a panic arose among the horses. The boat was swayed first to | ||||||
| one side and then to the other, and finally it was fairly turned bottom upwards. | ||||||
| 'The scene which then ensued was of a very painful character. For a moment the slimy bottom | ||||||
| of the boat, rocked to and fro by the struggling of the men and horses, was all that could be | ||||||
| seen by the spectators on the bank; then here and there in different parts of the stream heads | ||||||
| began to appear only to sink again amid agonised cries, and hands and arms were flung up in | ||||||
| despair. Horses were seen to battle with the current, striking out regardless of the injuries | ||||||
| they inflicted on their masters, who were also swept by the current out of the reach of those | ||||||
| anxious to afford relief. In some cases, however, the prompt measures taken by the | ||||||
| spectators were effectual. Those who could swim cast off their coats and plunged to save their | ||||||
| friends, while others, not so happily gifted, took less vigorous, though not less useful, steps. | ||||||
| Lines formed of whips tied together, and thrown within reach of the drowning men, and several | ||||||
| beams of wood which fortunately lay scattered about, were quickly launched on the stream. | ||||||
| 'Captain Vyner was one of the first to get his head out of water, and to save himself from the | ||||||
| current by clinging to the upturned vessel. After a vigorous struggle he reached the top of the | ||||||
| boat and was able to assist first Sir George Wombwell and afterwards one of the York officers | ||||||
| to the same position. Mr. White got on shore by means of the chain stretched across the ferry, | ||||||
| while others were rescued by means adopted for their safety from the banks. In a very few | ||||||
| minutes, however, it was found that six men and 11 horses had been drowned. Two horses | ||||||
| were rescued. | ||||||
| 'Sir Charles Slingsby was seen by the spectators on the bank to strike out for the opposite | ||||||
| shore, but when nearing it he threw up his hands, and the last seen of him was his body | ||||||
| floating down the river with his head and legs under water…….The body of Sir Charles Slingsby | ||||||
| was discovered 300 yards below the scene of the accident.' | ||||||
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