Earl of Ellesmere

Earl of Ellesmere (/ˈɛlzmɪər/ ELZ-meer), of Ellesmere in the County of Shropshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1846 for the Conservative politician Lord Francis Egerton. He was granted the subsidiary title of Viscount Brackley, of Brackley in the County of Northampton, at the same time, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Born Lord Francis Leveson-Gower, he was the third son of George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland and Elizabeth Gordon, 19th Countess of Sutherland. In 1803 his father had inherited the substantial estates of his maternal uncle Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater. On his father's death in 1833, Lord Francis succeeded to the Egerton estates according to the will of the late Duke of Bridgewater, and assumed by Royal licence the surname of Egerton in lieu of Leveson-Gower. The Brackley and Ellesmere titles created for him in 1846 were revivals of titles held by the Dukes of Bridgewater. In 1963 his great-great-grandson, the fifth Earl, succeeded his kinsman as 6th Duke of Sutherland. The earldom of Ellesmere and viscountcy of Brackley are now subsidiary titles of the dukedom.

Francis Egerton,
1st Earl of Ellesmere.

Arms of the Earls of Ellesmere (Egerton family)

The Hon. Alfred Egerton, younger son of the second Earl, represented Eccles in Parliament.

The family seat was Worsley New Hall.

Earls of Ellesmere (1846)

• Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere (1800–1857)
• George Granville Francis Egerton, 2nd Earl of Ellesmere (1823–1862)
• Francis Charles Granville Egerton, 3rd Earl of Ellesmere (1847–1914)
• John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere (1872–1944)
• John Sutherland Egerton, 5th Earl of Ellesmere (1915–2000) (succeeded as Duke of Sutherland in 1963)

For further Earls of Ellesmere, see the Duke of Sutherland

Family tree

Gordon, Leveson-Gower, and Egerton family trees: Earls Gower, Marquesses of Stafford, Earls and Dukes of Sutherland and subsidiary titles

Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver, 1228 or 1231 William de Moravia a.k.a. Sutherland c. 1210–1248 1st Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver William de Moravia a.k.a. Sutherland c. 1235–1307 2nd Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver William de Moravia a.k.a. Sutherland (fl. Early 14th century) 3rd Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Kenneth de Moravia a.k.a. Sutherland d. 1333 4th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver William de Moravia a.k.a. Sutherland d. 1370 5th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Robert Sutherland d. 1444 6th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver John Sutherland d. 1460 7th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Alex Sutherland d. 1456 Master of Sutherland John Sutherland d. 1508 8th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver John Sutherland d. 1514 9th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Elizabeth Sutherland d. 1535 10th Countess of Sutherland and Lady Strathnaver Earldom of Sutherland resigned, 1527 Alexander Gordon c. 1505-1530 Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver, 1527 John Gordon 1525–1567 11th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Alexander Gordon d. 1594 12th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver John Gordon 1576–1615 13th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver John Gordon 1609–1679 14th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver George Gordon 1633–1703 15th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver John Gordon 1661–1733 16th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Baron Gower of Sittenham in the County of York, 1703 William Gordon 1683–1720 Lord Strathnaver John Leveson-Gower 1675–1709 1st Baron Gower, 5th Baronet Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham of Trentham in the County of Stafford, 1746 William Sutherland 1708–1750 17th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver John Leveson-Gower 1694–1754 1st Earl Gower, Viscount Trentham, 2nd Baron Gower Marquess of Stafford, 1786 William Sutherland 1735–1766 18th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Granville Leveson-Gower 1721–1803 1st Marquess of Stafford, 2nd Earl Gower, Viscount Trentham, 3rd Baron Gower Duke of Sutherland, 1833 Viscount Granville, of Stone Park in the County of Stafford, 1815 Earl Granville (2nd creation) and Baron Leveson of Stone Park in the County of Stafford, 1833 Lady Elizabeth Sutherland 1765–1839 19th Countess of Sutherland and Lady Strathnaver suo jure George Granville Leveson-Gower 1758–1833 1st Duke of Sutherland, 2nd Marquess of Stafford, 3rd Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 4th Baron Gower Granville Leveson-Gower 1773–1846 1st Earl Granville, Viscount Granville, and Baron Leveson Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley of Brackley in the County of Northampton, 1846 George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 1786–1861 2nd Duke of Sutherland, 3rd Marquess of Stafford, 20th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver, 4th Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 5th Baron Gower Francis Egerton 1800–1857 1st Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 1828–1892 3rd Duke of Sutherland, 4th Marquess of Stafford, 21st Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver, 5th Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 6th Baron Gower George Granville Francis Egerton 1823–1862 2nd Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley Granville George Leveson-Gower 1815–1891 2nd Earl Granville, Viscount Granville, and Baron Leveson George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 1850–1858 Earl Gower Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 1851–1913 4th Duke of Sutherland, 5th Marquess of Stafford, 22nd Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver, 6th Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 7th Baron Gower Francis Charles Granville Egerton 1847–1914 3rd Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 1888–1963 5th Duke of Sutherland, 6th Marquess of Stafford, 23rd Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver, 7th Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 8th Baron Gower Lord Alastair St Clair 1890–1921 Sutherland-Leveson-Gower John Francis Granville Scrope Egerton 1872–1944 4th Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley Thomas Henry Frederick Egerton 1876–1953 Granville George Leveson-Gower 1872–1939 3rd Earl Granville, Viscount Granville, and Baron Leveson William Spencer Leveson-Gower 1880–1953 4th Earl Granville, Viscount Granville, and Baron Leveson Elizabeth Millicent Sutherland 1921–2019 24th Countess of Sutherland and Lady Strathnaver suo jure John Sutherland Egerton 1915–2000 6th Duke of Sutherland, 7th Marquess of Stafford, 5th Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley, 8th Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 9th Baron Gower Reginald Cyril Egerton 1905–1992 Granville James Leveson-Gower 1918–1996 5th Earl Granville, Viscount Granville, and Baron Leveson Alastair Charles St Clair Sutherland b. 1947 25th Earl of Sutherland and Lord Strathnaver Francis Ronald Egerton b. 1940 7th Duke of Sutherland, 8th Marquess of Stafford, 6th Earl of Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley, 9th Earl Gower and Viscount Trentham, 10th Baron Gower (Granville George) Fergus Leveson-Gower b. 1959 6th Earl Granville, Viscount Granville, and Baron Leveson Rachel Elizabeth Sutherland b. 1970 styled Mistress of Sutherland Alexander Charles Robert Sutherland 1981–2022 styled Lord Strathnaver James Granville Egerton b. 1975 styled Marquess of Stafford George James Leveson-Gower b. 1999 Heir presumptive to the Earldom of Sutherland Heir apparent to the Dukedom of Sutherland and Earldom of Ellesmere Heir apparent to the Earldom of Granville

See also

• Duke of Sutherland
• Duke of Bridgewater
• Countess of Sutherland
• Earl Granville

References

• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: Dean & Son. p. 342.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages