Earl of Lucan

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Earl of Lucan is a title which has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland for related families.

Earldom of Lucan
Arms of the Earl of Lucan
Arms: Azure, a Bend cotised between six Crosses-Patée Or. Crest: On a Mound Vert, a Falcon rising wings expanded proper, armed membered and belled Or. Supporters: On either side a Wolf Azure, plain collared and chained Or.
Creation date1 October 1795
Created byGeorge III
PeeragePeerage of Ireland
First holderCharles Bingham, 1st Baron Lucan
Present holderGeorge Bingham, 8th Earl of Lucan
Heir apparentCharles Lars John Bingham, Lord Bingham
Remainder toThe 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesBaron Lucan
Baron Bingham
Baronet 'of Castlebar'
StatusExtant
Former seat(s)The Lawn, Castlebar
Laleham House
MottoSPES MEA CHRISTUS
(Christ is my hope)
Earldom of Lucan
(Jacobite Creation)
Arms: Per pale Gules and Argent, a Fleur-de-lis per pale Argent and Sable. Crest: A Leopard's Face Or. Supporters: On either side a Wolf Azure.
Creation datec. 1691
Created byJames II whilst in exile
PeerageJacobite Peerage
First holderPatrick Sarsfield
Last holderJames Sarsfield, 2nd Earl of Lucan
Remainder toThe 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesViscount of Tully
Baron Rosberry
StatusExtinct
Extinction date12 May 1719
MottoVIRTUS NON VERTITUR
(Virtue does not turn)
Being a Jacobite creation, this peerage has never been legally recognised in Britain
Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan
George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan

History

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Patrick Sarsfield was one of the senior commanders of James II (deposed in 1688) in battles in Ireland with William III, which determined the latter's takeover with his co-wife, Mary II, of the English, Scottish and Irish thrones (the Glorious Revolution and First Jacobite Wars). In 1691, the deposed King James purportedly created him Earl of Lucan, Viscount of Tully and Baron Rosberry. Like all post deposition titles they have no recognition in UK law.

In 1795, the first legal creation of title was for Sarsfield's similarly landowning great-nephew, Charles Bingham, 1st Baron Lucan.[1][2][3]

The subsidiary titles associated with the Earldom of Lucan are: Baron Lucan, of Castlebar in the County of Mayo (created 1776),[4] and Baron Bingham, of Melcombe Bingham in the County of Dorset (created 1934).[5] The first is in the Peerage of Ireland, whereas the second is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which allowed Earls of Lucan to sit in the House of Lords after the practice of electing Irish representative peer ceased. The Earl of Lucan also has a Baronetcy (of Castlebar, Co Mayo), created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia (7 June 1634).

The title became notorious when the 3rd Earl, as cavalry commander in the Crimean War, was involved in the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade.

Its notoriety was renewed after the disappearance in 1974 of the profligate 7th Earl. In June 1975, in his absence, a coroner's jury found that he had murdered his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett. There have been no confirmed sightings of the 7th Earl since his disappearance, and he was declared legally dead for purposes of probate (debts and assets) in October 1999. This was, alone, insufficient to enable his son George, Lord Bingham to succeed to the titles – a death certificate for the 7th Earl was issued in February 2016 under the Presumption of Death Act 2013,[6] and Lord Bingham's claim to the Earldom was formally accepted by the House of Lords on 7 June 2016.[7]

The family seats were Castlebar House, near Gorteendrunagh, County Mayo, and from 1803 to 1922 Laleham House in Laleham, Surrey (until 1965 in the former county of Middlesex).[8][9]

Bingham Baronets, of Castlebar (1634)

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Earls of Lucan (1795)

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The heir apparent is the present holder's son Charles Lars John Bingham, Lord Bingham (born 2020).

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "No. 13821". The London Gazette. 13 October 1795. p. 1052.
  2. ^ Lineage online linking William Sarsfield of Lucan to Charles Bingham Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Test". Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  4. ^ "No. 11679". The London Gazette. 2 July 1776. p. 1.
  5. ^ "No. 34066". The London Gazette. 3 July 1934. p. 4222.
  6. ^ Lucan death certificate granted, BBC, 3 February 2016, retrieved 3 February 2016
  7. ^ "Minutes of Proceedings of Tuesday 7 June 2016". House of Lords.
  8. ^ In 1803, Richard Bingham, 2nd Earl of Lucan bought Laleham manor and manor house from William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale. The family hatchment and graves at the nearby church date to the early 19th century.
  9. ^ "Laleham Village – Around and About". Spelthorne Borough Council. Archived from the original on 3 November 2007.
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