Earl of Romney

Earl of Romney (pronounced "Rumney") is a title that has been created twice.

Earl of Romney 2nd creation
Arms of Marsham: Argent, a Lion passant Gules, between two Bendlets Azure. Crest: A Lion's Head erased Gules. Supporters: On either side a Lion Azure, semée of Crosses-Crosslet Or, gorged with a Naval Crown Or.
Creation date	22 June 1801 (1801-06-22)
Creation	Second
Created by	King George III
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Charles Marsham, 1st Earl of Romney
Present holder	Julian Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney
Heir apparent	David Marsham, Viscount Marsham
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Marsham Baron Romney Baronet 'of Cuchston'
Status	Extant
Seat(s)	Gayton Hall
Former seat(s)	Mote House
Motto	NON SIBI SED PATRIÆ (For country not self)

Earl of Romney 1st creation
Arms of Sydney: Or, a Pheon Azure, a Crescent for difference. Crest: A Porcupine Azure, quilled, collared and chained Or, a Crescent for difference. Supporters: Dexter: A Lion Azure, collared and chained Or, ducally crowned per pale Argent and Gules, a Crescent for difference; Sinister: A Lion guardant Argent, ducally crowned Or, a Crescent for difference.
Creation date	8 April 1694 (1694-04-08)
Creation	First
Created by	William III and Mary II
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney
Last holder	Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Sydney Baron Milton
Status	Extinct
Extinction date	8 April 1704
Motto	QUO FATA VOCANT (Whither the Fates call / Where destiny calls)

It was first created in the Peerage of England in 1694 in favour of the soldier and politician Henry Sydney. He had been made Baron Milton and Viscount Sydney at the same time in 1689. Sydney was the younger son of Robert Sydney, 2nd Earl of Leicester. He never married and the titles became extinct on his death in 1704.

It was created for the second time in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 in favour of Charles Marsham, 3rd Baron Romney. The Marsham family descends from Sir John Marsham, one of the six Clerks of the Court of Chancery from 1638 to 1644 and from 1660 to 1680. In August 1663 he was created a Baronet, of Cuckston in the County of Kent, in the Baronetage of England. His grandson, the fourth Baronet (who succeeded his nephew), was also a Clerk of the Court of Chancery and represented Maidstone in the House of Commons. His son, the fifth Baronet, also sat as Member of Parliament for Maidstone and served as Governor of Dover Castle. In 1716 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Baron of Romney, of Romney in the County of Kent.

His grandson, the aforementioned third Baron, represented Maidstone and Kent in Parliament and served as Lord Lieutenant of Kent. In 1801 he was created Viscount Marsham, of The Mote in the County of Kent, and Earl of Romney, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He was Member of Parliament for Hythe and Downton. His son, the third Earl, represented Kent West in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl, who held political office in the second Conservative government of Lord Salisbury as a Lord-in-waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) from 1889 to 1892.

The line of his eldest son, the fifth Earl, failed on the death of the latter's son, the sixth Earl, in 1975. The late Earl was succeeded by his first cousin, the seventh Earl. He was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Hastings Marsham, second son of the fourth Earl. As of 2010 the titles are held by his first cousin once removed, the eighth Earl, who succeeded in 2004. He is the son of Colonel Peter William Marsham, son of Sydney Edward Marsham, youngest son of the fourth Earl.

The family seat was at Mote House, near Maidstone, Kent, but since 1891 it has been the Gayton Hall Estate at Gayton near Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

Earls of Romney, first creation

Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, by John Baptist Medina

Viscounts Sydney (1689)

• Henry Sydney, 1st Viscount Sydney (1641–1704) (created Earl of Romney in 1694)

Earls of Romney (1694)

• Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney (1641–1704)

Earls of Romney, second creation

Engraving of Charles Marsham, 1st Earl of Romney, based on a picture by Sir William Beechey, 1803

Marsham baronets, of Cuckston (1663)

• Sir John Marsham, 1st Baronet (1602–1685)
• Sir John Marsham, 2nd Baronet (1637–1692)
• Sir John Marsham, 3rd Baronet (1679–1696)
• Sir Robert Marsham, 4th Baronet (1650–1703)
• Sir Robert Marsham, 5th Baronet (1685–1724) (created Baron Romney in 1716)

Barons Romney (1716)

• Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney (1685–1724)
• Robert Marsham, 2nd Baron Romney (1712–1794)
• Charles Marsham, 3rd Baron Romney (1744–1811) (created Viscount Marsham and Earl of Romney in 1801)

Earls of Romney (1801)

• Charles Marsham, 1st Earl of Romney (1744–1811)
• Charles Marsham, 2nd Earl of Romney (1777–1845)
• Charles Marsham, 3rd Earl of Romney (1808–1874)
• Charles Marsham, 4th Earl of Romney (1841–1905)
• Charles Marsham, 5th Earl of Romney (1864–1933)
• Charles Marsham, 6th Earl of Romney (1892–1975)
• Michael Henry Marsham, 7th Earl of Romney (1910–2004)
• Julian Charles Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney (b. 1948)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Lieutenant Colonel David Charles Marsham, Viscount Marsham (b. 1977), who served as commanding officer of 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards 2018–2023.
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, Hon. James Julian Marsham (b. 2014)

Marquesses Townshend, Earls of Romney, and Baronets of Cuckston

Shirley Baronet of Staunton Harold in the County of Leicester, 1611 George Shirley 1559–1622 1st Baronet Baronet of Cuckston, 1663 Henry Shirley 1589–1633 2nd Baronet Robert Sidney 1595–1677 Earl of Leicester John Marsham 1602–1685 1st Baronet of Cuckston Earl of Romney (1st creation), 1694 Charles Shirley (1623–1646) 3rd Baronet Robert Shirley 1629–1656 4th Baronet Lady Lucy Sidney 1630–1685 Henry Sydney 1641–1704 1st Earl of Romney John Marsham 1637–1692 2nd Baronet of Cuckston Earldom extinct, 1704 Baron Ferrers of Chartley abeyance terminated, 1677 Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis in the County of Norfolk, 1661 Viscount Townshend of Raynham in the County of Norfolk, 1682 Seymour Shirley 1647–1667 5th Baronet Robert Shirley 1650–1717 Earl Ferrers, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, 7th Shirley Baronet, of Staunton Harold Thomas Pelham 1653–1712 Horatio Townshend 1630–1687 1st Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend John Marsham 1679–1696 3rd Baronet of Cuckston Robert Shirley 1668–1669 6th Baronet Robert Shirley 1673–1699 Elizabeth Pelham 1681–1711 Charles Townshend 1674–1738 2nd Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Robert Marsham 1650–1703 4th Baronet of Cuckston Baron Romney, 1716 Elizabeth Compton 1694–1741 15th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley Charles Townshend 1700–1764 3rd Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Thomas Townshend 1701–1780 Robert Marsham 1685–1724 1st Baron Romney, 5th Baronet of Cuckston Baron Ferrers of Chartley resolved, 1749 Marquess Townshend, 1787 Baron Sydney of Chiselhurst in the County of Kent, 1783 Viscount Sydney (2nd creation) of St Leonards, 1789 Charlotte Townshend d. 1770 16th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley, Baroness Compton George Townshend 1724–1807 1st Marquess Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Thomas Townshend 1733–1800 1st Viscount Sydney Robert Marsham 1712–1794 2nd Baron Romney Earl of Leicester (6th creation), 1784 Earl of Romney (2nd creation) and Viscount Marsham of The Mote in the County of Kent, 1801 George Townshend 1753–1811 2nd Marquess Townshend, 1st Earl of Leicester, 5th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend, 17th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Compton John Townshend 1757–1783 John Townshend 1764–1831 2nd Viscount Sydney Charles Marsham 1744–1811 1st Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 3rd Baron Romney George Townshend 1778–1885 3rd Marquess Townshend, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 6th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend, 18th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Compton John Townshend 1798–1863 4th Marquess Townshend, 7th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Mary Elizabeth Marsham 1794–1847 Charles Marsham 1777–1845 2nd Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 4th Baron Romney Barony Ferrers of Chartley and Barony Compton in abeyance and Earldom of Leicester (6th creation) extinct, 1885 Earl Sydney of Scadbury in the County of Kent, 1874 John Townshend 1805–1890 1st Earl Sydney, 3rd Viscount Sydney Charles Marsham 1808–1874 3nd Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 5th Baron Romney Earldom of Sydney extinct, 1890 John Villiers Stuart Townshend 1831–1899 5th Marquess Townshend, 8th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Charles Marsham 1841–1905 4th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 6th Baron Romney John James Dudley Stuart Townshend 1866–1921 6th Marquess Townshend, 9th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Charles Marsham 1864–1933 5th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 7th Baron Romney Reginald Hastings Marsham 1865–1922 Sydney Edward Marsham 1879–1952 George John Patrick Dominic Townshend 1916–2010 7th Marquess Townshend, 10th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Charles Marsham 1892–1975 6th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 8th Baron Romney Michael Marsham 1910–2004 7th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 9th Baron Romney Peter William Marsham 1913–1970 Charles George Townshend b. 1945 8th Marquess Townshend, 11th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Julian Marsham b. 1948 8th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 9th Baron Romney Thomas Charles Townshend b. 1977 styled Viscount Raynham David Charles Marsham b. 1977 styled Viscount Marsham Heir apparent to the Marquess of Townshend Heir apparent to the Earl of Romney Rafe Thomas Townshend b. 2014 James Julian Marsham b. 2014

See also

• Earl of Leicester (1618 creation)

Further reading

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• John Burke A General and heraldic dictionary of the peerage and baronetage of the British Empire Volume 2 1832
• Obituary of Charles Marsham, 2nd Earl of Romney from the Gentleman's Magazine Published 1845 at Google Books
• Obituary of Michael Henry Marsham, 7th Earl of Romney at The Daily Telegraph, 9 June 2004 [1]

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Henry Marsham, 7th Earl of Romney