Baron Bergavenny

The titleBaron Bergavenny(orAbergavenny) was created several times in thePeerage of Englandand once in thePeerage of Great Britain,all but the first beingbaronies created by error.Abergavennyis amarket towninSouth East Waleswith acastleestablished by theNormanlordHamelin de Balunc. 1087.

Thefeudal baronyof Abergavenny came into existence shortly after theNorman Conquestof 1066.The barony by writ was first created in 1392 forSir William de Beauchamp,a younger son of the11th Earl of Warwick.This creation passed to his son, who succeeded as2nd Baron,and who was subsequently createdEarl of Worcester.On his death, the Earldom of Worcester became extinct, but the Barony passed to his daughter, who by modern doctrine succeeded as3rd Baroness.She died in 1447 when the Barony descended to her son, who succeeded as4th Baron.

In 1450,Sir Edward Nevill,widower of the 3rd Baroness, wassummonedtoParliamentas Lord Bergavenny. It has been assumed that this summons was intended to be in the right of his wife, but as she was already dead and the Barony was already vested in her son by Nevill, by modern doctrine this served to create a new Barony by writ. This second creation merged with the first creation in 1476, when the 1st Baron (of the second creation) died and his son, the aforementioned 4th Baron of the first creation, also became 2nd Baron of the second creation.

In 1587, on the death of the6th Baron(of the first creation) and 4th Baron (of the second creation), by modern doctrine both Baronies descended to his daughter,Mary, Lady Fane,wife ofSir Thomas Fane,who thus becamede jure7th and 5th Baroness. The title (for it was believed at the time only to be one Barony) was claimed byEdward Nevill,the heir male of the 4th and 2nd Baron, and in 1604 he was summoned to Parliament as Lord Bergavenny. As he was not entitled to either of the existing Baronies, this served to create a further Barony by Writ. By modern doctrine, the first and second creations descended to theEarls of Westmorland,heirs of the 7th and 5th Baroness, until both became abeyant on the death of the 7th Earl (and 14th and 12th Baron) in 1762.

The wrongful assumption that the Barony descended to heirs male continued, and this pattern (heirs general being deprived of their rightful title and heirs male being summoned to Parliament, with a new title being created in the process) was repeated several times, resulting in the fourth to seventh creations. The fourth and fifth creations became extinct on the death of the first holder of each, who both died without heirs, and the sixth becameabeyantin 1811. The provenance of the third creation is unclear. None of these new creations were recognised as such at the time.

The last creation, and the only one in the Peerage of Great Britain, came in 1724, in favour ofWilliam Nevill.His son, who succeeded as2nd Baron,was createdEarl of Abergavennyin 1784, and the5th Earlwas createdMarquess of Abergavennyin thePeerage of the United Kingdomin 1876. The Barony descended with the Earldom and then also the Marquessate (both of which were limited to heirs male) until 1938 when the3rd Marquessdied leaving no surviving sons but two surviving daughters, whereupon the Barony fell into abeyance between them. By the principle ofmoiety title,the heirs of those daughters – the 6th Marquess Camden and the23rd Baron Hastings– are the co-heirs to one half of the Barony each, and neither has petitioned for the title to be settled upon one or the other (cf.Baron Arlington).

Feudal Barons of Abergavenny

Dates below are the dates when they possessed Abergavenny.

• Hamelin de Balun(temporeWilliam I)
• Brientius de Insula(d. c. 1147)
• Miles de Gloucester(died 1143)(tempHenry I)
• Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford1143–1155
• Walter de Hereford1155–1160?
• Henry FitzMiles1160?–1163?
• Mahel de Hereford1163?–1164?
• William de Hereford1164?–1165
• Hugh de Beauchamp
• William de Braose1173–aft. 1179
• William de Braose(temporeKing John of England)
• Giles de Braose1215
• Reginald de Braose1216–1228
• William V de Braose1228–1230( "Black William" )
• William III de Cantilupe,(died 1254),jure uxoris,who married Eva de Braose (d.1255), daughter and heiress of William V de Braose.
• SirGeorge de Cantilupe1255–1273(son)
• John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings(1273–1313(nephew)
• John Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings1313–1325
• Laurence Hastings, 1st Earl of Pembroke1325–1348
• John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke1348–1375
• John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke1375–1389

Barons Bergavenny, first creation (1392–) (abeyant 1762)

• William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny(died 1411)
• Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester, 2nd Baron Bergavenny(1397 – 1422) (createdEarl of Worcesterin 1421, which title extinct on his death)

Arms of Nevill, Barons Bergavenny:Gules, a saltire argent charged with a rose of the field (barbed and seeded proper).These are the ancient arms ofNevilledifferencedby a rose, the symbol of a 7th son, in reference to SirEdward Neville, 1st Baron Bergavenny(died 1476), husband of Elizabeth de Beauchamp & 7th son ofRalph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland.These arms are borne today by the NevilleMarquesses of Abergavenny

• Elizabeth de Beauchamp, later Nevill,de jure3rd Baroness Bergavenny(1415–1447)
• George Nevill, 4th Baron Bergavenny (2nd Baron of the 2nd creation)(1440–1492)
• George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny (3rd Baron of the 2nd creation)(died 1535); during his lifetime,Henry VIII'sLaws in Wales Actsextinguished his Marcher Lordship of Abergavenny, merging it into the new county ofMonmouthshire.Like other suchMarcher Lords,his rights were reduced by the Act to those of an English-style Baron.
• Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny (4th Baron of the 2nd creation)(died 1587)
• Mary Nevill, later Fane, 3rd Baroness le Despenser,de jure7th and 5th Baroness Bergavenny (1554–1626)
• Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland,de jure8th and 6th Baron Bergavenny(1580–1629) (had already been createdEarl of Westmorland)
• Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland,de jure9th and 7th Baron Bergavenny(1602–1666)
• Charles Fane, 3rd Earl of Westmorland,de jure10th and 8th Baron Bergavenny(1635–1691)
• Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland,de jure11th and 9th Baron Bergavenny(1645–1693)
• Vere Fane, 5th Earl of Westmorland,de jure12th and 10th Baron Bergavenny(1678–1699)
• Thomas Fane, 6th Earl of Westmorland,de jure13th and 15th Baron Bergavenny(1683–1736)
• John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland,de jure14th and 12th Baron Bergavenny(1685–1762) (first and second creations abeyant on his death)

Barons Bergavenny, second creation (1450–) (abeyant 1762)

• Edward Nevill,de facto3rd Baron Bergavenny (1st Baron of the 2nd creation)(died 1476) (widower of the 3rd Baroness of the first creation)
• George Nevill, 4th Baron Bergavenny (2nd Baron of the 2nd creation)(1440–1492) (had already succeeded as 4th Baron of the first creation)

Thereafter held with the first creation

Barons Bergavenny, third creation (1604 –?)

• Edward Nevill,de facto8th andde jure1st Baron Bergavenny(1551–1622)
• Henry Nevill,de facto9th andde jure2nd Baron Bergavenny(died 1641)
• Margaret Nevill, later Brooke,de jure3rd Baroness Bergavenny

Thereafter to her heirs?

Barons Bergavenny, fourth creation (after 1641 – 1662)

• John Nevill,de facto10th andde jure1st Baron Bergavenny(1614–1662) (extinct on his death)

Barons Bergavenny, fifth creation (after 1666 – 1695)

• George Nevill,de facto12th andde jure1st Baron Bergavenny(1665–1695) (extinct on his death)

Barons Bergavenny, sixth creation (1695–) (abeyant 1811)

• George Nevill,de facto13th andde jure1st Baron Bergavenny(died 1721)
• George Nevill,de facto14th andde jure2nd Baron Bergavenny(1702–1723)
• Edward Nevill,de facto15th andde jure3rd Baron Bergavenny(died 1724) (abeyant on his death)
• Jane Nevill, later Walter,de jure4th Baroness Bergavenny (died 1786) (abeyance terminated naturally in 1737)
• John Walter,de jure5th Baron Bergavenny (died 1806)
• Charlotte Walter, later Senior,de jure6th Baroness Bergavenny (died 1811) (abeyant on her death)

Barons Bergavenny, seventh creation (1724–) (abeyant 1938)

• William Nevill,de facto16th andde jure1st Baron Bergavenny(died 1744)
• George Nevill, 1st Earl of Abergavenny,de facto17th andde jure2nd Baron Bergavenny(1727–1785) (createdEarl of Abergavennyin 1784)
• Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny,de facto18th andde jure3rd Baron Bergavenny(1755–1843)
• John Nevill, 3rd Earl of Abergavenny,de facto19th andde jure4th Baron Bergavenny(1789–1845)
• William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny,de facto20th andde jure5th Baron Bergavenny(1792–1868)
• William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny,de facto21st andde jure6th Baron Bergavenny(1826–1915) (createdMarquess of Abergavennyin 1876)
• Reginald William Bransby Nevill, 2nd Marquess of Abergavenny,de facto22nd andde jure7th Baron Bergavenny(1853–1927)
• Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny,de facto23rd andde jure8th Baron Bergavenny(1854–1938) (abeyant on his death)

Co-heirs:

• David George Edward Henry Pratt, 6th Marquess Camden (born 1930) (half)
• Delaval Thomas Harold Astley, 23rd Baron Hastings(born 1960) (half)

Traditional male-line succession

The succession to the notional male-line Barony of Bergavenny as it was generally assumed to be at the time was as follows:

• Edward Nevill, 3rd Baron Bergavenny(died 1476) (de jure1st Baron)
• George Nevill, 4th Baron Bergavenny(1440–1492) (de jure4th and 2nd Baron)
• George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny(died 1535) (de jure5th and 3rd Baron)
• Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny(died 1587) (de jure6th and 4th Baron)
• Edward Nevill, 7th Baron Bergavenny(died 1589)
• Edward Nevill, 8th Baron Bergavenny(1551–1622) (de jure1st Baron)
• Henry Nevill, 9th Baron Bergavenny(died 1641) (de jure2nd Baron)
• John Nevill, 10th Baron Bergavenny(1614–1662) (de jure1st Baron)
• George Nevill, 11th Baron Bergavenny(died 1666) (never summoned to Parliament, so not a baron by writ)
• George Nevill, 12th Baron Bergavenny(1665–1695) (de jure1st Baron)
• George Nevill, 13th Baron Bergavenny(died 1721) (de jure1st Baron)
• George Nevill, 14th Baron Bergavenny(1702–1723) (de jure2nd Baron)
• Edward Nevill, 15th Baron Bergavenny(died 1724) (de jure3rd Baron)
• William Nevill, 16th Baron Bergavenny(died 1744) (de jure1st Baron)
• George Nevill, 1st Earl of Abergavenny, 17th Baron Bergavenny(1727–1785) (de jure2nd Baron) (createdEarl of Abergavennyin 1784)
• Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny, 18th Baron Bergavenny(1755–1843) (de jure3rd Baron)
• John Nevill, 3rd Earl of Abergavenny, 19th Baron Bergavenny(1789–1845) (de jure4th Baron)
• William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny, 20th Baron Bergavenny(1792–1868) (de jure5th Baron)
• William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny, 21st Baron Bergavenny(1826–1915) (de jure6th Baron)
• Reginald William Bransby Nevill, 2nd Marquess of Abergavenny, 22nd Baron Bergavenny(1853–1927) (de jure7th Baron)
• Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny, 23rd Baron Bergavenny(1854–1938) (de jure8th Baron)
• Guy Temple Montacute Larnach-Nevill, 4th Marquess of Abergavenny, 24th Baron Bergavenny(1883–1954)
• John Henry Guy Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny, 25th Baron Bergavenny(1914–2000)

On the death of the 5th Marquess of Abergavenny in 2000, the pretence that the Barony of Bergavenny descended to heirs male was finally dropped, and so the6th Marquess of Abergavennydoes not claim to hold it.

References

• Cokayne, George E.(1910).Gibbs, Vicary(ed.).The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant.Vol. I, Ab-Adam to Basing. London: St. Catherine Press.
• Kidd, Charles, ed. (1903).Debrett's peerage, baronetage, knightage, and companionage.London: Dean and son. p. 64.

External links

Cracroft's Peerage:

• 1392 creation
• 1450 creation
• 1604 creation
• 1641 creation
• 1662 creation
• 1695 creation
• 1724 creation