THE BRITISH PEERAGE SINCE HER MAJESTY’S ACCESSION.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1287, 2 December 1857, Page 4

THE BRITISH PEERAGE SINCE HER MAJESTY’S ACCESSION.

[Prom the European Times.-] While ths pnblic are interested in the elevation of Mr. Macaulay and Lord Robert Grosvenor to the Peerage, it may not he out of place to lay before cur readers a brief resumi of the titles thus far conferred since her Majesty’s accession. On the 2] st day of June, 1837, Queen Victoria, on coming to the throne, found the House of Peers composed of about 450 members exclusive of the spiritual lords and the Scotch and Irish representatives. Her Majesty's first act was to give nu English title to the Scottish Duke of Roxburgh?, then just of age, by creating him Earl Innes, and to elevate to the Earldom of L .icester the late father of the House of Comnous and the friend of her Royal fether, Mr. T. Coke, of Hoikham, who had often refused tbe inferior dignity of o Baron. At the coronation, in June, 1338, Mr. Ponsonby, the arrnetuber lor Dorsetshire, Mr. Hanbury Trace, for Tewkesbury, Sir John Wrottcslev, for StafArdshire, and Mr. Pau] Methuen, for V.'iltohite, all of whom had lost their seats nt the previous general election, were advanced to the English baronies of De Mauley, Sudeley, Wrottesley, and Methuen. Al the same time her Majesty conferred English baronies on the Irich Lord's Lismore and Carew, and on the Scottish Earl of Kintore, advancing Lords King «ml Dundas to tbe Earldoms of Lovelace and Zetland, and lha Earl of Mulgrave to the Marquisnte of Nornunby, ami summoning the present Duke of Leeds to the Upper House as Lord Osborne. lit the course of the same year the tills of Lord Vsux )i Ilnrrowden was revived in the person of Mr. G. Mostyn. In the course of the following year roor.l Melbourne elevated to the Peerage n batch ef his own more immediate friends and supporters, including bis own brother Frederick, long embassador ut Vienna, who became Lord Beau••".le; Colonel Talbot, many years the Liberal

member for the county of Dublin, es Lord Fur- c oiril: Sir John T. Stanley, as Lord Stanley of 'ildefl.ry ; Mr. Villiers Sluait as Lord Stuart de e 'lories; Mr. Charles Brownlow, who bad long 1 ::at for the county of Armagh, as Lord Lurgan ; • and Mr. Beilby Thompson, os Lord Wenlock,— J title which had for a short time been enjoyed 1 by hie brother, the late Sir Francis Lawley ; ■i:i!e Mr, A. French, the veteran member fot 1 Roscommon, accepted the title of De Freytte. At the same time in Mr. Chandos Leigh the ' ancient barony of Leigh was revived, and Mr. 1 Ridioy Colborue, who had sat for many yearn for ' V.’dls and other places, became Lord Colborue, J she iiis end the last of that title. In the same the late Lord Ponsonby, then ambassador ! i Constantinople, was promoted to a viscountcy, 1 ■’eh has since expired with him; Mr. Abcrcromby, otter a four years’ tenure nf the Speaker- 1 chip, was advanced to the title of Lord Duuferm 1 ’in-.: ; ibe ancient Camoys title wett eko revived i". the person of Mr. Thomas Stooor, who had ■ for Oxford fora few weeks tn the first re- * rot: rod Parliament. About the same time Mr. roi;? Rice, on reoigniug the Chancellorship ’ . ■ ■■ Exchequer, became Lord Monteagle of 1 .. tdon; Lord Auckland, the Governor-Gene- 1 ■ -f India, was advanced to an earldom ; while 1 . titles of Lord Keane end Lord Seaton were :."'i’rred on two General ofiicern who bad seen ' :u-.;te than the ordinary share of foreign military • t nee. In 1840, Mr. Miles Stsplelon obtained > ■ is favour the revival of the ancient barony of "mont, and Sir Jacob Astley, the ex-mem- :■ tor Norfolk, that of Hastings. In 1841 anothtr “ batch " o! elevations were gazetted just ■ the retirement of the Melbourne ministry. '■ ,rohh baronies' were conferred on the Scotch G. • • of Stair ami the Irish Earl of Kenmare, Sir John Campbell became at r. leap Lord ■ • phell and Lord Chancellor of Ireland ; Sir rory Vivian nnd Sir Henry Parnell were : e respectively I,erds Vivian and Conglelon, late Duke of Norfolk and the present Earl of foid at the seme titna being called to the Upper Tlousa in their father's baronies, and : r ls Barham end Seagrave being advanced to ■ Earldoms of Gainsborough and Fitz Hardinge. t long afterwards Mr. Pou'ett Thompson, then ernor-Grnercl of Canada, was created Lord ■ I’.haiu, bat tho title, we believe, became ex- : within the year. In August, 1341, Lord ' ■ourna resigned, having conferred no lees 42 coronets in fonr years. It is but justice to successor, the late Sir 11. Perl, to state that discooiinnrd the established practice of coning the honors of the I’eetege with a lavish ■ d. On taking office, he found that thsre ■ ro two gentlemen whoso services be required he Upper House. They aero the eldest sons / peers, end bad long enjoyed seats iu the CcmThese nobler,tea her Maj esty wbb pleased cure to roll to the Upper House in their fs- ■ <'.■ baronies, end they ore now the Earls of ar,-.i Lonsdale. At lha same time the late a Hill, the cominr.r:dir-ir.-c!>ief s: ilis Horse • rds woo advanced Iro.n a barony to c vis. icy. Sir Robert Peel remained in office til’, •.■him of lha sntetner of 1840, just five years ; daring that time the only other English rages conferred were the Barony of Metcalf.’ /■■. co extinct) on the hue Sir C. T, Metcalfe, ■■- Estldom of Ellesmere on Lord Francis ton, and the Viscoi'.tttcy of Hanliuge on Sir -y llcrdinge, besides tbs advancement of . ral Gough to o barony, and of Lord Ellen■;!i lo an earldom, for their Indian careers. Hi; ir retina to office in Sept., 1346, the ig party renewed their practice of increasing ■■■ !’to-rage. In '.lie five years during which ■i John Russell held office, we find the Earl Dalltcnsie edv.rnced to e. marquiaate, Lords •nlfiirJ and Cotteniiom in earldoms, and Lord ■ i ih to o. visc.ounicy, while the baronies of • " V, Milfotd, Elgin, Claodelioye, Eddisbury, ■ : icslioiongh, Oveistone, Truro, Cranwortb, Broughton were conferred rcopeclively upon ,i Cr.-inorno, Sir R. B. Phillips, the Earl of io, Lord Dufferin, Mr. E. J. Stanley, Lord • 'unit Cooviu.-b.’im, Mr. Jones Lloyd, Sir 'lbero Wilde,'Sir R. M. Rolfe, and Sir John Cam ...bb'mw. Mr. Byng, mo, was called to the Jpper House as Lt #rl Strafford. It was the oss’ of Lord Darby that during Ills brief Minis, ry of 1852 lie bad advised her Majesty to raise o ibe peerage three iudividiuiln and three only— Sir E. Sugden, Lard F. Somerset, and Sir S'rat,;rd Canning, since belter known to our readers ” Lords St. Leonard.?, Raglan, and Stratford de i-hclifi'e. Lord Aberdeen did not avail himself i his Premiership from 1852 to 1855 to confer i eiftgla peerage on his friends. The first Engir.'n coronet bestowed by Lord Palmerston was ibe r.iihapuy life peerage which l.t upon the head nf Baron Paii.e, but subsequently exchanged for one with a less questionable title. Since then ■i; Gilbert llcaljicote has been made Lord Ave-

land; Sir E. Lyons, Lord Lyons; Mr. E. Sirutl, Lord Belper; and tile late Speaker. Mr. Shaw Lefevre, Viscount Eversley. Lords Kenmate and Talbot de Mulahide have been honoured with English baronies, and Lord Slielbovrne h.s been call.'l io the Upper House in his father's barony of Wycombe ; aud tv w, lust of nil, we chronicle this day the elevation of Lord Robert Grosvenor and Mr. Macaulay to iho coronets ol English barons.