Peers in the House of Lords

The Lords Temporal — Members of Queens’ who have become Peers.

William Brooke, K.G., 10th Lord Cobham (Queens’ c1544). 1527-97. Politician and Diplomat; M.P. for Hythe, for Rochester; succeeded to the title 1558; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Chamberlain.

Henry Hastings, K.B., K.G., 3rd Earl of Huntingdon (Queens’ c1548). c1535-1595. Descended from the Plantagenets and considered as a possible heir to the throne; educated with Edward VI; escorted Philip of Spain to marry Mary I. Succeeded to the title 1560; President of the Council of the North.

Henry Fitzalan, Lord Maltravers (Queens’ 1549). 1538-1566. Heir to the Earldom of Arundel.

John Lumley, K.B., Lord Lumley (Queens’ 1549). c1533-1609. One of the greatest collectors of art and books of his age; created Baron Lumley (the title had been forfeited when his father was executed for his part in the Pilgrimage of Grace) 1547; brother-in-law of Henry Fitzalan (above); Custodian of Nonsuch Palace; founder of the Lumlian Lectures at the Royal College of Physicians.

Henry Howard, 2nd Viscount Howard of Bindon (Queens’ 1550). 1542-1590. Grandson of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk; succeeded to the title 1582.

Thomas Howard, K.G., 3rd Viscount Howard of Bindon (Queens’ 1550). c1543 -1611. Brother of Henry Howard (above); succeeded to the title 1590; Lord Lieutenant and Vice-Admiral of Dorset.

Edward de Vere, Viscount Bulbeck, 17th Earl of Oxford (Queens’ 1558). 1550-1604. Poet and playwright, patron of the arts and of actors, champion jouster. Succeeded to the title 1562 and became a Ward of Elizabeth I; brought up in the household of Lord Burghley whose daughter he married; he was renowned for his profligacy and lost all his inherited estates. Credited with introducing perfume and embroidered gloves to England. Lord High Chamberlain.

James Ley, P.C., Lord Ley, Earl of Marlborough (Queens’ 1571). c1552-1629. Judge and Politician. Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in Ireland, Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord High Treasurer, Lord President of the Council. M.P. for Westbury, for Bath; knighted in 1603; created a baronet in 1619, created Baron Ley in 1624 and Earl of Marlborough in 1626. Founder member of the Society of Antiquaries.

Thomas Fairfax, Lord Fairfax of Cameron (S) (Queens’ 1577). 1560-1640. Diplomat, politician and soldier. Knighted in 1591; M.P. for Lincoln, for Aldborough, for Yorkshire. Created Baron Fairfax of Cameron in the Scottish Peerage 1627. Member of the Council of the North. Famous for his book on horsemanship.

Henry Lennard, 12th Lord Dacre (of the South) (Queens’ 1586). 1570-1616. Politician; M.P. for West Looe. Inherited the title from his mother 1612.

Henry Nevill, 9th Baron Bergavenny (Queens’ 1586). c1570-1641. Iron founder, soldier and politician. Knighted 1596 after serving at Cadiz; he was the co-owner of a patent that gave him and his partner a monopoly in the production of ordnance; M.P. for Kent, for Lewes, for Wilton; succeeded to the title of de facto 9th and de jure 2nd Baron Bergavenny in 1622.

Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland (Queens’ 1591). 1576-1612. Succeeded to the title 1588 and became a Ward of Elizabeth I, brought up in the household of Lord Burghley. Soldier and Politician; fought in the military campaigns of the Earl of Essex and joined his rebellion; friend and patron of many writers and artists; son-in-law of Sir Philip Sidney.

Francis Fane, K.B., Lord Burghersh, Earl of Westmorland (Queens’ c1595). 1580-1629. Politician. M.P. for Kent, for Maidstone, for Peterborough. Created Baron Burghersh and Earl of Westmorland 1624; succeeded mother as 8th Baron le Despenser and 6th Baron Bergavenny (there were two Barons Bergavenny – see above) 1626.

William Feilding, Viscount Fielding, Earl of Denbigh (Queens’ 1603). c1587-1643. Soldier. Knighted 1607, created Baron and Viscount Feilding 1620; Earl of Denbigh 1622. Master of the Great Wardrobe; Admiral at attacks on Cadiz and La Rochelle; Member of the Council of War; Member of the Council of Wales and the Marches; fought with Prince Rupert and was fatally wounded in the attack on Birmingham.

Charles Stanhope, 2nd Baron Stanhope (Queens’ 1608). 1595-1675. Succeeded as Baron Stanhope, of Harrington 1621.

Richard Lennard, 13th Lord Dacre (Queens’ 1611). 1596-1630. Son of Henry, 12th Lord Dacre (of the South) (above), succeeded to the title 1616.

Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln (Queens’ 1613). c1600-1667. Succeeded to the title 1619; Soldier in the 30 Years War; Puritan leader and opponent of Charles I; for a time imprisoned in the Tower; the discussions on the proposed Massachusetts Bay Colony were held at his house. Speaker of the House of Lords; Commissioner for the Colonies.

Spencer Compton, K.G., K.B., 2nd Earl of Northampton (Queens’ 1614). 1601-1643. Soldier and Politician. Styled Lord Compton from 1618; M.P. for Ludlow; succeeded to the Earldom 1630. Master of the Robes for the Prince of Wales; Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and of Warwickshire; personal friend of Charles I. He had fought in Europe and became a Royalist General in the Civil War. He was killed in action at the Battle of Hopton Heath near Stafford.

Oliver St John, K.B., 5th Lord St John of Bletso (1615). 1603-1642. Styled Lord St John from his father’s elevation to the Earldom of Bolingbroke in 1624. M.P. for Bedfordshire, but summoned to the House of Lords as Baron St John of Bletso. Financially embarrassed, but raised a Parliamentary regiment. Died of wounds sustained at the battle of Edgehill.

George Sondes, K.B., Lord Throwley, Viscount Sondes, Earl of Feversham (Queens’ 1615). 1599-1677. M.P. for Higham Ferrers, for Ashburton. High Sheriff and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent; imprisoned in the Tower for his Royalist activities; notoriously, one of his two sons murdered the other and was then hanged for his crime. Created Baron Thornley, Viscount Sondes and Earl of Feversham 1676.

James Fiennes, 2nd Viscount and 9th Lord Saye and Sele (Queens’ 1616). 1602-1674. Brother-in-law of Theophilus Clinton (above); M.P. for Banbury, for Oxfordshire; Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire; succeeded to the titles 1662.

Arthur Capell, 1st Lord Capell of Hadham (Queens’ 1619). 1608-1649. One of the richest men in England; M.P. for Hertfordshire; created Baron Capell of Hadham 1641. Royalist Lieutenant-General of Shropshire, Cheshire and North Wales; Commissioner at the Treaty of Uxbridge. Leader of the Royalist uprising in East Anglia, captured at Colchester and imprisoned in the Tower, whence he escaped but was betrayed and recaptured. Tried for treason by the Parliamentarians and beheaded.

John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland (Queens’ 1619). 1604-1679. High Sheriff of Derbyshire; M.P. for Derbyshire; succeeded to the title 1641. Moderate Parliamentarian; Chief Justice of Eyre North of Trent; Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire.

Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh, Lord St Liz (Queens’ 1621). c1608-1675. Son of William Feilding (above). Soldier; Ambassador to Venice. Summoned to the House of Lords as Baron Feilding 1619; fought for Parliament in the Civil War (he and his father were on opposing sides at the Battle of Edgehill); succeeded to the title 1643; Commander-in-Chief of the Parliamentary Army in Warwickshire; Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire; Commissioner at the Treaty of Uxbridge; opposed to the execution of Charles I; Member of the Council of State under the Commonwealth. Created Baron St Liz 1664.

William Kerr, P.C., Earl of Lothian (S) (Queens’ 1621). 1605-1675. Commissioner of the Treasury; Lieutenant General of the Scots Army in Ireland. An M.P. and Secretary of State in the Scottish Parliament. Created Lord Ker of Newbottle and Earl of Lothian in the Scottish Peerage 1631 after marrying Anne Kerr, 3rd Countess of Lothian.

Ferdinando Hastings, 6 th Earl of Huntingdon (Queens’ 1626). 1609-1656. M.P. for Leicestershire; summoned to the House of Lords as Baron Hastings in 1641; Lord Lieutenant of Rutland and of Leicestershire; succeeded to the title 1643.

Henry Hastings, Lord Loughborough (Queens’ 1627). 1610-1667. Brother of Ferdinando Hastings (above). High Sheriff of Leicestershire; Colonel in the Royalist Army, badly wounded at Bagworth after fighting in the Battle of Hopton Heath; created Baron Loughborough 1643; captured at Colchester after the Royalist uprising in East Anglia and exiled to Holland; founder member of the ‘Sealed Knot’ organisation, which worked for the Restoration.

James Compton, F.R.S., 3rd Earl of Northampton (Queens’ 1637). 1622-1681. Styled Lord Compton from 1630, son of Spencer Compton (above). Soldier and Politician. M.P. for Warwickshire; succeeded to the title 1643; Royalist cavalry commander at Bath and at the Battle of Newbury; Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire; Constable of the Tower. Father of Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, Prime Minister.

Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea, Lord Fitzherbert (Queens’ 1644). 1628-1689. Succeeded to the title 1639; Governor of Dover Castle; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports; Lord Lieutenant of Kent; among the party that greeted Charles II when he came ashore at the Restoration; created Baron Fitzherbert of Eastwell 1660; Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (where he was said to be very “amorous” and to have “had many women” for whom he built dwellings. On his return Charles II said to him, “My Lord you have not only built a town but peopled it too”).

Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart (S) (Queens’ 1665). 1649-1727. Tory politician. Styled Lord Huntingtower from 1651; M.P. for Suffolk, for Orford; Vice-Admiral and Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk. Succeeded to the title 1698 but, as it was a Scottish Peerage, he was able to continue as M.P. for Suffolk, until the Act of Union in 1707 when he had to leave the Commons.

Matthew Ducie-Morton, Lord Ducie of Morton (Queens’ 1681). c1660-1735. Politician; M.P. for Gloucestershire; created Lord Ducie, Baron of Morton 1720.

William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey (Queens’ 1699). c1682-1721. Styled Viscount Villiers from 1697; M.P. for Kent; succeeded to the title 1711.

Thomas Villiers, P.C., Lord Hyde of Hindon, Earl of Clarendon (Queens’ 1728). 1709-1786. Whig politician and diplomat. Son of William Villiers (above). Ambassador to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony, envoy to the courts of Austria and Prussia. M.P. for Tamworth; Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty. Created Baron Hyde of Hindon in the County of Wiltshire in 1756; Postmaster General, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Created Earl of Clarendon 1776 (both titles held by his wife’s ancestors). Also created a Baron of Prussia.

Henry Bridgeman, 1st Lord Bradford (Queens’ 1744). 1725-1800. Politician. Succeeded to a Baronetcy 1762; M.P. for Ludlow, for Much Wenlock. Created Baron Bradford, of Bradford in the County of Shropshire 1794, after 40 years in Parliament; Clerk Comptroller of the Board of Green Cloth.

Thomas Wynn, Lord Newborough (I) (Queens’ 1754). 1736-1807. Tory politician. Succeeded as Baronet1773; M.P. for Caernarvonshire, St Ives, Beaumaris. Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire. Created Baron Newborough, of Newborough, in the Irish Peerage 1776 (which did not prevent him continuing to sit in the House of Commons).

George Harry Grey, Lord Grey of Groby, 5th Earl of Stamford, Lord Delamer and Earl of Warrington (Queens’ 1755). 1737-1819. Styled Lord Grey of Groby, M.P. for Staffordshire; succeeded to the Earldom of Stamford 1768; brother-in-law of the Prime Minister, the Duke of Portland; created Baron Delamer, of Dunham Massey, in the County of Cheshire, and Earl of Warrington (titles of his wife’s ancestors) 1796.

George Willoughby, 17th Lord Willoughby (Queens’ 1770). 1749-1779. Succeeded to the title of Baron Willoughby of Parham 1775.

Thomas Boothby Parkyns, Baron Rancliffe (I) (Queens’ 1773). 1755-1800. Colonel and Politician. M.P. for Leicester; created Baron Rancliffe, of Rancliffe, in the Irish Peerage 1795.

Philip Yorke, K.G., P.C., F.R.S., 3rd Earl of Hardwicke (Queens’ 1774). 1757-1834. Whig Politician (but supported the younger Pitt). Colonel; M.P. for Cambridgeshire; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. Succeeded to the title 1790.

Charles Callis Western, Baron Western (Queens’ 1784). 1767-1844. Whig Politician. M.P. for Maldon, for Essex. Created Baron Western, of Rivenhall, in the County of Essex, after over 40 years in Parliament in 1833.

William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward (Queens’ 1799). 1781-1835. Clergyman. Succeeded to the title 1833.

Charles Philip Yorke, R.N., P.C., 4th Earl of Hardwicke (Queens’ 1835 on being awarded an Honorary LLD). 1799-1873. Admiral, Conservative Politician. Nephew of Philip Yorke (above). M.P. for Reigate, for Cambridgeshire; succeeded to the title 1834; Postmaster General, Lord Privy Seal; Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.

John Francis Erskine Goodeve-Erskine, 26th Earl of Mar (Queens’ 1856). 1836-1930. Clergyman; succeeded to the title 1866; Representative Peer for Scotland.

Philip Allen, G.C.B, Lord Allen of Abbeydale. (Queens’ 1930, Honorary Fellow). 1912-2007. Civil Servant. Second Secretary to H.M.Treasury; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Home Office. Created Baron Allen of Abbeydale, in the City of Sheffield in 1976; Chairman of the Council of Royal Holloway College, London.

Ralph Harris, Lord Harris of High Cross (Queens’ 1945). 1924-2006. Economist; Director then Chairman of the Institute of Economic Affairs. Created Baron Harris of High Cross, of Tottenham in Greater London in 1979.

Kenneth William Wedderburn, Q.C., F.B.A., Lord Wedderburn of Charlton, (Queens’ 1945). 1927-2012. Lawyer, Academic and Labour Politician. Cassel Professor of Commercial Law, London School of Economics. Created Baron Wedderburn of Charlton, of Highgate in Greater London in 1977.

John Ernest Vaizey, Lord Vaizey (Queens’ 1948). 1929-1984. Economist, Novelist, Academic and Labour (later Conservative) Politician. Professor of Economics and Head of the School of Social Sciences, University of Brunel; Vice-Chancellor of Monash University. Created Baron Vaizey, of Greenwich in Greater London in 1976.

Gareth Wyn Williams, P.C., Q.C., Lord Williams of Mostyn (Queens’ 1949). 1941-2003. Lawyer and Labour Politician. Recorder, Deputy High Court Judge, Chairman of the Bar Council; Attorney-General; Leader of the House of Lords; Lord President of the Council; Member of the Cabinet. Created Baron Williams of Mostyn, of Great Tew in the County of Oxfordshire in 1992.

Hugh Swynnerton Thomas, Lord Thomas of Swynnerton (Queens’ 1950, Honorary Fellow). 1931-2017. Writer and Historian, Conservative politician. Professor of History, University of Reading; Chairman of the Centre for Policy Studies. Created Baron Thomas of Swynnerton, of Notting Hill in Greater London in 1981.

Simon Bingham, 8th Lord Clanmorris (I) (Queens’ 1958). Financial Consultant and Financial Director; succeeded to the title of Baron Clanmorris, of Newbrook in the County of Mayo, in the Irish Peerage (and therefore not entitled to a seat in the House of Lords) in 1988.

John Leonard Eatwell, Lord Eatwell (Queens’ 1964, Fellow and President). Economist, Academic and Labour Politician. Professor of Financial Policy, University of Cambridge and President of Queens’ College. Chief Economic Adviser to Neil Kinnock as Leader of the Opposition; created Baron Eatwell, of Stratton St Margaret in the County of Wiltshire 1992; Chief Opposition spokesman on Treasury and Economic Affairs in the House of Lords; a Director of the Royal Ballet; Chair of the British Library; Financial Commissioner for Jersey; Chair of the Advisory Board for the Institute of Policy Research at the University of Bath.

Charles Leslie Falconer, Q.C., P.C., Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Queens’ 1970, Honorary Fellow, Visitor). Barrister and Labour Politician. Created Baron Falconer of Thoroton, of Thoroton in the County of Nottinghamshire 1997. Minister of State in the Cabinet Office; Minister of Housing, Planning and Regeneration; Lord Chancellor; Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs; Secretary of State for Justice.

Ernest Ronald Oxburgh, K.B.E., F.R.S., Hon.F.R.Eng., Lord Oxburgh (Queens’ President 1982, Honorary and Life Fellow). Geologist, Environmentalist and Academic. Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology and Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, President of Queens’ College; Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence; Rector of Imperial College, London; Non-executive Chairman of Shell. Created Baron Oxburgh, of Liverpool in the County of Merseyside 1999.

Bryony Katherine Worthington, Lady Worthington (Queens’ 1990). Environmentalist and Labour Politician. Founder of ‘Sandbag’, a campaign group to increase public awareness of emissions trading. Created Baroness Worthington, of Cambridge in the County of Cambridgeshire 2011. Opposition Whip in the House of Lords.

List updated 2017 May 16.