Earl Waldegrave

Earl Waldegrave is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1729 for James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave.

The Waldegrave family descends from Sir Richard Waldegrave, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1381 to 1382. His son and namesake, Sir Richard Waldegrave, was a soldier and fought in the Hundred Years' War. His descendant Sir Edward Waldegrave was a politician and courtier. A prominent Catholic, he held office under Queen Mary I, who granted him the Chewton estate in Somerset. However, Waldegrave was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, where he died in 1561. His grandson Edward Waldegrave fought as a Royalist in the Civil War despite his old age. In 1643 he was created a baronet, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, in the Baronetage of England.

Henry Waldegrave, the fourth Baronet and Richard's great-grandson (the title having descended from father to son), married Henrietta FitzJames, illegitimate daughter of King James II and his mistress Arabella Churchill. Mainly thanks to this marriage Waldegrave was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Waldegrave, of Chewton in the County of Somerset. He was succeeded by his son James Waldegrave, the second Baron. He served Ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire and to France. In 1729 he was honoured when he was created Viscount Chewton, of Chewton in the County of Somerset, and Earl Waldegrave in the Peerage of Great Britain. On his death the titles passed to his son, the second Earl. He was invited to form a government by the King in 1757, but was unsuccessful (and is normally not considered to have held the post of Prime Minister). Lord Waldegrave married Maria Walpole, illegitimate daughter of Edward Walpole, son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. He died without male issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Earl. He was a general in the Army and also held political office. When he died the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Earl. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and also represented Newcastle-under-Lyme in the House of Commons of Great Britain.

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