Lord Fairfax
| Lordship Fairfax of Cameron | |
|---|---|
| Creation date | 1627 |
| Monarch | Charles I |
| Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
| First holder | Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
| Present holder | Nicholas Fairfax, 14th Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
| Heir apparent | Edward Nicholas Thomas Fairfax |
| Remainder to | heirs male of the body of the grantee |
Lord Fairfax of Cameron is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Despite holding a Scottish peerage, the Lords Fairfax of Cameron are members of an ancient Yorkshire family, of which the Fairfax Baronets of The Holmes are members of another branch. From 1515 to about 1700 the family resided at Denton Hall.
Charles I created the title in 1627 for Sir Thomas Fairfax. He had represented Queen Elizabeth I on several diplomatic missions to James VI of Scotland and also sat as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies in the English Parliament.
Both his son Ferdinando, the second Lord, and grandson, Thomas, the third Lord, served as prominent military commanders in the cause of Parliament during the Civil War. On the latter's death in 1671 the title passed to his first cousin, the fourth Lord. He was the son of Reverend the Hon. Henry Fairfax, second son of the first Lord, and notably represented Yorkshire in the House of Commons. His son, the fifth Lord, sat as a Member of Parliament for Malton and Yorkshire.
He was succeeded by his son, the sixth Lord. He inherited substantial estates in Virginia through his mother, the daughter of Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, Governor of Virginia. On his death the title and American estates passed to his younger brother, the seventh Lord. He represented Maidstone and Kent in Parliament. The immense American estates were confiscated during the American War of Independence. He was succeeded by his first cousin once removed, the eighth Lord, Rev. Bryan Fairfax who also lived in Virginia. He was the grandson of Reverend the Hon. Henry Fairfax, second son of the fourth Lord. However, it wasn't until 1800 that he was confirmed in the title by the House of Lords.
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