Marquess of Winchester

Marquessate of Winchester
Arms of Paulet, Marquess of Winchester: Sable, three swords pilewise points in base proper pomels and hilts or
Creation date	1551
Monarch	Edward VI
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester
Present holder	Nigel Paulet, 18th Marquess of Winchester
Heir apparent	Christopher Paulet, Earl of Wiltshire
Remainder to	the 1st Earl's heirs male whatsoever
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Wiltshire Baron St John

Marquess of Winchester is a title in the Peerage of England that was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. The Marquessate of Winchester is the oldest English (and British) Marquessate still in existence, and as a result, the holder of the title is considered the Premier Marquess of England. The current holder is Nigel Paulet, 18th Marquess of Winchester (b. 1941).

It was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. He had already been created Baron St John in 1539 and Earl of Wiltshire in 1550, also in the Peerage of England. The first Marquess was one of the most noted statesmen of his time, serving in high positions under King Henry VIII and all his children, and served as Lord High Treasurer of England from 1550 to 1572. He was succeeded by his son, the second Marquess, who had been summoned to the House of Lords in his father's lifetime through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron St John. His son, the third Marquess, was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration as Lord St John in 1572. His grandson, the fifth Marquess, represented St Ives in the House of Commons. During the Civil War he was a strong supporter of King Charles I and became known as "the loyal Marquess". The family seat of Basing House was burnt to the ground by the Parliamentarians during the conflict. During this period, the courtesy title for the heirs apparent of the Marquesses was Baron St John; that of Earl of Wiltshire does not seem to have been used, perhaps because of an unsubstantiated tradition that that title was surrendered upon the creation of the Marquessate.