Earl De La Warr

Earl De La Warr (pronounced "De La Warr") ^[1] is a title created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1761.

In the United States, Thomas West, 3rd (or 12th) baron is often named in history books simply as Lord Delaware. He served as governor of the Jamestown Colony, and the Delaware Bay was named after him. The state of Delaware, Delaware River and Delaware Indians were so called after the bay, and thus ultimately derive their names from the barony. Many other US counties, townships and the like derive their names directly or indirectly from this connection; see Delaware (disambiguation).

The family seat is Buckhurst Park in Sussex.

Titles

The Earl holds the subsidiary titles of Viscount Cantelupe (1761) in the Peerage of Great Britain, Baron De La Warr (1572) in the Peerage of England, and Baron Buckhurst (1864) in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The barony De La Warr is of the second creation; however, it bears the precedence of the first creation, 1299, and has done so since shortly after the death of William West, 1st Baron De La Warr.

The precise legal situation concerning the second creation is a bit murky. The modern rules attempt to regularize medieval practice, but there are many cases that cannot easily be made to fit, whether because a local custom was involved, or because an exception was made, or because the rules were still in flux. This is such a case.

William was heir male but not heir general. Because De La Warr was created by writ, descent is presumed to be to the heir (or heirs) general, wherefore it fell into abeyance between the daughters of Sir Owen West (and their heirs in turn). The second creation can be fairly viewed in at least three ways.

• As a means of placing beyond dispute an inheritance that should have gone to the heir male in the first place. The act concerning precedence is understood as rectifying the side effect this had of altering the precedence. Accordingly, some writers ignore the second creation when numbering: thus Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr is sometimes called 12th Baron De La Warr.
• As an extraordinary act resolving an important estate that should not be left in abeyance. In this case, the previous barony was intended to be extinguished (no authority suggests that there is a baron De Le Warre still abeyant) and the act altering precedence is difficult to understand other than as political expediency.
• As a part of the effort to solve relatively complex problems of inheritance case by case, before the doctrine of abeyance, as it now exists, had been worked out.

Another member of the West family was William Cornwallis-West. He was the grandson of the Hon. Frederick West, younger son of the second Earl. Cornwallis-West was the father of George Cornwallis-West and Daisy, Princess of Pless.

Barons De La Warr, First Creation (1299)

• Roger la Warr, 1st Baron De La Warr (fl. 1320)
• John la Warr, 2nd Baron De La Warr (c. 1277–1347)
• Roger la Warr, 3rd Baron De La Warr (c. 1329–1370)
• John la Warr, 4th Baron De La Warr (c. 1344–1398)
• Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr (c. 1352–1427)
• Reginald West, 6th Baron De La Warr (c. 1394–1451)
• Richard West, 7th Baron De La Warr (c. 1430–1476)
• Thomas West, 8th Baron De La Warr (c. 1457–1525)
• Thomas West, 9th Baron De La Warr (c. 1475–1554) (either abeyant or extinguished or merged 1554)

Barons De La Warr, Second Creation (1572)

• William West, 1st Baron De La Warr (1520–1595)
• Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr (1556–1602)
• Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618)
• Henry West, 4th Baron De La Warr (1603–1628)
• Charles West, 5th Baron De La Warr (1626–1687)
• John West, 6th Baron De La Warr (1663–1723)
• John West, 7th Baron De La Warr (1693–1766, became Earl De La Warr in 1761)

Earls De La Warr (1761)

• John West, 1st Earl De La Warr (1693–1766)
• John West, 2nd Earl De La Warr (1729–1777)
• William Augustus West, 3rd Earl De La Warr (1757–1783)
• John Richard West, 4th Earl De La Warr (1758–1824)
• George John Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr (1791–1869)
  • George John Frederick West, Viscount Cantelupe (1814–1850)
• Charles Richard Sackville West, 6th Earl De La Warr (1815–1873)
• Reginald Windsor Sackville, 7th Earl De La Warr (1817–1896)
  • Lionel Charles Cranfield Sackville, Viscount Cantelupe (1868–1890)
• Gilbert George Reginald Sackville, 8th Earl De La Warr (1869–1915)
• Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr (1900–1976)
• William Herbrand Sackville, 10th Earl De La Warr (1921–1988)
• William Herbrand Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warr (b. 1948)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son William Herbrand Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst (b. 1979)

References

1. ^ Debrett's Peerage 1968, p.333