Earl of Sefton

The title Earl of Sefton was created in the Peerage of Ireland in1771 for the 8th Viscount Molyneux, and the once Aristocratic Molyneux family. The Earls of Sefton held the subsidiary titles Viscount Molyneux, of Maryborough in the Queen's County (created 1628), in the Peerage of Ireland, and (from the 2nd Earl onwards) Baron Sefton, of Croxteth in the County Palatine of Lancaster (created 1831), in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Guilliam Desmolines the first British ancestor of the Molyneux family, is reputed to have been a nobleman in the army of William, Duke of Normandy who invaded in 1066, and the family claims their Ancestry from him.

The Molyneux's powerful allegiances led to an acquisition of lands and wealth throughout the period 1100–1700 when the family were Lords of the manor at Sefton.

All three titles became extinct upon the death of the 7th Earl in 1972. The seat of the Earls of Sefton was Croxteth Hall in Liverpool. It was bequeathed to the City of Liverpool by the 7th and last Earl of Sefton and his wife, neé Josephine Gwynne (1903–1980), who was the last member of the Molyneux family to live at Croxteth. The American-born Countess of Sefton, nick-named "Foxy", was a life-long friend of the Duchess of Windsor.

Another seat of the Earls of Sefton was the Abbeystead estate in Lancashire, which is currently owned by the Duke of Westminster. Abbeystead was mainly used as a hunting and recreational estate by the Earls of Sefton.

Despite being part of the Peerage of Ireland, the Earldom referred to Sefton in Lancashire.

Molyneux family history

The ancestors of the Molyneaux family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Lancashire. The name however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Molineaux-Sur-Seine, near Rouen, in Normandy.

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Molyneaux are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Molyneaux include Molinieux, Molinaux, Molineaux, Molineux, Molinex, Mullinix and many more.

First recorded in Lancashire, where they were seated from very early times; the family were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Molyneux Baronets of Sefton (1611 creation)

* Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet (1560-1622) Member of Parliament for Lancashire
* Sir Richard Molyneux, 2nd Baronet (1594-1636) (Created Viscount Molyneux 1628)

Viscounts Molyneux (22 December 1628)

*Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux (1594-1636)
*Richard Molyneux, 2nd Viscount Molyneux (1620-1654)
*Caryll Molyneux, 3rd Viscount Molyneux (1622-1699)
*William Molyneux, 4th Viscount Molyneux (1655-1717)
*Richard Molyneux, 5th Viscount Molyneux (1679-1738)
*Caryll Molyneux, 6th Viscount Molyneux (1683-1745)
*William Molyneux, 7th Viscount Molyneux (1685-1759)
*Charles William Molyneux, 8th Viscount Molyneux (1748-1794) (created Earl of Sefton on 30 November 1771)

Earls of Sefton (30 November 1771)

*Charles William Molyneux, 1st Earl of Sefton (1748-1794)
*William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton (1772-1838) (created Baron Sefton on 20 June 1831)
*Charles William Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton (1796-1855)
*William Philip Molyneux, 4th Earl of Sefton (1835-1897)
*Charles William Hylton Molyneux, 5th Earl of Sefton (1867-1901)
*Osbert Cecil Molyneux, 6th Earl of Sefton (1871-1930)
*Hugh William Osbert Molyneux, 7th Earl of Sefton (1898-1972)

ee also

* Molyneux Baronets of Teversall

Prominent Molyneux descendants

* James Henry Molyneaux (b. 1920), Baron Molyneaux of Killead, Northern Irish Unionist polit
* Edward Molyneux, fashion designer, artist, cousin of The Earls of Sefton
* John Molyneux, British soldier
* John Molyneux, British writer
* Maxine Molyneux, sociologist and feminist
* Peter Molyneux, British computer game designer
* Samuel Molyneux, astronomer
* William Molineux, American, participant in the Boston Tea Party
* William Molyneux, Irish natural philosopher

External links

* [http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~imfa/home.html International Molyneux Family Association]

Stephen Molyneux.Engineer