Baron Talbot
Baron Talbot is a title in the Peerage of England created twice, first by writ of summons on 5 June 1331 for Gilbert Talbot, an English nobleman, which fell into abeyance upon the death of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1616.[1][1] The second creation occurred on 5 December 1733 for Charles Talbot, a lawyer and politician who had just been appointed Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.[2][3] Charles Talbot (baptised 22 December 1685 – 14 February 1737) was the eldest son of William Talbot, Bishop of Durham, and was educated at Eton College and Oriel College, Oxford, before being called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1707.[2][3] He served as Member of Parliament for Tregony from 1719 to 1720 and for Durham from 1722 to 1733, supporting the Whig administration and contributing to debates on legal and trade matters.[2][3] Appointed Solicitor-General in 1726, Talbot rose to Lord Chancellor on 29 November 1733, a position he held until his death, noted for his legal expertise and integrity in partnership with contemporaries like Sir Philip Yorke.[2][3] The barony passed to his son William Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot, who was later elevated to the earldom of Talbot in 1761.[3]Barons Talbot (England, 1331 creation)
Origins and Ancestry
The Talbot family traces its origins to Normandy, where the earliest recorded member, Guillaume Talbot, appears in a donation to the abbey of Tréport Saint-Michel in 1036, with the consent of Robert Comte d'Eu, indicating ties to the county of Eu.[4] The family's Norman patrimony was centered at Sainte-Croix-sur-Buchy, later fixed at Cleuville in Seine-Maritime by around 1071.[4] Following the Norman Conquest, Talbots established themselves in England, with Richard [I] Talbot recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding nine hides in Battlesden, Bedfordshire, as a tenant of Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham.[4] A contemporary branch included Geoffrey [I] Talbot, who held Liston in Essex, also noted in Domesday records.[4] These early holdings reflect the family's role as vassals of prominent Norman lords like the Giffards and Gournays, with subsequent generations expanding influence through marriage and service. The line leading to the baronial creation centered on the Herefordshire branch. Richard [III] Talbot, active after 1174, held Linton in Herefordshire, passing lands to his son Gilbert Talbot, who died before 13 February 1231.[4] Gilbert's son, Richard [V] Talbot, died before 13 April 1234 and married Aline Basset; their descendant Gilbert Talbot (died before 8 September 1274) wed Gwenllian and fathered Richard [VI] Talbot (active 1249/50, died 1306), who married Sarah de Beauchamp and acquired Eccleswall Manor.[4] This Richard's son, Gilbert Talbot (born around 1276, died 1346), inherited key estates including Richard's Castle and was summoned to Parliament on 27 January 1332 as "Gilbert Talbot," thereby originating the Baron Talbot title in the Peerage of England.[4] The Talbots' ascent to peerage status built on consistent land tenure in Herefordshire and military service, with the 1331/2 summons recognizing Gilbert's status as a major landowner rather than a novel elevation.[4] Ancestral marriages, such as to the Beauchamps and Botelers, further consolidated alliances with other marcher lordships, underscoring the family's embedded role in border defense and feudal obligations.[4]Succession and Key Holders
The barony of Talbot in the Peerage of England was created by writ of summons dated 27 January 1331/2, addressed to Gilbert Talbot, who thereby became the 1st Baron Talbot.[5] He was born on 18 October 1277 and died on 24 February 1345/6, having served as Lord Chamberlain to King Edward III.[4] The title passed by primogeniture to his son Richard Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot (c. 1305–1356), who was summoned to Parliament from 1332 and participated in military campaigns in Scotland.[5][4] Succession continued to Richard's son Gilbert Talbot, 3rd Baron Talbot (c. 1332–1387), who succeeded in 1356 and was involved in the governance of Ireland and died of plague while on crusade in Spain.[4] The 4th Baron was Gilbert's son Richard Talbot (c. 1361–1396), summoned to Parliament in 1384, who married Ankaret le Strange, 7th Baroness Strange of Blackmere, thereby uniting the Talbot and Strange titles.[5][4]| Baron | Name | Birth–Death | Succession Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gilbert Talbot | 1277–1346 | Created by writ 1331/2; father of 2nd Baron.[5][4] |
| 2nd | Richard Talbot | c.1305–1356 | Son of 1st; summoned 1332.[5][4] |
| 3rd | Gilbert Talbot | c.1332–1387 | Son of 2nd; died in Spain.[4] |
| 4th | Richard Talbot | c.1361–1396 | Son of 3rd; acquired Strange barony.[5][4] |
| 5th | Gilbert Talbot | 1383–1418 | Son of 4th; died at Siege of Rouen.[5][4] |
Abeyance and Co-Heirs
Upon the death of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, on 8 May 1616, the Barony of Talbot (1331), along with the baronies of Strange of Blackmere and Furnivall, fell into abeyance among his three daughters and co-heiresses general, as he left no surviving legitimate sons.[5] The co-heiresses were Mary Talbot (c. 1581–1649), who married William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, but died without issue; Elizabeth Talbot (c. 1583–1651), who married Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent, and also died without surviving issue; and Alethea Talbot (c. 1585–1654), who married Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel.[1] The abeyance persisted until approximately 1651, following the deaths of Mary in January 1649/50 and Elizabeth in 1651, both without heirs, leaving Alethea as the sole surviving co-heiress; the Crown terminated the abeyance in her favor, confirming her as Baroness Talbot.[1] Alethea held the barony until her death on 28 May 1654, after which it descended to her heirs general through the Howard line.[5] Subsequent descent through Alethea's descendants led to further co-heirship and abeyance; by 1777, the barony entered permanent abeyance between two co-heiresses: Winifred, Lady Stourton (a descendant via one branch), and Anne, Lady Petre (via another), with no termination since.[5] This reflects the standard operation of baronies created by writ, where inheritance by female co-heirs suspends summons to Parliament until the abeyance ends or concentrates in one heir.[5]Baron Talbot of Hensol (Great Britain, 1733 creation)
Creation under Charles Talbot
Charles Talbot, baptized on 21 December 1685, was the eldest son of William Talbot, Bishop of Durham, from a Worcestershire branch of the Talbot family descended from Sir Gilbert Talbot (died 1518), third son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury.[3][1] Educated at Eton College and Oriel College, Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and became a fellow of All Souls College in 1704, Talbot pursued a legal career, serving as Solicitor General from 1726 to 1733.[2][6] In November 1733, Talbot was appointed Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and Privy Counsellor, prompting his elevation to the peerage as Baron Talbot of Hensol in the County of Glamorgan on 5 December 1733, by letters patent in the Peerage of Great Britain.[2][3] This new barony, distinct from the ancient English Baron Talbot of 1331, referenced Hensol Castle in Glamorgan, an estate Talbot acquired and developed in Tudor style, reflecting his connections to Welsh properties including Castell-y-Mynach.[3][2] The creation recognized his Whig-aligned legal and political contributions under the second Walpole ministry, with succession limited to heirs male of his body per standard practice for such peerages.[2] Talbot's peerage tenure was brief; he died on 14 February 1737, succeeded by his son William Talbot.[3][2] The title's establishment marked a junior revival of the Talbot name among the nobility, later merging with higher Shrewsbury and Talbot earldoms through inheritance.[7]Succession and Integration with Shrewsbury Titles
Upon the death of Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot of Hensol, on 14 February 1737, the title passed to his surviving son, William Talbot, who became the 2nd Baron Talbot of Hensol.[7] William, born in 1710 and educated at Eton and Oxford, held various court positions, including Lord Steward of the Household from 1760.[8] In 1761, he was created Viscount Ingestre and 1st Earl Talbot in the Peerage of Great Britain, with the Barony of Hensol serving as a subsidiary title, thereby integrating the barony into the higher earldom held by the Talbot family branch.[7] William died on 27 April 1782 without surviving legitimate male heirs, causing the 1761 Earldom of Talbot to become extinct.[7] The Barony of Hensol, however, devolved upon his nephew, John Chetwynd-Talbot (1752–1793), son of his brother, who succeeded as 3rd Baron Talbot of Hensol.[7] John, who had assumed the additional surname Chetwynd through marriage, was elevated on 3 July 1784 to Viscount Ingestre and 1st Earl Talbot (second creation), once again subordinating the Hensol barony to the earldom.[7] The title descended through this line: upon John's death in 1793, it passed to his son Charles Chetwynd-Talbot (1777–1849) as 2nd Earl Talbot and 4th Baron Talbot of Hensol; Charles was succeeded in 1849 by his son Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot (1806–1868) as 3rd Earl Talbot and 5th Baron Talbot of Hensol.[7] The pivotal integration with the Shrewsbury titles occurred on 10 August 1856, when Bertram Arthur Edward Talbot, 17th Earl of Shrewsbury (1832–1856), died without legitimate issue. Henry John, as the nearest qualifying heir through Talbot lineage, succeeded to the Earldom of Shrewsbury (created 1442) and its subsidiary Premier Barony of Talbot (1331 creation), becoming the 18th Earl of Shrewsbury while retaining his Talbot and Hensol titles.[7] This merger united the Hensol barony—originating from a junior branch descended from Sir Gilbert Talbot (d. 1518), third son of the 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury—with the senior Shrewsbury peerage, which the family continues to hold under the courtesy name Chetwynd-Talbot.[1]Lists of Titleholders
Barons Talbot (1331)
The Barony of Talbot was created by writ of summons to Parliament on 27 January 1331/2 for Gilbert Talbot of Goodrich, Herefordshire.[5] The title passed through the male line until 1418, then briefly to a female heir before reverting to the family.[4] John Talbot, the seventh holder, was elevated to the Earldom of Shrewsbury in 1442, after which the barony was subsumed as a subsidiary title held by successive earls.[5] The barony fell into abeyance in 1616 upon the death of Gilbert Talbot, seventh Earl of Shrewsbury, whose three daughters became co-heiresses.[1]| Ordinal | Name | Lifespan | Succession Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gilbert Talbot | c. 1276–1346 | Summoned to Parliament as baron; married Anne le Boteler; succeeded by son Richard.[9] |
| 2nd | Richard Talbot | c. 1305–1356 | Married Elizabeth Comyn, heiress of Ulster claims; succeeded by son Gilbert.[10] |
| 3rd | Gilbert Talbot | c. 1332–1387 | Married Petronilla Butler; succeeded by son Richard.[4] |
| 4th | Richard Talbot | c. 1361–1396 | Married Ankaret le Strange, Baroness Strange of Blackmere; succeeded by son Gilbert.[4] |
| 5th | Gilbert Talbot | 1383–1418 | Also fifth Baron Strange; married Beatrice de Sousa; succeeded by daughter Ankaret.[4] |
| - | Ankaret Talbot (suo jure) | 1416–1421 | Died unmarried as infant; title passed to uncle John Talbot.[4] |
| 7th | John Talbot | c. 1387–1453 | Brother of fifth baron; created Earl of Shrewsbury 1442; title merged thereafter with earldom.[11] |
Barons Talbot of Hensol (1733)
The Barons Talbot of Hensol is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, created by letters patent on 5 December 1733 for Charles Talbot, a prominent lawyer who served as Lord Chancellor from 1733 until his death.[7] The title derived from Hensol Castle in Glamorgan, an estate acquired by the family.[3]| Baron | Name | Birth–Death | Succession Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Charles Talbot | Baptised 22 December 1685 – 14 February 1737 | Created 5 December 1733; eldest son of Bishop William Talbot; Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (1733–1737).[7][3] |
| 2nd | William Talbot | 16 May 1710 – 27 April 1782 | Succeeded father in 1737; created Earl Talbot (1761) and KG (1762); no surviving legitimate male issue, title passed to nephew.[7][8] |
| 3rd | John Chetwynd-Talbot | 25 February 1752 – 19 May 1793 | Succeeded uncle as 2nd Earl Talbot (1782) and 3rd Baron Talbot of Hensol; son of Hon. John Talbot.[7][12] |
| 4th | Charles Chetwynd-Talbot | 21 October 1777 – 3 November 1849 | Succeeded father as 3rd Earl Talbot (1793) and 4th Baron Talbot of Hensol; later created Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford (1844, but primary succession in 1852 to Shrewsbury estates).[7][13] |