Earl of Verulam

Earldom of Verulam
Earldom of Verulam
	Blazon Arms: Quarterly: 1st & 4th, Argent, on a Fess Sable, three Rowels of six-points Or, pierced Gules, in the dexter chief point an Ermine Spot (Grimston); 2nd, Sable, a Fess dancettée, between two Leopard’s Faces Or (Luckyn); 3rd, Argent, three Bugle Horns Sable, stringed Gules (Forrester) Crest: A Stag’s Head erased proper, attired Or. Supporters: Dexter: A stag reguardant proper, attired Or; Sinister: A Griffin reguardant Or.
Creation date	24 November 1815
Created by	The Prince Regent (acting on behalf of his father King George III)
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston
Present holder	John Grimston, 7th Earl of Verulam
Heir apparent	James Grimston, Viscount Grimston
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Grimston (1719) ; Viscount Grimston (1815) ; Lord Forrester of Corstorphine ; Baron Dunboyne ; Baron Verulam ; Baronet ‘of Little Waltham’
Status	Extant
Seat(s)	Gorhambury House
Motto	MEDIOCTRIA FIRMA ; (Moderate things are stable)

The ruins of Old Gorhambury House, the ramshackle medieval family seat in England from the 1670s until the family built the new Gorhambury House

Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at the same time.^[1] Verulam had previously represented St Albans (Roman Verulamium) in the House of Commons. In 1808 he had also succeeded his maternal cousin as tenth Lord Forrester (in the Peerage of Scotland). He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl.

Grimston was a Tory politician and held minor office in the first two governments of the Earl of Derby. His son, the third Earl, represented St Albans in Parliament as a Conservative. His grandson, the sixth Earl (who succeeded his elder brother) was nominated to the traditionally safe seat of St Albans for the party. As of 2017^[update] the titles are held by his son, the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 1973.

The titles of Viscount Grimston and Baron Dunboyne had been created in 1719 in the Peerage of Ireland for William Grimston, Member of Parliament for St Albans.^[2] Born William Luckyn, he was the great-nephew of Sir Samuel Grimston, 3rd Baronet, of Bradfield (a title which became extinct upon his death in 1700), whose surname he assumed on succeeding to his estates. In 1737 he also succeeded his elder brother as fifth Baronet of Little Waltham (see below). He was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. He also represented St Albans in the House of Commons. His son, the third Viscount, was Member of Parliament for St Albans and Hertfordshire. In 1790 he was created Baron Verulam, of Gorhambury in the County of Hertford, in the Peerage of Great Britain.^[3] He was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned fourth Viscount, who was created Earl of Verulam in 1815.

The Luckyn Baronetcy, of Little Waltham in the County of Essex, was created in the Baronetage of England in 1629 for William Luckyn. The second Baronet represented Harwich in Parliament. The fourth Baronet was succeeded by his younger brother, the aforementioned William Grimston, 1st Viscount Grimston.

Lord Verulam thus holds titles in England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom.

Another member of the Grimston family was Robert Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury. He was the son of Reverend Canon the Hon. Robert Grimston, third son of the second Earl of Verulam.

The family seat is Gorhambury House, near St Michael, Hertfordshire.

Luckyn, later Grimston baronets, of Little Waltham (1629)

Sir William Luckyn, 1st Baronet (1594–1660)
Sir Capell Luckyn, 2nd Baronet (1622–1680)
Sir William Luckyn, 3rd Baronet (died c. 1708)
Sir Harbottle Luckyn, 4th Baronet (1683–1737)
Sir William Grimston, 5th Baronet (c. 1684–1756) (had already been created Viscount Grimston in 1719, see below)

Viscounts Grimston (1719)

William Grimston, 1st Viscount Grimston (c. 1684–1756)
James Grimston, 2nd Viscount Grimston (1711–1773)
James Bucknall Grimston, 3rd Viscount Grimston (1747–1808)
James Walter Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston (1775–1845) (created Earl of Verulam in 1815, see below)

Earls of Verulam (1815)

James Walter Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam (1775–1845)
James Walter Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam (1809–1895)
James Walter Grimston, 3rd Earl of Verulam (1852–1924)
James Walter Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam (1880–1949)
James Brabazon Grimston, 5th Earl of Verulam (1910–1960)
John Grimston, 6th Earl of Verulam (1912–1973)
John Duncan Grimston, 7th Earl of Verulam (b. 1951)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son James Walter Grimston, Viscount Grimston (b. 1978)
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, the Hon. John Innes Archie Grimston (b. 2010).

References

^ "No. 17066". The London Gazette. 30 September 1815. p. 1997.
^ "No. 5743". The London Gazette. 5 May 1719. p. 1.
^ "No. 13210". The London Gazette. 19 June 1790. p. 373.

Sources

Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages ^{[self-published source]} ^{[better source needed]}

External links

Gorhambury Estate – Official Webpage

[1] "No. 17066". The London Gazette. 30 September 1815. p. 1997.

[2] "No. 5743". The London Gazette. 5 May 1719. p. 1.

[3] "No. 13210". The London Gazette. 19 June 1790. p. 373.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Extant earldoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
England	Shrewsbury Derby Huntingdon Pembroke Devon Lincoln Suffolk Montgomery Denbigh Westmorland Berkshire Lindsey Winchelsea Sandwich Essex Carlisle Shaftesbury Nottingham Abingdon Portland Scarbrough Albemarle Coventry Jersey
Scotland	Sutherland Crawford Mar Erroll Caithness Morton Rothes Buchan Eglinton Moray Mar Home Perth Strathmore and Kinghorne Kellie Haddington Galloway Lauderdale Lindsay Loudoun Kinnoull Elgin Wemyss Dalhousie Airlie Leven Dysart Selkirk Northesk Kincardine Balcarres Newburgh Dundee Annandale and Hartfell Dundonald Kintore Dunmore Melville Orkney March Seafield Stair Rosebery Glasgow
Great Britain	Ferrers Dartmouth Tankerville Aylesford Macclesfield Waldegrave Harrington Portsmouth Brooke Buckinghamshire Guilford Hardwicke Ilchester Warwick De La Warr Radnor Spencer Bathurst Clarendon Mansfield Talbot Mount Edgcumbe Fortescue Mansfield Carnarvon Cadogan Malmesbury
Ireland	Waterford Cork Westmeath Meath Desmond Cavan Orrery Drogheda Granard Darnley Bessborough Carrick Shannon Arran Courtown Mexborough Winterton Kingston Roden Lisburne Clanwilliam Antrim Longford Portarlington Mayo Annesley Enniskillen Erne Lucan Belmore Castle Stewart Caledon Donoughmore Limerick Clancarty Rosse Gosford Normanton Kilmorey Listowel Norbury Ranfurly
United Kingdom	Rosslyn Craven Onslow Romney Chichester Wilton Powis Nelson Grey Lonsdale Harrowby Harewood Minto Cathcart Verulam St Germans Morley Bradford Eldon Howe Stradbroke Temple of Stowe Cawdor Lichfield Durham Granville Effingham Ducie Yarborough Leicester Gainsborough Strafford Cottenham Cowley Winton Dudley Russell Cromartie Kimberley Wharncliffe Cairns Lytton Selborne Iddesleigh Cranbrook Cromer Plymouth Liverpool Midlothian St Aldwyn Beatty Haig Iveagh Balfour Oxford and Asquith Jellicoe Inchcape Peel Strathmore and Kinghorne Baldwin of Bewdley Halifax Gowrie Lloyd-George of Dwyfor Mountbatten of Burma Alexander of Tunis Swinton Attlee Woolton Snowdon Stockton
Italics: This title is held by a peer who holds another earldom of higher precedence.