Frederic Thesiger,
1st Baron Chelmsford

Viscount Chelmsford, of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford, the former Viceroy of India. The title of Baron Chelmsford, of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1858 for the first Viscount's grandfather,[1] the lawyer and Conservative Sir Frederic Thesiger, who twice served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. Then following was the 2nd Baron, who gained the rank of general and was awarded GCB, GCVO.[2] As of 2010 the titles are held by the first Viscount's great-grandson, the fourth Viscount, who succeeded his father[3] in 1999.[4][unreliable source?]

Several other members of the Thesiger family have also gained distinction. Sir Frederic Thesiger (died 1805), uncle of the first baron, was a captain in the Royal Navy and served as Aide-de-Camp to Lord Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. The Hon. Charles Wemyss Thesiger (1831–1903), second son of the first Baron, was a Lieutenant-General in the Army. His eldest son George Thesiger was a temporary Major-General in the Army and was killed in the First World War.[5] His son Sir Gerald Thesiger was a Judge of the High Court of Justice.[6] The Hon. Alfred Thesiger, third son of the first Baron, was a Lord Justice of Appeal. The Hon. Sir Edward Pierson Thesiger (1842–1928), fourth son of the first Baron, was Clerk-Assistant to Parliament from 1890 to 1917.[7] His second son Sir Bertram Sackville Thesiger[8] (1875–1966) was a naval commander and served as Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station between 1927 and 1929 while his third son Ernest Thesiger[9] was an actor. The Hon. Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger (1871–1920), third son of the second Baron, was Consul-General and Minister Plenipotentiary to Addis Ababa.[citation needed] His eldest son Sir Wilfred Thesiger was an explorer and travel writer.[10] The Hon. Eric Thesiger, fourth son of the second Baron, was a soldier and courtier.[11]

Barons Chelmsford (1858)

Viscounts Chelmsford (1921)

Arms

Coat of arms of Viscount Chelmsford
Crest
A cornucopia fesswise the horn Or the fruit Proper thereon a dove holding in the beak a sprig of laurel also Proper.
Escutcheon
Gules a griffin segreant Or within an orle of roses Argent barbed and seeded Proper.
Supporters
On either side a griffin Or winged Vair
Motto
Spes Et Fortuna (Hope and Fortune) [12]

Notes

  1. ^ "Chelmsford, third Baron (1868–1933)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  2. ^ Greaves 2011, pp. 161–163.
  3. ^ "Frederic Jan Thesiger, 3rd Viscount Chelmsford". geni.com.
  4. ^ "Chelmsford, Viscount (UK, 1921)". cracrofts.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Commonwealth War Graves Commission – casualty details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
  6. ^ "Obituary: Sir Gerald Thesiger". The Times. 22 April 1981. p. 14.
  7. ^ "Thesinger, Hon. Sir Edward (Pierson)". ukwhoswho.com. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U203729. ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1.
  8. ^ "No. 29751". The London Gazette. 15 September 1916. p. 9070.
  9. ^ Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger on Lives of the First World War
  10. ^ Laband, J. P. C. "Thesiger, Frederic Augustus, second Baron Chelmsford (1827–1905)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36464. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ^ "No. 33470". The London Gazette. 26 February 1929. p. 1348.
  12. ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1865.

Books

External links

Extant viscountcies in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
Categories