Viscount Sydney

Viscount Sydney (an alternative spelling of the surname Sidney) is a title that has been created twice. The title was elevated twice from a barony, and once into an earldom.

First creation (1689)

Henry Sydney, Earl of Romney

The first creation came on 9 April 1689 when Henry Sydney was elevated from Baron Sydney to Viscount Sydney, of Sheppey, in the Peerage of England. On 14 May 1694, he was also created Earl of Romney but his titles became extinct when he died unmarried in 1704.

Second creation (1789)

Thomas Townshend,
1st Viscount Sydney (2nd creation).

The second creation came in 1789 when Thomas Townshend (the then Baron Sydney) was made Viscount Sydney, of St Leonards, in the Peerage of Great Britain. He served as Home Secretary and Leader of the House of Lords. Townshend was the son of the Hon. Thomas Townshend, second son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, whose eldest son Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend is the ancestor of the Marquesses of Townshend. Townshend was also a female-line great-great-grandson of Lady Lucy Sydney, daughter of Robert Sydney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, hence his choice of title. The family seat of this branch of the Townshend family was Frognal House, near Sidcup (then in Kent, now in the London Borough of Bexley).

List of Viscounts Sydney (1789)

• Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733–1800) - the cities of Sydney (1785) in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sydney (1788) in New South Wales, Australia, were named in his honour
• John Thomas Townshend, 2nd Viscount Sydney (1764–1831) - represented Newport and Whitchurch in the House of Commons.
• John Robert Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney (1805–1890) - served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and as Lord Steward of the Household, and was elevated to Earl Sydney in 1874. He died childless in February 1890, aged 84, when all his titles became extinct.

Family tree

Marquesses Townshend, Earls of Romney, and Baronets of Cuckston

Shirley Baronet of Staunton Harold in the County of Leicester, 1611 George Shirley 1559–1622 1st Baronet Baronet of Cuckston, 1663 Henry Shirley 1589–1633 2nd Baronet Robert Sidney 1595–1677 Earl of Leicester John Marsham 1602–1685 1st Baronet of Cuckston Earl of Romney (1st creation), 1694 Charles Shirley (1623–1646) 3rd Baronet Robert Shirley 1629–1656 4th Baronet Lady Lucy Sidney 1630–1685 Henry Sydney 1641–1704 1st Earl of Romney John Marsham 1637–1692 2nd Baronet of Cuckston Earldom extinct, 1704 Baron Ferrers of Chartley abeyance terminated, 1677 Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis in the County of Norfolk, 1661 Viscount Townshend of Raynham in the County of Norfolk, 1682 Seymour Shirley 1647–1667 5th Baronet Robert Shirley 1650–1717 Earl Ferrers, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, 7th Shirley Baronet, of Staunton Harold Thomas Pelham 1653–1712 Horatio Townshend 1630–1687 1st Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend John Marsham 1679–1696 3rd Baronet of Cuckston Robert Shirley 1668–1669 6th Baronet Robert Shirley 1673–1699 Elizabeth Pelham 1681–1711 Charles Townshend 1674–1738 2nd Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Robert Marsham 1650–1703 4th Baronet of Cuckston Baron Romney, 1716 Elizabeth Compton 1694–1741 15th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley Charles Townshend 1700–1764 3rd Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Thomas Townshend 1701–1780 Robert Marsham 1685–1724 1st Baron Romney, 5th Baronet of Cuckston Baron Ferrers of Chartley resolved, 1749 Marquess Townshend, 1787 Baron Sydney of Chiselhurst in the County of Kent, 1783 Viscount Sydney (2nd creation) of St Leonards, 1789 Charlotte Townshend d. 1770 16th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley, Baroness Compton George Townshend 1724–1807 1st Marquess Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Thomas Townshend 1733–1800 1st Viscount Sydney Robert Marsham 1712–1794 2nd Baron Romney Earl of Leicester (6th creation), 1784 Earl of Romney (2nd creation) and Viscount Marsham of The Mote in the County of Kent, 1801 George Townshend 1753–1811 2nd Marquess Townshend, 1st Earl of Leicester, 5th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend, 17th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Compton John Townshend 1757–1783 John Townshend 1764–1831 2nd Viscount Sydney Charles Marsham 1744–1811 1st Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 3rd Baron Romney George Townshend 1778–1885 3rd Marquess Townshend, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 6th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend, 18th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Compton John Townshend 1798–1863 4th Marquess Townshend, 7th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Mary Elizabeth Marsham 1794–1847 Charles Marsham 1777–1845 2nd Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 4th Baron Romney Barony Ferrers of Chartley and Barony Compton in abeyance and Earldom of Leicester (6th creation) extinct, 1885 Earl Sydney of Scadbury in the County of Kent, 1874 John Townshend 1805–1890 1st Earl Sydney, 3rd Viscount Sydney Charles Marsham 1808–1874 3nd Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 5th Baron Romney Earldom of Sydney extinct, 1890 John Villiers Stuart Townshend 1831–1899 5th Marquess Townshend, 8th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Charles Marsham 1841–1905 4th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 6th Baron Romney John James Dudley Stuart Townshend 1866–1921 6th Marquess Townshend, 9th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Charles Marsham 1864–1933 5th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 7th Baron Romney Reginald Hastings Marsham 1865–1922 Sydney Edward Marsham 1879–1952 George John Patrick Dominic Townshend 1916–2010 7th Marquess Townshend, 10th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Charles Marsham 1892–1975 6th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 8th Baron Romney Michael Marsham 1910–2004 7th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 9th Baron Romney Peter William Marsham 1913–1970 Charles George Townshend b. 1945 8th Marquess Townshend, 11th Viscount Townshend and Baron Townshend Julian Marsham b. 1948 8th Earl of Romney and Viscount Marsham, 9th Baron Romney Thomas Charles Townshend b. 1977 styled Viscount Raynham David Charles Marsham b. 1977 styled Viscount Marsham Heir apparent to the Marquess of Townshend Heir apparent to the Earl of Romney Rafe Thomas Townshend b. 2014 James Julian Marsham b. 2014

See also

• Sidney (surname)

References

• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages

External links

• Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney at the National Gallery
• John Thomas Townshend, 2nd Viscount Sydney at the National Gallery
  • Caroline Elizabeth Letitia Townshend (née Clements), Viscountess Sydney at the National Gallery