Baron Ampthill

Barony of Ampthill
Creation date 11 Mar 1881
Monarch Queen Victoria
Peerage Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder Odo Russell, 1st Baron Ampthill
Present holder David Russell, 5th Baron Ampthill
Heir presumptive Hon. Anthony John Mark Russell
Remainder to the 1st Baron's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.

Baron Ampthill, of Ampthill in the County of Bedfordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 March 1881 for the diplomat Lord Odo Russell. He was the third son of Major-General Lord George Russell, second son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.

His son, the second Baron, served as Governor of Madras from 1899 to 1906 and was interim Viceroy of India in 1904. His grandson, the fourth Baron, was one of the ninety elected hereditary peers that remained in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, and sat as a cross-bencher. As of 2014 the title is held by the latter's son, the fifth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2011.

As a descendant of the sixth Duke of Bedford he is also in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary titles.

Coat of arms

The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the barony is: Argent, a lion rampant gules, on a chief sable three escallops argent, a mullet or for difference.

Barons Ampthill (1881)

The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother Hon. Anthony John Mark Russell (b. 1952).
The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son William Odo Alexander Russell (b. 1986).

Family Tree

The 5th Baron is 4th Cousin once removed of the 15th Duke of Bedford and is currently 16th in the line of succession to the Dukedom

Notes

  1. First wife. Divorce proceedings by the 3rd Baron against her in 1922 failed. Divorce proceedings in 1923 succeeded but were overturned on appeal to the House of Lords in 1924. A divorce was finally granted in 1935, but the legitimacy of her son remained intact. (see Russell Case)
  2. Initiated divorce proceedings against his 1st wife in 1922 which failed and again in 1923 which succeeded until overturned by the House of Lords in 1924. His eldest son's, later the 4th Baron, legitimacy was confirmed by the action of the House of Lords. He ultimately succeeded in divorcing his 1st wife in 1935. (see Russell Case)
  3. Third wife, the second marriage failing to produce issue.
  4. His father, through divorce proceedings, tried to have him delcared illegitimate. The House of Lords disagreed and sided with his mother that he was the son of the 3rd Baron. (see Russell Case)
  5. John challenged Geoffrey Russell's right to inherit the Ampthill barony. In 1976, the House of Lords Committee For Privileges reported that the younger John had not made out his claim, so confirming Geoffrey as the 4th Baron Ampthill (see Russell Case)

See also

Notes

    References

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.