Earl of Mexborough

Title in the peerage of Ireland

Earldom of Mexborough
Arms of Savile: Argent, on a bend sable three owls guardant close of the field; Crest: An owl guardant close argent; Supporters: On either side a lion proper collared and chained or
Creation date	11 February 1766
Created by	King George III
Peerage	Peerage of Ireland
First holder	John Savile, 1st Baron Pollington
Present holder	John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough
Heir presumptive	John Savile, Viscount Pollington
Remainder to	The 1st Earls’ heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Pollington Baron Pollington
Status	Extant
Seat(s)	Arden Hall
Former seat(s)	Methley Hall
Motto	BE FAST

John Savile, 1st Earl of Mexborough, with his wife and son.

Earl of Mexborough, of Lifford in the County of Donegal, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 11 February 1766 for John Savile, 1st Baron Pollington, Member of Parliament for Hedon and New Shoreham. He had already been created Baron Pollington, of Longford in the County of Longford, on 8 November 1753,^[1] and was made Viscount Pollington, of Ferns in the County of Wexford, at the same time as he was given the earldom.^[2] These titles are also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He represented Lincoln in the House of Commons. His son, the third Earl, was Member of Parliament for Pontefract for many years. On his death the titles passed to his son, the fourth Earl. He represented Gatton and Pontefract in Parliament as a Conservative. His son, the fifth Earl, was High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1877. He was succeeded by his half-brother, the sixth Earl. As of 2018^[update] the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the eighth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1980.

Despite their territorial designations and the fact that they are in the Peerage of Ireland, all three titles refer to places in England, namely Mexborough and Pollington in Yorkshire.

The current seat of the Earls of Mexborough is Arden Hall, near Hawnby, in Yorkshire. The estate was purchased by the family in 1897. Previously the family had lived at Methley Hall , which was demolished in 1958. John Horace Savile, 5th Earl of Mexborough, also built Castle Devachan in San Remo, the site of the 1920 San Remo conference.^[3] The former Bishop's House at Eltofts, Thorner, near Leeds, was the Dower House of the Earls of Mexborough.^[4]

Earls of Mexborough (1766)

John Savile, 1st Earl of Mexborough (1719–1778)
John Savile, 2nd Earl of Mexborough (1761–1830)
John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough (1783–1860)
John Charles George Savile, 4th Earl of Mexborough (1810–1899)
John Horace Savile, 5th Earl of Mexborough (1843–1916)
John Henry Savile, 6th Earl of Mexborough (1868–1945)
John Raphael Wentworth Savile, 7th Earl of Mexborough (1906–1980)
John Christopher George Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough (b. 1931)

Present peer

John Christopher George Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough (born 16 May 1931) is the son of the 7th Earl and his wife Josephine Bertha Emily Fletcher. Styled formally as Viscount Pollington from 1945 on, he was educated at Eton College and Worcester College, Oxford, then was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Grenadier Guards.^[5]

On 15 July 1980, he succeeded his father as Earl of Mexborough (1766), Viscount Pollington of Ferns (1766), Baron Pollington of Longford (1753), all in the peerage of Ireland, so did not gain a seat in the House of Lords.^[5]

On 30 May 1958, he married firstly Lady Elizabeth Harriot Grimston, daughter of John Grimston, 6th Earl of Verulam; they were divorced in 1972, after having two children:^[5]

John Andrew Bruce Savile, Viscount Pollington (born 1959), heir apparent. He married Norma Findlay in 2019. His heir presumptive is his half-brother
Lady Alethea Frances Clare Savile (1963–1994)

On 5 June 1972, he married secondly Catherine Joyce Hope, daughter of James Kenneth Hope and Mary Joyce Orlebar, and with her had two more children:^[5]

Lady Lucinda Sarah Catherine Savile (born 1973), who married Edward Ankarcrona in 2006. They have two sons:
- Theodor John Erik Savile Ankarcrona (born 2007)
- Otto Jan Christopher Savile Ankarcrona (born 2009)

James Hugh Hope John Savile (born 1976), who married Victoria Forman Hardy in 2010. They have three sons:
- Arthur John Hope Thomas Savile (born 2011),
- Ludovic Henry Nicholas Raphael Savile (born 2014)
- Rory Alexander Louis Elwyn Savile (born 2017)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Earl of Mexborough

16. John Savile, 3rd Earl of Mexborough

8. John Savile, 4th Earl of Mexborough

17. Lady Anne Yorke

4. John Savile, 6th Earl of Mexborough

18. John Raphael

9. Agnes Raphael

2. John Savile, 7th Earl of Mexborough

20. Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, 1st Baron Brabourne

10. Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, 2nd Baron Brabourne

21. Anna Southwell

5. Hon. Margaret Knatchbull-Hugessen

22. Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale

11. Hon. Amy Beaumont

23. Lady Margaret de Burgh

1. John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough

24. Andrew Fletcher

12. John Fletcher

25. Lady Charlotte Charteris

6. Andrew Fletcher

26. Christopher Talbot

13. Bertha Talbot

27. Lady Charlotte Butler

3. Josephine Fletcher

28. Sir Thomas Winnington, 4th Baronet

14. Sir Francis Winnington, 5th Baronet

29. Helen Domvile

7. Frances Winnington

30. Lord Alfred Spencer-Churchill

15. Jane Spencer-Churchill

31. Hon. Harriet Gough-Calthorpe

Notes

^ "No. 9300". The London Gazette. 8 September 1753. p. 1.
^ "No. 10586". The London Gazette. 28 December 1765. p. 2.
^ "Castello Devachan - Imperia - Historischer Reiseführer".
^ Historic England. "THE BISHOP'S HOUSE (1265220)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Burke's Peerage, volume 2, 2003, page 2673

References

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