Barony of Monson

Or two chevronels gules[1]
Creation dateMay 25, 1728 (1728-05-25)
Created byKing George II
PeeragePeerage of Great Britain
First holderSir John Monson, 5th Baronet
Present holderNicholas Monson, 12th Baron Monson
Heir presumptiveHon. Andrew Monson
MottoPrest pour mon pais ("Ready for my country")[1]
Sir Thomas Monson, 1st Baronet, and his son John, who succeeded him as baronet

Baron Monson (pronounced Munson),[2] of Burton in the County of Lincoln, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 18th century for Sir John Monson, 5th Baronet. The Monson family descends from Thomas Monson, of Carleton, Lincolnshire. He sat as Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire, Castle Rising and Cricklade. On 29 June 1611 he was created a Baronet, of Carleton in the County of Lincoln, in the Baronetage of England. His eldest son, the second Baronet, fought as a Royalist during the Civil War and also represented Lincoln in the House of Commons.[1]

He married Ursula Oxenbridge, daughter of Sir Robert Oxenbridge of Hurstbourne in Hampshire, through which marriage the manor of Broxbourne came into the Monson family. This was to be the seat of the family for many years. His eldest son, the third Baronet, also represented Lincoln in Parliament. He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Baronet. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Lincoln, Heytesbury, Hertford and for Aldborough.[3]

His son, the fifth Baronet, represented Lincoln in Parliament. In 1728 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Baron Monson, of Burton in the County of Lincoln. He later served as President of the Board of Trade. Lord Monson married Lady Margaret, youngest daughter of Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham. Their second son the Hon. Lewis Monson succeeded to the Watson estates on the death of his cousin Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham, assumed the surname of Watson in lieu of Monson and was created Baron Sondes in 1760 (his great-grandson was created Earl Sondes in 1880; see this title for more information on this branch of the family). Lord Monson was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He declined the offer of an earldom in 1766.[1]

His great-great-grandson, the seventh Baron, was a Liberal politician. In 1886, he was created Viscount Oxenbridge, of Burton in the County of Lincoln, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. However, this title became extinct on his death in 1889, while the barony and baronetcy passed to his brother, the eighth Baron. He held several court positions. His great-grandson, the eleventh Baron, was a civil liberties campaigner and president of the Society for Individual Freedom who sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. He was one of the 90 elected hereditary peers who remained in the House after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.[1] Since 2011, the titles are held by his son Nicolas. The heir presumptive is the present holder's younger brother, Hon. Andrew Anthony John Monson (born 1959).

Several other members of the Monson family have gained distinction. Sir William Monson, younger brother of the first Baronet, was an admiral in the Royal Navy. Sir William Monson, second son of the first Baronet, was created Viscount Monson in the Peerage of Ireland in 1628. However, he was a member of the court which tried King Charles I and was deprived of his honours and sentenced to imprisonment for life in 1661. Also, Sir Edmund Monson, younger brother of the first Viscount Oxenbridge and the eighth Baron, was a noted diplomat and served as British Ambassador to France from 1896 to 1904. In 1905 he was created a Baronet in his own right (see Monson baronets for more information).[1]

Monson baronets, of Carleton (1611)

Baron Monson (1728)

Viscount Oxenbridge (1886)

Barons Monson (1728; reverted)

  • Debonnaire John Monson, 8th Baron Monson (1830–1900)
  • Augustus Debonnaire John Monson, 9th Baron Monson (1868–1940)
  • John Roseberry Monson, 10th Baron Monson (1907–1958)
  • John Monson, 11th Baron Monson (1932–2011)
  • Nicholas John Monson, 12th Baron Monson (born 1955)
    • Hon. Alexander John Runan Monson (1984–2012),[9][10] son and heir of the 12th Baron, was found dead whilst in police custody (pending charges of cannabis use) in Kenya. An inquest determined he was killed by police (an independent pathologist determined cause of death was a fatal blow to the back of the head), and a toxicology report found no drugs in his system at the time of his death.[11][12]
    • Rupert Green (died 2017), illegitimate younger son of the 12th Baron; died aged 21 in hospital after an attempted suicide related to psychosis (presumably triggered by cannabis).[13]

The heir presumptive is the present holder's younger brother, Hon. Andrew Anthony John Monson (born 1959).

Male-line family tree

Male-line family tree, Monson baronets and Barons Monson.
Sir Thomas Monson
1st Baronet

1565–1641
Sir John Monson
2nd Baronet

1599–1683
John Monson
died 1674
Sir Henry Monson
3rd Baronet

1653–1718
Sir William Monson
4th Baronet

c. 1654 – 1727
George Monson
1657/8 – ?
Baron Monson
John Monson
1st Baron Monson

5th Baronet
c. 1693 – 1748
John Monson
2nd Baron Monson

1727–1774
John Monson
3rd Baron Monson

1753–1806
Hon.
George Monson
1755–1823
Lt.Gen. Hon.
Charles Monson
1758–1800
Col. Hon.
William Monson
1760–1807
John Monson
4th Baron Monson

1785–1809
William Monson
6th Baron Monson

1796–1862
Viscount Oxenbridge
Frederick Monson
5th Baron Monson

1809–1841
William Monson
1st Viscount Oxenbridge

7th Baron Monson

1829–1898
Debonnaire Monson
8th Baron Monson

1830–1900
Viscountcy extinct
William Monson
1864–1864
Augustus Monson
9th Baron Monson

1868–1940
John Monson
10th Baron Monson

1907–1958
John Monson
11th Baron Monson

1932–2011
Nicholas Monson
12th Baron Monson

born 1955
Hon.
Andrew Monson
born 1959
Hon.
Alexander Monson
1984–2012

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. pp. 2739–2741. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  2. "Monson" is in this case pronounced like "Munson"<--BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names 2nd ed.; ed. & transc. by G. E. Pointon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983; p. 174.
  3. George Edward Cokayne Complete Baronetage 1900
  4. "Monson, Theodosia, Lady Monson (1803–1891), dilettante and promoter of women's rights". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/59337. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  5. "Wedding dress". V&A Museum. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  6. Charles Roger Dod (1856). The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland. Whittaker and Company. p. 397.
  7. Edward Walford (1891). The Windsor Peerage for 1890-1894. p. 393.
  8. Henry Robert Addison; Charles Henry Oakes; William John Lawson; Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen (1900). Who's who. A. & C. Black. pp. 723–724.
  9. "Telegraph Announcements". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  10. Walker, Tim (24 May 2012). "Lord Monson flies to Africa after his 'golden boy' is found dead aged 28". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  11. "Lord Monson threatens to sue Kenyan government over death of son in custody". The Daily Telegraph. London. 28 May 2012.
  12. "Kenyan police 'killed aristocrat Alexander Monson'". BBC. 28 June 2018.
  13. "Lord Monson: If Theresa May joins my war on skunk, we can end scourge that killed my son". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 28 June 2018.

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