Viscount Bolingbroke

Viscountcy Bolingbroke
Arms of St John: Argent, on a chief gules two mullets or
Creation date	7 July 1712
Created by	Queen Anne
Peerage	Peerage of Great Britain
First holder	Henry St John
Present holder	Nicholas Alexander Mowbray St. John, 9th Viscount Bolingbroke, 10th Viscount St John
Remainder to	the 1st Viscount's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten, with remainder, failing his own male issue, to his father and the heirs male of his body.
Subsidiary titles	Viscount St John Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze Baron St John of Battersea St John baronets, of Lydiard Tregoze

Viscount Bolingbroke is a current title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1712 for Henry St John. He was simultaneously made Baron St John, of Lydiard Tregoze in the County of Wilts. Since 1751, the titles are merged with the titles of Viscount St John and Baron St John in the same peerage.

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke

Family background

John St John (1585–1648) was the nephew of Oliver St John, 1st Viscount Grandison (1559–1630), lord deputy governor of Ireland from 1616 to 1622, and distant cousin of the Barons St John of Bletsoe, later Earls of Bolingbroke.

Grants of titles

Baronetcy in 1611

John St John later represented Wiltshire in Parliament and was a strong royalist during the Civil War. On 22 May 1611, he was created a Baronet, of Lydiard Tregoze in Wiltshire, in the Baronetage of England.

Baronies and viscountcies

A younger son of John St John, 3rd Baronet, was elected for Wiltshire and Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, as was his son in turn (4th Baronet). In 1716 the latter was created Baron St John, of Battersea in the County of Surrey, and Viscount St John, with remainder to his second son (who inherited) and in default third son, as his eldest son Henry St John had already been created Baron St John, of Lydiard Tregoze, and Viscount Bolingbroke in 1712 (see below). He also represented Wootton Bassett in Parliament. In 1751 his son, the 3rd Viscount, succeeded his uncle as 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke and 2nd Baron St John according to a special remainder in the letters patent.

The titles have remained united since. The son of the "second son" mentioned, the 3rd and 4th Viscount, was elected briefly for Cricklade, Wiltshire. As of 2014 the titles are held by his descendant, the 8th Viscount Bolingbroke and 9th Viscount St John. He lives in New Zealand. As of 28 February 2014, the present Baronet has not successfully proven his succession and is therefore not on the Official Roll of the Baronetage, with the baronetcy considered dormant since 1974.

The titles Baron St John, of Lydiard Tregoze in the County of Wilts, and Viscount Bolingbroke were created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1712 for the politician and orator the Hon. Henry St John, the eldest son of Henry St John, 1st Viscount St John. The peerages were created with remainder to his father and his male heirs. Lord Bolingbroke died childless and was succeeded according to the special remainder by his nephew, the second Viscount, who had already succeeded as third Viscount St John in 1749 (see above).

Family seats and abodes

Extract from Gentleman's Magazine: Map of London & Environs, 1764; Lord Bolingbroke is noted in this part of today's London.

An established family seat was, from 1420 until sale in 1943, Lydiard House, Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire.

From 1648 until 1765 the family had a house near to London, namely the forerunner to the wider Battersea Park area, Bolingbroke House, which was then in the county of Surrey. This became the de facto seat of the lord of the manor title inherited from the 1st Baronet from Viscount Grandison, buried there with great pomp in 1648. In 1742 the then Lord Bolingbroke, who, in spite of his attainder, had been enabled to inherit the estate by an act of Parliament, the Henry St John Bolingbroke Restitution Act 1724 (11 Geo. 1. c. 40), lent the manor house to his friend Hugh Hume, 3rd Earl of Marchmont. Later he settled there himself, either in 1743 or early in the following year and there spent the remainder of his life. He was buried in the family vault in Battersea Church in 1751. His nephew and heir Frederick, second Viscount Bolingbroke, sold the Battersea estate about 1763. It was purchased by John Viscount Spencer, created Earl Spencer in 1765.

Coat of arms

Armorial bearings of St John, Viscounts Bolingbroke

The heraldic blazon for the armorials of the St John family is: Argent, on a chief gules two mullets or. This can be translated as: a white shield with a red rectangle at the top holding two golden stars.

St John Baronets, of Lydiard Tregoze (1611)

• John St John, 1st Baronet (d. 1648)
• John St John, 2nd Baronet (1638–1657)
• Walter St John, 3rd Baronet (1622–1708)
• Henry St John, 4th Baronet (1652–1742) (created Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea in 1716)

Viscounts St John and Barons St John of Battersea (1716)

• Henry St John, 1st Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 4th Baronet (1652–1742)
• John St John, 2nd Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 5th Baronet (c. 1695–1749)
• Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 3rd Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 6th Baronet (1732–1787)
• George Richard St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 4th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 7th Baronet (1761–1824)
• Henry St John, 4th Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 5th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 8th Baronet (1786–1851)
• Henry St John, 5th Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 6th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 9th Baronet (1820–1899)
• Vernon Henry St John, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 7th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 10th Baronet (1896–1974)
• Kenneth Oliver Musgrave St John, 7th Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 8th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 11th Baronet (1927–2010)
• Henry FitzRoy St John, 8th Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 9th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 12th Baronet (1957–2011)
• Nicholas Alexander Mowbray St. John, 9th Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 10th Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 13th Baronet (b. 1974)

(The current Viscount's eldest son is his heir apparent.)

Viscounts Bolingbroke and Barons St John of Lydiard Tregoze (1712)

• Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze (1678–1751)
• Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 3rd Viscount St John (1732–1787)

see above for further succession

Family tree

Earls of Bolingbroke and Earls of Jersey with subsidiary and courtesy titles

Oliver St John d.  1437 Margaret Beauchamp c. 1410–before 1482 John Beaufort 1404–1444 1st Duke of Somerset John St John d. c. 1482 Oliver St John d. c. 1497 Margaret Beaufort 1443–1509 Countess of Richmond and Derby John St John c. 1450–after 1502 John St John 1473–1512 King Henry VII 1457–1509 John St John d. c. 1562 John St John 1473–1512 Baron St John of Bletso, 1559 Oliver St John c. 1522–1582 1st Baron St John of Bletso Nicholas St John d. 1589 Viscount Grandison of Limerick, 1620 Baron Tregoz of Highworth, 1626 John St John d. 1596 2nd Baron St John of Bletso Oliver St John c. 1540–1618 3rd Baron St John of Bletso John St. John c. 1552–1594 Oliver St. John c. 1560–1630 1st Viscount Grandison and Baron Tregoz of Highworth Barony of Tregoz extinct, 1630 Earl of Bolingbroke, 1624 St John Baronet, of Lydiard Tregoze, 1611 Oliver St John c. 1580–1646 1st Earl of Bolingbroke, 4th Baron St John of Bletso Rowland St John 1588–1645 John St John 1585–1648 1st Baronet St John of Lydiard Tregoze Barbara St John Edward Villiers c. 1585–1626 St John Baronets, of Woodford, 1660 Oliver St John 1603–1642 5th Baron St John of Bletso Paulet St John d. 1638 Oliver St John c. 1624–1662 1st Baronet St John of Woodford Oliver St John 1612/1613 – November 1641 or 1642 Walter St John 1622–1708 3rd Baronet St John of Lydiard Tregoze William Villiers 1614–1643 2nd Viscount Grandison John Villiers c. 1616–1659 3rd Viscount Grandison George Villiers 1618–1699 4th Viscount Grandison Edward Villiers 1620–1689 Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 1716 Viscount Villiers, 1691 Earl of Jersey, 1697 Oliver St John before 1634–1688 2nd Earl of Bolingbroke, 6th Baron St John of Bletso Paulet St John 1634–1711 3rd Earl of Bolingbroke, 7th Baron St John of Bletso St Andrew St John c. 1650–1709 2nd Baronet St John of Woodford John St John 1638–1657 2nd Baronet St John of Lydiard Tregoze Henry St John baptized 1652–1742 1st Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea, 4th Baronet St John of Lydiard Tregoze Barbara Palmer 1640–1709 Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine, Baroness Nonsuch King Charles II 1630–1685 Edward FitzGerald-Villiers c. 1654–1693 Edward Villiers c. 1656–1711 1st Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers Earldom of Bolingbroke extinct, 1711 Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, 1712 Earl Grandison, 1721 Oliver St John c. 1683–1710 3rd Baronet St John of Woodford St Andrew St John c. 1685–1711 4th Baronet St John of Woodford William St John d. 1720 9th Baron St John of Bletso, 6th Baronet St John of Woodson Rowland St John d. 1722 10th Baron St John of Bletso, 7th Baronet St John of Woodson John St John d. 1757 11th Baron St John of Bletso, 8th Baronet St John of Woodson Henry St John 1678–1751 1st Viscount Bolingbroke and Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze John Villiers c. 1684–1766 1st Earl Grandison, 5th Viscount Grandison William Villiers c. 1682–1721 2nd Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers Earldom Grandison extinct, 1766 Paulet St Andrew St John 1711–1714 8th Baron St John of Bletso, 5th Baronet St John of Woodford John St Andrew St John 1725–1767 12th Baron St John of Bletso, 9th Baronet St John of Woodson John St John 1702–1748 2nd Viscount St John and Baron St John of Battersea William Villiers d. 1769 3rd Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 6th Viscount Grandison Frederick St John 1732–1787 3rd Viscount St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 5th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze George Bussy Villiers 1735–1805 4th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 7th Viscount Grandison Henry Beauchamp St John 1758–1805 13th Baron St John of Bletso, 10th Baronet St John of Woodson St Andrew St John 1759–1817 14th Baron St John of Bletso, 11th Baronet St John of Woodson George Richard St John 1761–1824 4th Viscount St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 5th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Ferdinand St. John 1804–1865 George Child Villiers 1773–1859 5th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 8th Viscount Grandison St Andrew Beauchamp St John 1811–1874 15th Baron St John of Bletso, 12th Baronet St John of Woodson Henry St John 1786–1851 5th Viscount St John, 4th Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 6th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Canon Maurice William Ferdinand St. John 1827–1914 George Augustus Frederick Child Villiers 1808–1859 6th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 9th Viscount Grandison St Andrew St John 1840–1887 16th Baron St John of Bletso, 13th Baronet St John of Woodson Beauchamp Moubray St John 1844–1912 17th Baron St John of Bletso, 14th Baronet St John of Woodson Henry Mildmay St John 1820–1899 6th Viscount St John, 5th Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 7th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Henry Percy St John (1854–1921) Victor Albert George Child Villiers 1845–1915 7th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 10th Viscount Grandison Henry Beauchamp Oliver St John 1876–1920 18th Baron St John of Bletso, 15th Baronet St John of Woodson Moubray St Andrew Thornton St John 1877–1934 19th Baron St John of Bletso, 16th Baronet St John of Woodson Rowland Tudor St John Vernon Henry St John 1896–1974 7th Viscount St John, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 8th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze Geoffrey Robert St. John 1889–1972 George Henry Robert Child Villiers 1873–1923 8th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 11th Viscount Grandison John Moubray Russell St John 1917–1976 20th Baron St John of Bletso, 17th Baronet St John of Woodson Andrew Beauchamp St John 1918–1978 21st Baron St John of Bletso, 18th Baronet St John of Woodson Kenneth Oliver Musgrave St John 1927–2010 8th Viscount St John, 7th Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 9th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze George Francis Child-Villiers 1910–1998 9th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 12th Viscount Grandison Anthony Tudor St John b. 1957 22nd Baron St John of Bletso, 19th Baronet St John of Woodson Henry FitzRoy St John 1957–2011 9th Viscount St John, 8th Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and 8th Baron St John of Battersea, 10th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze George Henry Child Villiers 1948–1998 styled Viscount Villiers Nicholas Alexander Mowbray St John b. 1974 10th Viscount St John, 9th Viscount Bolingbroke, Baron St John of Lydiard Tregoze, and Baron St John of Battersea, 12th Baronet of Lydiard Tregoze George Francis William Child Villiers b. 1976 10th Earl of Jersey and Viscount Villiers, 13th Viscount Grandison Oliver Beauchamp St John b. 1995 George Henry William Child Villiers b. 2015 styled Viscount Villiers

See also

• Baron St John
• Earl of Bolingbroke
• Viscount Grandison
• Earl of Orkney

External links

• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: London: Dean & son, limited. p. 124.
• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Kenneth Oliver Musgrave St John, 7th Viscount Bolingbroke