Hugh Willoughby, 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham

Hugh Willoughby was born in Lancashire around 1711, he resided at Shaw Place Health Charnock.^[2] After his father's death Hugh Willoughby was placed under the joint guardianship of his mother and Reverend John Walker, the Presbyterian minister of Horwich chapel of ease. His mother, Hester Willoughby married James Walton of Wigan in 1717, soon after the death of her first husband, and under the terms of his will, forfeited joint guardianship. On his father's death, Hugh Willoughby was below the age of majority and was placed under the guardianship of Rev. John Walker, a Presbyterian minister. His mother, Ester daughter of Henry Davenport of Little Lever and Darcy Lever, Bolton had remarried to James Walton of Wigan in 1716, soon after the death of Charles Willoughby, 14th Baron Willoughby of Parham her late husband. Under the terms of her late husband's will, she forfeited joint guardianship.^[3] In 1717 Hugh Willoughby commenced school at Rivington Grammar School then a newly rebuilt school erected in 1714. The school was governed by local non-conformists. Hugh Willoughby in his early years attended the Rivington Unitarian Chapel.^[3] In this period Rivington Grammar school was having difficulty finding a non-conformist headmaster and it is believed this led to Hugh Willoughby being transferred to a Non-conformist school at Taunton, Somerset where he met a lifelong friend Israel Mauduit, the political pamphleteer.^[3] In 1732 he received the freedom of Dumfries in Scotland.^[4] His half-brother John Walton attended Glasgow University in 1736 and during the adult life of Hugh Willoughby all the Ministers at the Rivington Unitarian Chapel were from that university. His mother Ester Walton was interred at Horwich Parish Church on 16 Jan 1761.^[3]

In 1733, Hugh Willoughby was challenged by a rival claimant to the peerage, Henry Willoughby, a descendant of Sir Ambrose Willoughby,^[5] and the case was referred to the Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Sir Philip York (later Lord Hardwicke) championed Hugh Willoughby's cause.

As Henry Willoughby awaited his hearing, Hugh Willoughby spent his time travelling in Europe, his absence prevented the case being heard. However, on his return the case from Henry Willoughby was still not attended to by Hugh Willoughby or the attorney general.^[6]

Hugh Willoughby gained a writ of summons to the House of Lords and took his seat on 1 February 1734, despite a caveat: his rival's petition was read to the house.