Duke of Leeds

Dukedom in the Peerage of England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, who had been one of the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded as 2nd Baronet, of Kiveton (1647)[1] and been created Viscount Osborne, of Dunblane (1673), Baron Osborne, of Kiveton in the County of York (also 1673) and Viscount Latimer, of Danby in the County of York (also 1673), Earl of Danby, in the County of York (1674), and Marquess of Carmarthen (1689). All these titles were in the Peerage of England, except for the viscountcy of Osborne, which was in the Peerage of Scotland.[note 1] He resigned the latter title in favour of his son in 1673. The Earldom of Danby was a revival of the title held by his great-uncle, Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby (see Earl of Danby).[2]

Creation date4 May 1694
Created byWilliam III and Mary II
PeeragePeerage of England
First holderThomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
Quick facts Dukedom of Leeds, Creation date ...
Dukedom of Leeds
Quarterly, 1st & 4th: quarterly ermine and azure, over all a cross or (for Osborne); 2nd, gules, an eagle with two heads display, between three fleur-de-lis argent (for Godolphin); 3rd, azure, semé of cross-crosslets and three cinquefoils argent (for D'Arcy)
Creation date4 May 1694
Created byWilliam III and Mary II
PeeragePeerage of England
First holderThomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
Last holderD'Arcy Osborne, 12th Duke of Leeds
Remainder tothe first Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles
  • Marquess of Carmarthen
  • Earl of Danby
  • Viscount Osborne
  • Viscount Latimer
  • Viscount Dunblane
  • Baron Godolphin
Extinction date20 March 1964
SeatHornby Castle
Former seatKiveton Hall
Close
Kiveton Hall

History

The Dukedom was named for Leeds in Yorkshire, and did not (as is sometimes claimed) refer to Leeds Castle in Kent.

The 4th Duke married Mary Godolphin, daughter of Henrietta Churchill Godolphin, suo jure Duchess of Marlborough, and The 2nd Earl of Godolphin, and assumed the arms of Godolphin and Churchill.[3]

On 8 August 1849, The 7th Duke of Leeds assumed by royal licence the additional surname and arms of D'Arcy, for the separate baronies of D'Arcy (1322) and Conyers that he inherited through his grandmother.[4][5]

Upon the death of the 7th Duke in 1859, the dukedom passed to his cousin, The 2nd Baron Godolphin, whose father (the second son of The 5th Duke of Leeds) had been created Baron Godolphin, of Farnham Royal in the County of Buckingham, in 1832.[2]

The 11th Duke was married three times; he had a daughter, Lady Camilla Osborne, but no son. Upon his death in 1963, the dukedom passed to his cousin, Sir D'Arcy Osborne, a diplomat.[6] Eight months later, the 12th Duke died in Rome, unmarried, at which point the dukedom and the Barony of Godolphin became extinct.[7]

The heir apparent to the Duke of Leeds was styled Marquess of Carmarthen; Lord Carmarthen's heir apparent was styled Earl of Danby; and Lord Danby's heir apparent was styled Viscount Latimer.

Estates and residences

The principal ducal seat was Kiveton Hall.[8] After Kiveton Hall was demolished in 1811, Hornby Castle became the main seat of the Dukes of Leeds.[9]

George Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds Duke died in 1927, and approximately £300,000 in death duties were levied on his £730,000 estate.[10] The combination of estate tax and the 10th Duke's significant gambling debts resulted in his son John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds selling the Hornby Castle estate for £250,000 in early 1930.[11][12] A demolition sale of much of the house's contents was held in June 1930 and realised £15,000.[13]

The traditional burial place of the Dukes of Leeds was All Hallows Church, Harthill, South Yorkshire.[2]

London residences

George Osborne, 8th Duke of Leeds maintained a London home in Portman Square prior to his death in 1872.[14] His son George Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds leased No. 14 South Audley Street, Mayfair from 1874 until early 1877.[15][16] By May 1877 the 9th Duke had taken a lease of No. 11 Grosvenor Crescent in Belgravia, which continued to be the London residences of the Dukes of Leeds until George Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds died there in May 1927,[17][18] although an unsuccessful attempt was made to sell the remaining lease of the house at auction in September 1919.[19] The 10th Duke's widow Katherine, Duchess of Leeds sold much of the house's contents in early 1928,[20] and by 1930 the house was being used as accommodation for members of the Duke of York's household.[21]

Osborne Baronets, of Kiveton (1620)

  • Sir Edward Osborne, 1st Baronet (1596–1647)
  • Sir Thomas Osborne, 2nd Baronet (1632–1712) (created Viscount Osborne in 1673, Earl of Danby in 1674, Marquess of Carmarthen in 1689 and Duke of Leeds in 1694)

Dukes of Leeds (1694)

Other titles (6th & 7th Dukes): Baron Darcy de Knayth (1322) and Baron Conyers (1509)
Other titles (8th Duke onwards): Baron Godolphin (1832)

Family tree

  • Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
    Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
  • All Hallows Church, Harthill, South Yorkshire
    All Hallows Church, Harthill, South Yorkshire
  • Ancestral arms of the Osborne family: Quarterly ermine and azure, over all a cross or
    Ancestral arms of the Osborne family: Quarterly ermine and azure, over all a cross or
  • The sign for the Duke of Leeds public house, Leedstown, Cornwall
    The sign for the Duke of Leeds public house, Leedstown, Cornwall

Notes

  1. [1]
    Some sources indicate that Osborne held two Scottish viscountcies – "of Osborne" and "of Dunblane", although this may be a confusion of the full form "Osborne of Dunblane".

References

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