| Barony of Rayleigh | |
| Creation Date: | 1821[1] |
| Present Holder: | John Gerald Strutt, 6th Baron Rayleigh |
| Family Seat: | Terling Place |
| Motto: | Tenax propositi (Latin for 'Tenacious of purpose') |
Baron Rayleigh, of Terling Place in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 18 July 1821 for Lady Charlotte Strutt, wife of Colonel Joseph Strutt, Member of Parliament for Maldon.
Joseph Strutt had earlier declined the offer of a peerage, 'under a cloak of false humility',[2] and instead proposed that the honour be given to his wife. She was the daughter of James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, and his wife Lady Emily Lennox, the second of the famous Lennox sisters. Her elder brother was Charles FitzGerald, 1st Baron Lecale, and her younger brother was Lord Edward FitzGerald.
The title is currently held by the fourth Baron's grandson, the sixth Baron, who succeeded his uncle in 1988. The family seat is Terling Place in Essex.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. John Frederick Strutt (b. 1993).
Notable members of the Strutt family include: