| Earldom of Chichester | |
| Creation Date: | 23 June 1801 |
| Creation: | Third |
| Heir Presumptive: | Richard Anthony Henry Pelham |
| Remainder To: | Heirs male of the first earl's body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary Titles: | Baron Pelham Baronet 'of Laughton' |
| Motto: | VINCIT AMOR PATRIÆ (The love of my country prevails) |
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The current title was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baron Pelham of Stanmer.[1]
Modern sources occasionally refer to medieval earls of Chichester in regard to the d'Aubignys, Earls of Arundel (created 1143) and/or the (de) Montgomeries, Earls of Shrewsbury (created 1074), previously seized of the fiefdom of and castle of Arundel. As earldoms in that era were less defined - an earl could be referred to by various place names, such as the name of the place where he officiated - reference to those holders as such is deprecated.[1]
The first formal creation of the earldom was in the Peerage of England in 1644, when Francis Leigh, 1st Baron Dunsmore was made Earl of Chichester (in the County of Sussex), with remainder to his son-in-law Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton (the husband of his daughter Elizabeth). He had already been made a baronet, of Newnham, Warwickshire, in 1618 (in the Baronetage of England),[2] with remainder to the heirs male of his body, and Baron Dunsmore of Dunsmore, Warwickshire, in 1628 (in the Peerage of England), with special remainder to his stepson John Anderson (the son of his second wife Audrey Boteler and Sir Francis Anderson).[1]
Lord Chichester as predicted had no sons. On his death in 1653 his baronetcy became extinct, equally the barony of Dunsmore as his stepson Sir John (who was conferred a baronetcy in 1629) had died childless in 1630. The earldom passed to Lord Southampton (see Earl of Southampton for earlier history of this title), who had no male issue; on his death in 1667 both earldoms became extinct.[1]
See main article: Baron Leigh and Leigh baronets.
See main article: Duke of Southampton. The title was created again in the Peerage of England in 1675 however as a subsidiary/courtesy title when Charles Fitzroy, illegitimate son of Charles II and Barbara Villiers, was created Duke of Southampton, Earl of Chichester and Baron Newbury. These titles ended in 1774 on the death of the third holder, who was in the third generation.
Henry's older brother became the second Baron and served as Prime Minister 1754-1756 and 1757–1762. He inherited vast estates on the death of John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1662–1711) (his mother's brother) and took by Royal licence the additional surname 'Holles' in 1711. In 1714 the Earldom of Clare was revived in his favour with special remainder to his younger brother, the earlier Prime Minister. Surpassing this, the next year his maternal uncle's title was revived; he was made Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne with similar remainder to his younger brother Henry.
In 1756, Henry Pelham having died without male issue, the childless Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne was created Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne which bore special remainder to Henry Pelham-Clinton, 9th Earl of Lincoln - son of his sister Lucy, wife of Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln) (this 9th Earl, created 2nd Duke, married his first cousin Catherine, daughter of Henry). In 1762 he was also made Baron Pelham of Stanmer which bore special remainder to his first cousin once removed Thomas Pelham.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was also an influential politician and held office as Chief Secretary for Ireland, as Home Secretary and as Postmaster General. In 1801, during his father's lifetime, he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Pelham of Stanmer. His eldest son, the third Earl, was Lord Lieutenant of Sussex from 1860 to 1886. On his death, the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Earl. He sat as Liberal Member of Parliament for Lewes. He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fifth Earl. He was an Anglican cleric including Rector of Lambeth.
The fifth Earl was succeeded by his eldest son, the sixth Earl, who died of pneumonia on 14 November 1926, age 55.[4] His eldest son succeeded but also died of pneumonia having been Earl for eight days, on 22 November.[5] He was succeeded by his younger brother, the eighth Earl, who was killed in a road accident in Doncaster while on active service in the Second World War.[6] He was succeeded by his son, the ninth Earl, born seven weeks after his father's death. If the ninth earl had been born a girl or had not survived early childhood, the title would have passed to Henry George Godolphin Pelham (1875–1949), second son of the fifth Earl.[6] The ninth Lord Chichester has served as a board member of music institutions.
The family laid out Stanmer Park and had built and lavishly decorated successions of Stanmer House, Stanmer, East Sussex which it acquired in 1713. In 1947, death duties following the unexpected deaths of three earls from 1926 to 1944 forced trustees for the then-3-year-old ninth earl to sell the estate to a local Council, the Brighton Corporation. The senior branch of the family owns and occupies Little Durnford Manor, Durnford, Wiltshire since 1966.
The heir presumptive is the present holder's second cousin, Richard Anthony Henry Pelham (b. 1952). He is the grandson of Henry George Godolphin Pelham, second son of the fifth Earl.
The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his eldest son, Duncan James Bergengren Pelham (b. 1987).