Viscount Exmouth, of Canonteign in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The title was created in 1816 for the prominent naval officer Edward Pellew, 1st Baron Exmouth. He had already been created a baronet in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 18 March 1796 for rescuing the crew of the East Indiaman Dutton. After a succession of commands culminating as Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, he was created Baron Exmouth, of Canonteign in the County of Devon, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1814. He was created a Viscount, with the same designation, for the successful bombardment of Algiers in 1816, which secured the release of the 1,000 Christian slaves in the city.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Viscount, who represented Launceston in Parliament. On the death in 1922 of the second Viscount's great-grandson, the fifth Viscount, this line of the family failed. He was succeeded by his 94-year-old first cousin twice removed, the sixth Viscount. He was the son of the Very Reverend and Hon. George Pellew, Dean of Norwich, third son of the first Viscount. Partly due to having become a U.S. citizen, and partly due to his advanced age, the sixth Viscount did not use his title for the brief period he held it, nor did he claim his seat in the House of Lords. Only six months after succeeding to his titles, the sixth Viscount died. He was succeeded by his son, the seventh Viscount, a naturalised U.S. citizen and professor of chemistry. Having succeeded to the peerage, the seventh Viscount returned to England in 1923 and again became a British subject, taking his seat in the House of Lords in 1931. Upon his death without any surviving issue in 1945, this line of the family also failed.
The title then passed to the seventh Viscount's second cousin, the eighth Viscount. He was the grandson of the Reverend and Hon. Edward Pellew, fourth son of the first Viscount. His son, the ninth Viscount, married María Luisa de Urquijo y Losada, , a title of Spanish nobility that was created by King Philip IV in 1652.[1] They were succeeded in their respective titles by their son, Paul Pellew, as 10th Viscount Exmouth and 9th Marquess of Olías.
The family seat was Canonteign House, near Exeter in Devon.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. Edward Francis Pellew (born 1978).
| Escutcheon: | Gules a lion passant guardant in chief two chaplets of laurel Or on a chief of augmentation wavy a representation of Algiers with a British Man-of-War before it all Proper. |
| Crest: | Upon the waves of the sea the wreck of the Dutton East Indianman upon a rocky shore off Plymouth garrison all Proper. |
| Supporters: | Dexter a lion rampant guardant Or navally crowned Azure resting the dexter paw upon a decrescent Argent, sinister a male figure representing slavery trowsers Argent striped Azure the upper part of the body naked holding in the dexter hand broken chains Proper the sinister arm elevated and holding a cross Or. |
| Motto: | Deo Adjuvante (over the crest), Algiers (under the shield) [2] |