The Malet Baronetcy, of Wilbury in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 24 February 1791 for Charles Malet, for diplomatic services in India.[1]
The second Baronet was Minister to the German Confederation from 1852 to 1866. The fourth Baronet was Ambassador to Germany between 1884 and 1895. The seventh baronet was a Colonel in the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, who served in the Boer War and the First World War and was awarded a DSO and OBE.[2] The eighth Baronet was also a Colonel in the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, and High Sheriff of Somerset from 1966 to 1967.
Around 1803, the first baronet bought Wilbury Park, an 18th-century house in extensive grounds, in Newton Tony parish, north-east of Salisbury.[3] The estate and its farms remained in Malet ownership until they were sold by the 7th baronet, around 1925.
Newton Tony parish church was rebuilt in 1844, at the expense of (according to one source) the Malet family.[4] Inside are monuments to several generations of Malets. The village pub is called the Malet Arms;[5] that name has been adopted in turn by several inns since the mid-19th century.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son Charles Edward St. Lo Malet (born 1970).
The Malet (pronounced "Mallet") family is of great antiquity. William Malet accompanied William the Conqueror to England, and his son Robert was the first Lord Great Chamberlain of England. Another William Malet was among the guarantors of Magna Carta.
Sir Baldwin Malet was Solicitor-General to Henry VIII. Sir Thomas Malet (1582–1665) was granted a baronetcy for his services during the Civil War but did not take it up.[6]