Baron FitzHugh

The remains of Ravensworth Castle, where the FitzHugh family lived until the 16th century.

Baron FitzHugh, of Ravensworth, is an abeyant title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1321 for Sir Henry FitzHugh. The title passed through the male line until the death of the seventh baron, George FitzHugh, in 1513 when it became abeyant between his great-aunts Alice, Lady Fiennes and Elizabeth, Lady Parr, and to this day their descendants (listed below). The family seat was Ravensworth Castle.

Barons FitzHugh (1321)

• Henry FitzHugh, 1st Baron FitzHugh (d. 1356)
• Hugh FitzHugh, 2nd Baron FitzHugh (d. 1386)
  • Married Joan Scrope, daughter of Henry Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Masham.
• Henry FitzHugh, 3rd Baron FitzHugh (c. 1358–1425)
  • A Knight of the Garter. Served in the French wars with Henry V. Held an important position at the court of Henry IV; was made Constable of England at the coronation of Henry V, and seems to have been on intimate terms with both these monarchs. Was in charge of Princess Philippa of England, daughter of Henry IV, during her journey to Lund, Sweden in 1406 to be married to King Eric XIII. Married Elizabeth Grey, granddaughter of the 2nd Baron Grey of Rotherfield, one of the original Knights of the Garter instituted at its foundation in 1344. They had thirteen children, including Robert FitzHugh and Eleanor FitzHugh, wife of Philip Darcy, 6th Baron Darcy de Knayth. In 1423, jewels worth £40,000 (about £500,000 in today's valuation) were delivered to Sir Henry by a grateful Henry V.^[1]
• William FitzHugh, 4th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1399–1452)
  • Married Margery Willoughby, daughter of William, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby and Lucy le Strange. They had seven daughters and one son, the 5th Baron.^[2]
• Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1429–1472)
  • Married Lady Alice Neville. They had five sons and six daughters, including Elizabeth, who married William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal and then Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden. From her first marriage, Elizabeth was the mother of Sir Thomas Parr and paternal grandmother of Queen consort and last wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr.^[3]
• Richard FitzHugh, 6th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1458–1487), son of Henry, married Elizabeth Burgh, daughter of Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Borough of Gainsborough.
• George FitzHugh, 7th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1487–1513), son of Richard, married Katherine Dacre, daughter of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre and Mabel Parr (great-aunt to Catherine Parr); they had no children. The title became abeyant with his death in 1513.

Co-heirs

The current co-heirs to the barony are the descendants of Alice FitzHugh and Anne Parr, Countess of Pembroke, granddaughter of Elizabeth FitzHugh, both daughters of the 5th Baron FitzHugh:

• James Thomas Archibald Douglas-Home, 29th Baron Dacre (b. 1952)
• Tessa Ogilvie Thompson (b. 1934)
• Francis Brand, 7th Viscount Hampden (b. 1970)
• William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke (b. 1978)

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
2. editor, Douglas Richardson ; Kimball G. Everingham,. Plantagenet ancestry : a study in colonial and medieval families (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City, UT.: Douglas Richardson. p. 83. ISBN 9781449966348.
3. Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2004), page 326, 566.

Sources

• Crofts Peerage Online Baron FitzHugh