Did the title "Lord Middleton" mean anything once the Willoughby family no longer lived at Middleton Hall?

Anciently baron was a term given to the nobility but these barons were divided into two types. The first were the greater barons who held their lands by knight service directly from the king. The second were the lesser barons who were the lords of the manor. Despite being called it, the lesser barons could not use the term baron or lord as a title.

The greater barons were offered the opportunity to attend the King’s Council, which evolved into Parliament and subsequently the House of Lords. After Magna Carta, the lesser barons elected two from their number from each Shire and these formed the earliest form of what became the House of Commons. This effectively limited the title of baron and the duties associated with peerages to the greater barons. All appointees to the House of Lords, even to this day, have been awarded the nobility rank of baron and are addressed as “The Noble Lord”.

With the end of the feudal system in the 17th century, the connection between land-holding and titles was broken. Thus, the title from this point was not connected to any form of geography and instead was only connected to the person it was conveyed upon.

The first Lord Middleton was Thomas Willoughby, who became the 1st Baron Middleton on 1st January 1712. He was elevated to the House of Lords as one of Harley’s Dozen. Thomas suggested the name of his barony, as all Lords do. However, there are some restrictions. First, there cannot be two peers of the same name or close enough that confusion could occur and, second, that it must be a name or place to which they have some connection. They have to take into account the names awarded in other ranks of nobility to avoid confusion as well.

Portrait of Thomas Willoughby, 1st Lord Middleton. Courtesy of Lord Middleton

The first obvious choice would have been Baron Willoughby. However, that name was already taken. There were the Barons Willoughby de Eresby, who were the original Barons Willoughby but subsequently had to add the Eresby in order to avoid confusion. There was also the Barons Willoughby of Parham and the Barons Willoughby of Broke. The original surname of the Willoughby family of Middleton Hall was actually Bugge and they changed it to the name of their first manor: Willoughby after Willoughby-on-the-Wolds in Nottinghamshire. Willoughby of Willoughby was said to have failed the “not confusing” rule.

The second manor that they had acquired was Wollaton in Nottinghamshire. In 1677, Thomas’ elder brother, Francis, was awarded the title of Baronet Wollaton. Francis was awarded it when he was only nine years old in posthumous recognition of his father’s work on natural history (Francis Willughby FRS). A baronet ranks just below a baron but has none of the privileges of that rank. Thomas had inherited the title and was 2nd Baronet Wollaton at the time he was elevated to the Lords. Hence, Wollaton was stated to have been invalid too because it was already in use in another noble rank.

The third manor they acquired, through marriage, was Middleton. There was no Barony of Middleton, nor anything similar, and hence it was permissible for it to become the title. The current Lord Middleton is Michael Willoughby, 13th Baron Middleton, and the primary family seat, as a result of both Middleton Hall and Wollaton Hall having been sold to pay for death duties in 1924, is now Birdsall House near Malton in Yorkshire.

Question provided by - David Garrick-Titley.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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