monarch image article_title name peerage
anne 200px earl of dartmouth
 earldom of dartmouth peerage of great britain
earl of dartmouth

earl of dartmouth is a title in the peerage of great britain .
it was created in 1711 for william legge , 2nd baron dartmouth .
the legge family descended from edward legge , vice-president of munster .
his eldest son william legge was a royalist army officer and close associate of prince rupert of the rhine .
on the restoration , charles ii offered to create him an earl , but legge declined .
his son george legge was a prominent naval commander .
in 1682 he was raised to the peerage of england as baron dartmouth , of dartmouth in the county of devon .
his son was the aforementioned second baron , who notably served as secretary of state for the southern department between 1710 and 1713 .
in 1711 he was created viscount lewisham , in the county of kent , and earl of dartmouth , in the peerage of great britain .
he was succeeded by his grandson , the second earl .
he was the only son of george legge , viscount lewisham -lrb- d. 1732 -rrb- , eldest son of the first earl , who had died before his father .
he was also an influential politician and served as secretary of state for the colonies and first lord of trade between 1772 and 1775 .
the american ivy league school dartmouth college in hanover , new hampshire , was named for the second earl by congregational minister eleazar wheelock .
his eldest son , the third earl , was summoned to the house of lords through a writ of acceleration as baron dartmouth in june 1801 .
soon after , in july 1801 , he succeeded his father in the earldom .
lord dartmouth held office as president of the board of control between 1801 and 1802 .
on his death the titles passed to his eldest son , the fourth earl .
he briefly represented milborne port in parliament before succeeding in the earldom .
his only child from his first marriage , the fifth earl , was a conservative politician and also served as lord lieutenant of staffordshire .
his eldest son , the sixth earl , was also a conservative politician and served twice as vice-chamberlain of the household .
the latter was succeeded by his eldest son , the seventh earl .
he married lady ruperta , daughter of the 1st marquess of lincolnshire .
lady ruperta inherited a share of the office of lord great chamberlain from her father , and after his father-in-law 's death in 1928 lord dartmouth acted as deputy lord great chamberlain until the death of george v in 1936 .
his only son william legge , viscount lewisham , was killed at el alamein in 1942 , and dartmouth was consequently succeeded by his younger brother , humphry , the eight earl .
as of 2014 the titles are held by the latter 's grandson , the tenth earl , who succeeded his father in 1997 .
lord dartmouth has been a member of the european parliament for the united kingdom independence party since 2009 .
several other members of the legge family have also gained distinction .
the hon. henry bilson-legge , fourth son of the first earl , was a politician and served three times as chancellor of the exchequer .
sir arthur kaye legge , sixth son of the second earl , was an admiral in the royal navy .
the hon. edward legge , seventh son of the second earl , was bishop of oxford .
the hon. heneage legge , second son of the third earl , sat as member of parliament for banbury .
arthur legge , fourth son of the third earl , was a general in the british army and member of parliament for banbury .
the hon. augustus legge , fifth son of the fourth earl , was bishop of lichfield .
the hon. heneage legge , sixth son of the fourth earl , was member of parliament for st george 's hanover square .
the family seat is blakelea house , near marsden , west yorkshire , though there was also a family home at sandwell hall -lrb- since demolished -rrb- in the sandwell valley , and patshull hall , near pattingham , staffordshire .
dartmouth park in london also belonged to the family .
