BARONETAGE
Last updated 27/09/2012
Names of baronets shown in blue 
have not yet proved succession and, as a
result, their name has not yet been placed on
the Official Roll of the Baronetage.
Date Type Order Name Born Died  Age
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the baronet was
baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate 
that the baronet was buried on that date
CONROY of Llanbrynmair,Montgomery
7 Jul 1837 UK 1 John Conroy 21 Oct 1786 2 Mar 1854 67
For further information of this baronet, see the
note at the foot of this page.
2 Mar 1854 2 Edward Conroy 6 Dec 1809 3 Nov 1869 59
3 Nov 1869 3 John Conroy 16 Aug 1845 15 Dec 1900 55
to     Extinct on his death
15 Dec 1900
CONSTABLE of Flamborough,Yorks
29 Jun 1611 E 1 William Constable c 1580 15 Jun 1655
to     MP for Yorkshire 1626, Scarborough 1628-
15 Jun 1655 1629 and Knaresborough 1641-1653
Extinct on his death
CONSTABLE of Boynton,Yorks
30 Jul 1641 E See "Strickland-Constable"
CONSTABLE of Everingham,Yorks
20 Jul 1642 E 1 Philip Constable c 1595 25 Feb 1664
25 Feb 1664 2 Marmaduke Constable 22 Apr 1619 c 1680
c 1680 3 Philip Mark Constable 25 Apr 1651 c 1710
c 1710 4 Marmaduke Constable 7 Aug 1682 Jul 1746 63
to     Extinct on his death
Jul 1746
CONSTABLE of Tixall,Staffs
22 May 1815 UK   See "Clifford-Constable"
       
 
           
CONWAY of Bodrythan,Flint
25 Jul 1660 E 1 Henry Conway 22 Feb 1635 4 Jun 1669 34
MP for Flintshire 1661-1669
4 Jun 1669 2 John Conway c 1663 27 Apr 1721
to     MP for Flintshire 1685-1687, 1695-1701,
27 Apr 1721 1705-1708 and 1713-1715 and Flint 1702,
1708-1713 and 1715-1721
Extinct on his death
CONYERS of Horden,Durham
14 Jul 1628 E 1 John Conyers 6 Dec 1664
Dec 1664 2 Christopher Conyers 28 Mar 1621 Oct 1693 72
Oct 1693 3 John Conyers c 1649 14 Sep 1719
14 Sep 1719 4 Baldwin Conyers c 1681 17 Apr 1731
17 Apr 1731 5 Ralph Conyers 20 Jun 1697 22 Nov 1767 70
22 Nov 1767 6 Blakiston Conyers Oct 1791
Oct 1791 7 Nicholas Conyers 27 Jul 1729 1796 66
1796 8 George Conyers c 1800
c 1800 9 Thomas Conyers 12 Sep 1731 15 Apr 1810 78
to     Extinct on his death
15 Apr 1810
COOK of Brome Hall,Norfolk
29 Jun 1663 E 1 William Cook c 1600 1681
1681 2 William Cook c 1630 Jan 1708
to     MP for Great Yarmouth 1685-1687 and
Jan 1708 Norfolk 1689-1695 and 1698-1701
Extinct on his death
COOK of Doughty House,Surrey
10 Mar 1886 UK 1 Francis Cook 23 Jan 1817 17 Feb 1901 84
17 Feb 1901 2 Frederick Lucas Cook 21 Nov 1844 21 May 1920 75
MP for Kennington 1895-1906
21 May 1920 3 Herbert Frederick Cook 18 Nov 1868 4 May 1939 70
4 May 1939 4 Francis Ferdinand Maurice Cook 21 Dec 1907 12 Sep 1978 70
12 Sep 1978 5 Christopher Wymondham Rayner Herbert
Cook 24 Mar 1938
COOKE of Wheatley,Yorks
10 May 1661 E 1 George Cooke 8 Jul 1628 16 Oct 1683 55
16 Oct 1683 2 Henry Cooke 29 Oct 1633 16 Dec 1689 55
Dec 1689 3 George Cooke 16 May 1662 18 Oct 1732 70
MP for Aldborough 1698-1700
Oct 1732 4 Bryan Cooke 17 Dec 1684 25 Oct 1734 49
MP for East Retford 1711-1713
25 Oct 1734 5 George Cooke 14 Mar 1714 16 Aug 1756 42
16 Aug 1756 6 Bryan Cooke 11 Aug 1717 4 Mar 1766 48
4 Mar 1766 7 George Cooke c 1745 2 Jun 1823
2 Jun 1823 8 William Bryan Cooke 3 Mar 1782 24 Dec 1851 69
24 Dec 1851 9 William Ridley Charles Cooke 5 Oct 1827 27 Sep 1894 66
27 Sep 1894 10 William Henry Charles Wemyss Cooke 21 Jun 1872 11 Jun 1964 91
11 Jun 1964 11 Charles Arthur John Cooke 12 Nov 1905 5 Jul 1978 72
5 Jul 1978 12 David William Perceval Cooke 28 Apr 1935
  COOKE of Dublin
28 Dec 1741 I 1 Samuel Cooke after 1690 9 Feb 1758
to     Extinct on his death
10 Feb 1758
COOKE of Brighthelmstone,Sussex
1 Mar 1926 UK See "Kinloch-Cooke"
COOKES of Norgrove,Worcs
24 Dec 1664 E 1 William Cookes c 1618 c 1672
c 1672 2 Thomas Cookes c 1649 8 Jun 1701
to     Extinct on his death
8 Jun 1701
COOPER of Rockbourne,Hants
4 Jul 1622 E 1 John Cooper 23 Mar 1631
MP for Poole 1625 and 1628-1629
23 Mar 1631 2 Anthony Ashley Cooper 22 Jul 1621 21 Jan 1683 61
He was subsequently created Earl of
Shaftesbury (qv) in 1672 with which title
the baronetcy remains merged
  COOPER of Dublin
3 Oct 1758 I 1 William Cooper 1689 8 Aug 1761 72
to     Extinct on his death
8 Aug 1761
COOPER of Gadebridge,Herts
31 Aug 1821 UK 1 Astley Paston Cooper 23 Aug 1768 12 Feb 1841 72
For further information on this baronet,see the
note at the foot of this page
12 Feb 1841 2 Astley Paston Cooper 13 Jan 1798 6 Jan 1866 67
6 Jan 1866 3 Astley Paston Cooper (Paston-Cooper
from 1884) 23 Feb 1824 19 Oct 1904 80
19 Oct 1904 4 Charles Naunton Paston Paston-Cooper 27 Sep 1867 4 Dec 1941 74
4 Dec 1941 5 Henry Lovick Cooper 2 Apr 1875 25 Aug 1959 84
25 Aug 1959 6 Patrick Graham Astley Cooper 4 Aug 1918 15 Jun 2002 83
15 Jun 2002 7 Alexander Paston Astley Cooper 1 Feb 1943
COOPER of Walcot,Somerset
19 Feb 1828 UK 1 John Hutton Cooper 7 Dec 1765 24 Dec 1828 63
to     MP for Dartmouth 1825-1828
24 Dec 1828 Extinct on his death
COOPER of Woollahra,Australia
26 Jan 1863 UK 1 Daniel Cooper 1 Jul 1821 5 Jun 1902 80
5 Jun 1902 2 Daniel Cooper 15 Nov 1848 13 Jun 1909 60
13 Jun 1909 3 William Charles Cooper 22 Oct 1851 2 Sep 1925 73
2 Sep 1925 4 William George Daniel Cooper 14 Dec 1877 27 Dec 1954 77
27 Dec 1954 5 Charles Eric Daniel Cooper 5 Oct 1906 14 May 1984 77
14 May 1984 6 William Daniel Charles Cooper 5 Mar 1955
COOPER of Hursley,Hants
26 Jul 1905 UK 1 George Alexander Cooper 20 Feb 1856 1 Mar 1940 84
1 Mar 1940 2 George James Robertson Cooper 22 Jul 1890 5 Jan 1961 70
to     Extinct on his death
5 Jan 1961
COOPER of Shenstone Court,Staffs
20 Dec 1905 UK 1 Richard Powell Cooper 21 Sep 1847 30 Jul 1913 65
30 Jul 1913 2 Richard Ashmole Cooper 11 Aug 1874 5 Mar 1946 71
MP for Walsall 1910-1922
5 Mar 1946 3 William Herbert Cooper 7 Mar 1901 8 Jun 1970 69
8 Jun 1970 4 Francis Ashmole Cooper 9 Aug 1905 17 Jun 1987 81
17 Jun 1987 5 Richard Powell Cooper 13 Apr 1934 5 Mar 2006 71
5 Mar 2006 6 Richard Adrian Cooper 21 Aug 1960
COOPER of Berrydown Court,Hants
19 Oct 1920 UK 1 Edward Ernest Cooper 5 Feb 1848 12 Feb 1922 74
to     Extinct on his death
12 Feb 1922
COOPER of Singleton,Sussex
1 Jul 1941 UK 1 Francis D'Arcy Cooper Nov 1882 18 Dec 1941 59
to     Extinct on his death
18 Dec 1941
COOTE of Castle Cuffe,Queen's Co.
2 Apr 1621 I 1 Charles Coote 7 May 1642
7 May 1642 2 Charles Coote,later [1660] 1st Earl of Mountrath c 1610 18 Dec 1661
18 Dec 1661 3 Charles Coote,2nd Earl of Mountrath c 1630 30 Aug 1672
 
30 Aug 1672 4 Charles Coote,3rd Earl of Mountrath c 1635 29 May 1709
29 May 1709 5 Charles Coote,4th Earl of Mountrath c 1680 14 Sep 1715 73
14 Sep 1715 6 Henry Coote,5th Earl of Mountrath 4 Jan 1684 27 Mar 1720 36
27 Mar 1720 7 Algernon Coote,6th Earl of Mountrath 6 Jun 1689 27 Aug 1744 55
27 Aug 1744 8 Charles Henry Coote,7th Earl of Mountrath c 1725 1 Mar 1802
1 Mar 1802 9 Charles Henry Coote 2 Jan 1792 8 Oct 1864 72
MP for Queens County 1821-1847 and
1852-1859
8 Oct 1864 10 Charles Henry Coote Sep 1815 15 Nov 1895 80
For further information on this baronet,see the
note at the foot of this page
15 Nov 1895 11 Algernon Coote 29 Sep 1817 21 Nov 1899 82
21 Nov 1899 12 Algernon Charles Plumptre Coote 14 Dec 1847 22 Oct 1920 72
Lord Lieutenant Queens County 1900-1920
22 Oct 1920 13 Ralph Algernon Coote 22 Sep 1874 2 Jul 1941 66
2 Jul 1941 14 John Ralph Coote 10 Jan 1905 23 Jan 1978 73
23 Jan 1978 15 Christopher John Coote 22 Sep 1928
COOTE of Donnybrooke,Dublin
18 May 1774 I 1 Charles Coote,Earl of Bellamont 12 Apr 1738 20 Oct 1800 62
20 Oct 1800 2 Charles Coote 1765 25 May 1857 91
25 May 1857 3 Charles Coote 1798 5 Nov 1861 63
5 Nov 1861 4 Charles Algernon Coote 1847 1 Feb 1920 72
to     Extinct on his death
1 Feb 1920
COPE of Hanwell,Oxon
29 Jun 1611 E 1 Anthony Cope 19 Mar 1550 23 Jul 1615 65
MP for Banbury 1571-1584 and 1586-1601
and Oxfordshire 1604-1611 and 1614
Jul 1615 2 William Cope c 1577 2 Aug 1637
MP for Banbury 1604-1611,1614,1621-1622
and 1625 and Oxfordshire 1624-1625
2 Aug 1637 3 John Cope 28 Aug 1608 25 Oct 1638 50
Oct 1638 4 Anthony Cope 16 Nov 1632 11 Jun 1675 42
MP for Banbury 1660 and Oxfordshire 
1661-1675
11 Jun 1675 5 John Cope 19 Nov 1634 11 Jan 1721 86
MP for Oxfordshire 1679-1681 and 1689-1690
and Banbury 1699-1700
11 Jan 1721 6 John Cope 1 Dec 1673 8 Dec 1749 76
MP for Plympton Erle 1705-1708, Tavistock
1708-1727, Hampshire 1727-1734 and
Lymington 1734-1741
8 Dec 1749 7 Monoux Cope c 1696 29 Jun 1763
MP for Banbury 1722-1727 and Newport IOW
1741-1747
29 Jun 1763 8 John Mordaunt Cope c 1731 7 Mar 1779
7 Mar 1779 9 Richard Cope 6 Nov 1806
6 Nov 1806 10 Denzil Cope 18 Jun 1766 30 Dec 1812 46
30 Dec 1812 11 John Cope 22 Jul 1768 18 Nov 1851 83
18 Nov 1851 12 William Henry Cope 27 Feb 1811 7 Jan 1892 80
7 Jan 1892 13 Anthony Cope 9 Mar 1842 3 Nov 1932 90
3 Nov 1932 14 Denzil Cope 18 Sep 1873 3 Jun 1940 66
3 Jun 1940 15 Anthony Mohun Leckonby Cope 15 Jul 1927 13 May 1966 38
13 May 1966 16 Mordaunt Leckonby Cope 12 Feb 1878 7 Nov 1972 94
to     Extinct on his death
7 Nov 1972
  COPE of Brewern,Oxon
1 Mar 1714 GB 1 Jonathan Cope c 1692 28 Mar 1765
MP for Banbury 1713-1722
28 Mar 1765 2 Charles Cope c 1743 14 Jun 1781
14 Jun 1781 3 Charles Cope c 1770 25 Dec 1781
25 Dec 1781 4 Jonathan Cope c 1758 30 Dec 1821
to     Extinct on his death
30 Dec 1821
COPE of Osbaston Hall,Leics
6 Feb 1918 UK 1 Thomas Cope 22 Aug 1840 17 Oct 1924 84
17 Oct 1924 2 Thomas George Cope 10 Feb 1884 23 Aug 1966 82
to     Extinct on his death
23 Aug 1966
COPE of St Mellons,Monmouth
28 Jun 1928 UK 1 William Cope 18 Aug 1870 15 Jul 1946 75
He was subsequently created Baron Cope
(qv) in 1945 with which title the
baronetcy then merged until its extinction
in 1946
COPLEY of Sprotborough,Yorks
17 Jun 1661 E 1 Godfrey Copley 21 Feb 1623 17 Feb 1678 55
17 Feb 1678 2 Godfrey Copley c 1653 9 Apr 1709
to     MP for Aldborough 1679-1685 and Thirsk 
9 Apr 1709 1695-1709
Extinct on his death
  COPLEY of Sprotborough,Yorks
28 Aug 1778 GB 1 Joseph Copley 11 Apr 1781
11 Apr 1781 2 Lionel Copley c 1767 4 Mar 1806
MP for Tregony 1796-1802
For information on this baronet's death,see
the note at the foot of this page
4 Mar 1806 3 Joseph Copley c 1769 21 May 1838
21 May 1838 4 Joseph William Copley 27 Jul 1804 4 Jan 1883 78
to     Extinct on his death
4 Jan 1883
CORBET of Sprowston,Norfolk
4 Jul 1623 E 1 John Corbet c 1591 19 Jan 1628
MP for Norfolk 1624-1625 and Yarmouth
1625 and 1626
19 Jan 1628 2 John Corbet by 1649
by 1649 3 Thomas Corbet 1661
to     Extinct on his death
1661
CORBET of Stoke,Salop
19 Sep 1627 E 1 John Corbet 20 May 1594 Jul 1662 68
MP for Shropshire 1640-1648
Jul 1662 2 John Corbet c 1620 24 Feb 1665
Feb 1665 3 John Corbet c 1645 1695
1695 4 Robert Corbet c 1670 3 Oct 1740
MP for Shropshire 1705-1710 and 1715-1722
3 Oct 1740 5 William Corbet 1702 15 Sep 1748 46
MP for Montgomery 1727-1741 and
Ludlow 1741-1748
15 Sep 1748 6 Henry Corbet 7 May 1750
to     Extinct on his death
7 May 1750
CORBET of Moreton Corbet,Salop
29 Jan 1642 E 1 Vincent Corbet 13 Jun 1617 28 Dec 1656 39
MP for Shropshire 1640
28 Dec 1656 2 Vincent Corbet c 1642 4 Feb 1681
MP for Shropshire 1679-1680
4 Feb 1681 3 Vincent Corbet 22 May 1670 6 Aug 1688 18
to     Extinct on his death
6 Aug 1688
CORBET of Leighton,Montgomery
20 Jun 1642 E 1 Edward Corbett c 1655
c 1655 2 Richard Corbett 2 Sep 1640 1 Aug 1683 42
MP for Shrewsbury 1677-1681
1 Aug 1683 3 Uvedale Corbett c 1668 15 Oct 1701
15 Oct 1701 4 Richard Corbett 21 May 1696 25 Sep 1774 78
to     MP for Shrewsbury 1723-1727 and 1734-1754
25 Sep 1774 On his death the baronetcy probably became
extinct
CORBET of Stoke,Salop
27 Jun 1786 GB 1 Corbet Corbet 6 Feb 1752 31 Mar 1823 71
to     Extinct on his death
31 Mar 1823
CORBET of Moreton Corbet,Salop
3 Oct 1808 UK 1 Andrew Corbet 17 Dec 1766 6 Jun 1835 68
6 Jun 1835 2 Andrew Vincent Corbet 15 Jun 1800 13 Sep 1855 55
13 Sep 1855 3 Vincent Rowland Corbet 11 Aug 1821 22 May 1891 69
22 May 1891 4 Walter Orlando Corbet 11 Jul 1856 21 Dec 1910 54
21 Dec 1910 5 Roland James Corbet 19 Aug 1892 15 Apr 1915 22
15 Apr 1915 6 Gerald Vincent Corbet 29 Oct 1868 4 Mar 1955 86
4 Mar 1955 7 John Vincent Corbet 27 Feb 1911 20 Mar 1996 85
to     Extinct on his death
20 Mar 1996
CORBETT of Everley,Wilts
15 Aug 1821 UK See "Astley-Corbett"
CORDELL of Long Melford,Suffolk
22 Jun 1660 E 1 Robert Cordell c 1616 3 Jan 1680
MP Sudbury 1662-1679
Jan 1680 2 John Cordell 10 Nov 1646 9 Sep 1690 43
MP for Sudbury 1685-1687 and Suffolk 
1689-1690
 Sep 1690 3 John Cordell 11 Nov 1677 8 May 1704 26
to     MP for Sudbury 1701
8 May 1704 Extinct on his death
CORNEWALL of Moccas Court,Hereford
9 Aug 1764 GB 1 George Amyand 26 Sep 1720 16 Aug 1766 45
MP for Barnstaple 1754-1766
16 Aug 1766 2 George Amyand (Cornewall from 1771) 8 Nov 1748 26 Sep 1819 70
MP for Herefordshire 1774-1796 and 
1802-1807
26 Sep 1819 3 George Cornewall 16 Jan 1774 27 Dec 1835 61
27 Dec 1835 4 Velters Cornewall 20 Feb 1824 14 Oct 1868 44
14 Oct 1868 5 George Henry Cornewall 13 Aug 1833 25 Sep 1908 75
25 Sep 1908 6 Geoffrey Cornewall 7 May 1869 21 Jan 1951 81
21 Jan 1951 7 William Francis Cornewall 16 Nov 1871 18 May 1962 90
to     Extinct on his death
18 May 1962
  CORNISH of Sharnbrook,Berks
1 Feb 1766 GB 1 Samuel Cornish c 1715 30 Oct 1770
to     MP for New Shoreham 1765-1770
30 Oct 1770 Extinct on his death
CORNWALL of Holcombe Burnell,Devon
22 Jun 1918 UK 1 Edwin Andrew Cornwall 30 Jun 1863 27 Feb 1953 89
MP for Bethnal Green NE 1906-1922. PC 1921
27 Feb 1953 2 Reginald Edwin Cornwall 31 May 1887 29 Aug 1962 75
to     Extinct on his death
29 Aug 1962
CORNWALLIS of Brome,Suffolk
4 May 1627 E 1 Frederick Cornwallis 14 Mar 1611  7 Jan 1662 50
He was subsequently created Baron
Cornwallis (qv) in 1661 with which title
the baronetcy then merged until its
extinction in 1852
CORRIGAN of Cappagh,Dublin
5 Feb 1866 UK 1 Dominick John Corrigan 2 Dec 1802 1 Feb 1880 77
MP for Dublin 1870-1874
1 Feb 1880 2 John Joseph Corrigan 28 Dec 1859 23 Oct 1883 23
to     Extinct on his death
23 Oct 1883
CORRY of Dunraven,co.Antrim
15 Sep 1885 UK 1 James Porter Corry 8 Sep 1826 28 Nov 1891 65
MP for Belfast 1874-1885 and Armagh Mid
1886-1891
28 Nov 1891 2 William Corry 20 Mar 1859 9 Jun 1926 67
9 Jun 1926 3 James Perowne Ivo Myles Corry 10 Jun 1892 17 Feb 1987 94
17 Feb 1987 4 William James Corry 1 Aug 1924 2000 75
2000 5 James Michael Corry 3 Oct 1946
CORY of Llantarnam Abbey,Monmouth
27 Nov 1907 UK 1 Clifford John Cory 10 Apr 1859 3 Feb 1941 81
to     MP for St Ives 1906-1922 and 1923-1924
3 Feb 1941 Extinct on his death
CORY of Coryton,Glamorgan
13 May 1919 UK 1 James Herbert Cory 7 Feb 1857 7 Feb 1933 76
MP for Cardiff 1915-1918 and Cardiff
South 1918-1923
7 Feb 1933 2 Herbert George Donald Cory 31 Dec 1879 7 May 1935 55
7 May 1935 3 Vyvyan Donald Cory 2 Nov 1906 17 Mar 1941 34
17 Mar 1941 4 Clinton James Donald Cory 1 Mar 1909 28 Aug 1991 82
28 Aug 1991 5 Clinton Charles Donald Cory 13 Sep 1937
CORY-WRIGHT of Caen Wood Towers,
London,and Hornsey,Middlesex
28 Aug 1903 UK 1 Cory Francis Cory-Wright 11 Aug 1838 30 May 1909 70
30 May 1909 2 Arthur Cory Cory-Wright 18 Nov 1869 21 Apr 1951 81
21 Apr 1951 3 Geoffrey Cory-Wright 26 Aug 1892 23 Mar 1969 76
23 Mar 1969 4 Richard Michael Cory-Wright 17 Jan 1944
CORYTON of Newton,Cornwall
27 Feb 1662 E 1 John Coryton 29 Jul 1621 23 Aug 1680 59
MP for Callington 1660-1661 and 1679, Cornwall
1661-1679 and Launceston 1679-1680
Aug 1680 2 John Coryton 21 Jan 1648 30 Jul 1690 42
MP for Newport 1679-1681 and Callington 
1685-1690
Jul 1690 3 William Coryton 24 May 1650 6 Dec 1711 61
MP for Bossiney 1679, Newport 1679-1681,
Callington 1681, 1685-1687, 1695-1701 and
1703-1712 and Mitchell 1689
6 Dec 1711 4 John Coryton 3 Feb 1690 22 May 1739 49
to     MP for Callington 1713-1722 and 1727-1734
22 May 1739 Extinct on his death
COSIN-GERARD of Fiskerton,Lincs
17 Nov 1666 E See "Gerard"
  COTTER of Rockforest,co.Cork
11 Aug 1763 I 1 James Cotter 1714 9 Jun 1770 55
9 Jun 1770 2 James Laurence Cotter 1748 9 Feb 1829 80
9 Feb 1829 3 James Laurence Cotter c 1787 31 Dec 1834
MP for Mallow 1812-1818
31 Dec 1834 4 James Laurence Cotter 4 Apr 1828 10 Oct 1902 74
For information on his son,Ludlow Cotter,see
the note at the foot of this page
10 Oct 1902 5 James Laurence Cotter 11 Jul 1887 22 Aug 1924 37
22 Aug 1924 6 Delaval James Alfred Cotter 29 Apr 1911 2 Apr 2001 89
2 Apr 2001 7 Patrick Laurence Delaval Cotter 21 Nov 1941
COTTERELL of Garnons,Hereford
2 Nov 1805 UK 1 John Geers Cotterell 21 Sep 1757 26 Jan 1845 87
MP for Herefordshire 1802-1803 and
1806-1831
26 Jan 1845 2 John Henry Cotterell 20 Aug 1830 17 Feb 1847 16
17 Feb 1847 3 Geers Henry Cotterell 22 Aug 1834 17 Mar 1900 65
MP for Herefordshire 1857-1859
17 Mar 1900 4 John Richard Geers Cotterell 13 Jul 1866 13 Nov 1937 71
Lord Lieutenant Hereford 1904-1933
13 Nov 1937 5 Richard Charles Geers Cotterell 1 Jun 1907 5 Dec 1978 71
Lord Lieutenant Hereford 1945-1957
5 Dec 1978 6 John Henry Geers Cotterell 8 May 1935
COTTINGTON of Hanworth,Middlesex
16 Feb 1623 E 1 Francis Cottington c 1579 19 Jun 1652
He was subsequently created Baron
Cottington (qv) in 1631 with which title 
the baronetcy then merged until its 
extinction in 1652
COTTON of Connington,Hants
29 Jun 1611 E 1 Robert Cotton 22 Jan 1571 6 May 1631 60
MP for Newtown 1601, Huntingdonshire
1604-1611, Old Sarum 1624-1625, Thetford
1625 Castle Rising 1628-1629
6 May 1631 2 Thomas Cotton 1594 13 May 1662 67
MP for Great Marlow 1624-1625, St.Germans
1628-1629 and Huntingdonshire 1640
13 May 1662 3 John Cotton 9 Mar 1621 14 Sep 1702 81
MP for Huntingdon 1661-1679 and
Huntingdonshire 1685-1687
14 Sep 1702 4 John Cotton c 1680 5 Feb 1731
MP for Huntingdon 1705-1706 and
Huntingdonshire 1710-1713
5 Feb 1731 5 Robert Cotton c 1669 12 Jul 1749
12 Jul 1749 6 John Cotton 27 Mar 1752
to     Extinct on his death
27 Mar 1752
COTTON of Landwade,Cambs
14 Jul 1641 E 1 John Cotton Sep 1615 25 Mar 1689 73
25 Mar 1689 2 John Cotton c 1648 15 Jan 1713
MP for Cambridge 1689-1695,1696-1702 and
1705-1708
15 Jan 1713 3 John Hynde Cotton 7 Apr 1686 4 Feb 1752 65
MP for Cambridge 1708-1722 and 1727-1741,
Cambridgeshire 1722-1727 and Marlborough
1741-1752
4 Feb 1752 4 John Hynde Cotton c 1717 23 Jan 1795
MP for St.Germans 1741-1747, Marlborough
1752-1761 and Cambridgeshire 1764-1780
23 Jan 1795 5 Charles Cotton c 1758 24 Feb 1812
24 Feb 1812 6 St.Vincent Cotton 6 Oct 1801 25 Jan 1863 61
to     Extinct on his death
25 Jan 1863
  COTTON of Combermere,Cheshire
29 Mar 1677 E 1 Robert Cotton c 1635 18 Dec 1712
MP for Cheshire 1679-1681 and 1689-1702
18 Dec 1712 2 Thomas Cotton c 1672 12 Jun 1715
12 Jun 1715 3 Robert Salusbury Cotton 2 Jan 1695 27 Aug 1748 53
MP for Cheshire 1727-1734 and Lostwithiel
1741-1747. Lord Lieutenant Denbigh 1733-1748
27 Aug 1748 4 Lynch Salusbury Cotton c 1705 14 Aug 1775
MP for Denbighshire 1749-1774
14 Aug 1775 5 Robert Salusbury Cotton c 1739 24 Aug 1809
MP for Cheshire 1780-1796
24 Aug 1809 6 Stapleton Cotton 14 Nov 1773 21 Feb 1865 91
He was subsequently created Viscount
Combermere (qv) in 1827 with which title
the baronetcy remains merged
COTTON of Thornton Hall,Bucks
29 Sep 1809 UK   See "Sheppard"
 
 
COTTS of Coldharbour Wood,Sussex
15 Jun 1921 UK 1 William Dingwall Mitchell Cotts 15 Jul 1871 20 Jan 1932 60
MP for Western Isles 1922-1923
20 Jan 1932 2 William Campbell Cotts (Mitchell-Cotts from
9 Feb 1932)                                                    12 Apr 1902 20 Feb 1964 61
20 Feb 1964 3 Robert Crichton Mitchell Cotts 22 Oct 1903 17 Jan 1995 91
17 Jan 1995 4 Richard Crichton Mitchell Cotts 26 Jul 1946
COUPER of the Army
23 Jun 1841 UK 1 George Couper 1788 28 Feb 1861 72
28 Feb 1861 2 George Ebenezer Wilson Couper 29 Apr 1824 5 Mar 1908 83
Governor of NW Provinces 1877-1882
5 Mar 1908 3 Ramsay George Henry Couper 1 Nov 1855 20 Mar 1949 93
20 Mar 1949 4 Guy Couper 12 Mar 1889 30 Nov 1973 84
30 Nov 1973 5 George Robert Cecil Couper 15 Oct 1898 26 May 1975 76
26 May 1975 6 Robert Nicholas Oliver Couper 9 Oct 1945 9 May 2002 56
9 May 2002 7 James George Couper 27 Oct 1977
COURTAULD of Penny Pot,Essex
5 Jul 1939 UK 1 William Julien Courtauld Jun 1870 18 May 1940 69
to     Extinct on his death
18 May 1940
COURTEN of Aldington,Worcs
18 May 1622 E 1 Peter Courten c 1598 1624
to     Extinct on his death
1624
COURTENAY of Newcastle,Limerick
20 Dec 1621 I 1 George Courtenay c 1583 5 Mar 1644
5 Mar 1644 2 William Courtenay 1616 4 Feb 1652
   
4 Feb 1652 3 Francis Courtenay 1617 20 Mar 1660 42
20 Mar 1660 4 William Courtenay c 1659 c 1700
to     Extinct on his death
c 1700
COURTENAY of Powderham Castle,Devon
Feb 1644 E 1 William Courtenay 7 Sep 1628 1 Aug 1702 73
MP for Devon 1679-1685
1 Aug 1702 2 William Courtenay 11 Mar 1676 6 Oct 1735 59
MP for Devon 1701-1710 and 1712-1735
Lord Lieutenant Devon 1714-1716
6 Oct 1735 3 William Courtenay 11 Feb 1710 16 May 1762 52
He was subsequently created Viscount
Courtenay (qv) in 1762 with which title
the baronetcy then merged. At present the
baronetcy remains merged with the 
Earldom of Devon
COURTHOPE of Whiligh,Sussex
30 Jun 1925 UK 1 George Lloyd Courthope 12 Jun 1877 2 Sep 1955 78
He was subsequently created Baron
Courthope (qv) in 1945 with which title 
the baronetcy then merged until its
extinction in 1955
COVERT of Slaugham,Sussex
2 Jul 1660 E 1 John Covert 6 Jun 1620 11 Mar 1679 58
to     MP for Horsham 1661-1679
11 Mar 1679 Extinct on his death
COWAN of Beeslack,Midlothian
12 May 1894 UK 1 John Cowan 1814 26 Oct 1900 86
to     Extinct on his death
26 Oct 1900
COWAN of the Baltic
28 Jan 1921 UK 1 Walter Henry Cowan 11 Jun 1871 14 Feb 1956 84
to     Extinct on his death
14 Feb 1956
COWELL-STEPNEY of Llanelly,Carmarthen
22 Sep 1871 UK 1 John Stepney Cowell-Stepney 28 Feb 1791 15 May 1877 86
MP for Carmarthen 1868-1874
15 May 1877 2 Emile Algernon Arthur Keppell Cowell-
to     Stepney 26 Dec 1834  2 Jul 1909 74
2 Jul 1909 MP for Carmarthen 1876-1878 and 1886-92
Extinct on his death
For further information on this baronet,see
the note at the foot of this page
COWPER of Ratlingcourt,Kent
4 Mar 1642 E 1 William Cowper 7 Mar 1582 20 Dec 1664 82
20 Dec 1664 2 William Cowper 14 Dec 1639 26 Nov 1706 66
MP for Hertford 1679-1681 and 1689-1700
26 Nov 1706 3 William Cowper 24 Jun 1665 10 Oct 1723 58
He was subsequently created Earl Cowper
(qv) in 1718 with which title the
baronetcy then merged until its extinction
in 1905
Sir John Conroy, 1st baronet
Conroy was an Irish army officer who was appointed as private secretary and later Comptroller
of the Household of the Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria. Perhaps due to Conroy's
influence, the relationship between the Duchess's household and King William IV soon soured.
The Duchess offended the King by restricting his access to his young niece and by appropriat-
ing rooms in Kensington Palace that William had reserved for himself.
Conroy had high hopes for the Duchess and himself; he foresaw that Victoria might succeed to
the throne before she was of age, thus necessitating a regency headed by her mother, the
Duchess, with Conroy being, literally, the power behind the throne. But William IV lived long
enough to enable Victoria to reach her majority. The Duchess attempted to pressure the 
young Queen into signing a paper declaring Conroy her personal secretary, but she refused and 
dismissed Conroy from the Royal Household. She could not, however, dismiss him from the
Queen Mother's Household. As a consolation, she granted him a baronetcy, although it is
reported that Conroy felt that he deserved an least an earldom. He had previously been
knighted in August 1827.
His relationship with the Duchess of Kent was the subject of much speculation. Queen Victoria
was reported to have discovered her mother and Conroy engaged in a situation which led her
to believe that the two were more than mistress and servant. There were even rumours that 
Conroy was Victoria's father, but given that the Duchess and Conroy had never met until after
Victoria's conception, these rumours can be dismissed.
Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st baronet
Sir Astley Cooper was one of the leading lights of the medical profession during the first half of 
the 19th century. The following biography is taken from the Australian monthly magazine
"Parade" in its issue for February 1971:-
'In the 1830s when the elderly and ailing Sir Astley Cooper was sent for by a new patient, he
invariably ordered his valet to go on ahead and count the stairs leading to the invalid's bedroom.
If Cooper considered the climb too arduous he brusquely demanded that the patient be carried
downstairs before agreeing to attend him. Even then the doctor refused to be hurried. Before
leaving home he had to be freshly shaved, his hair dressed and his clothing inspected to ensure
that it was immaculate. One personal servant attended him in the sick room. Another, if
necessary, took over the kitchen and instructed the cook how to prepare the invalid's diet.
Kings, prime ministers and dukes down to the humblest individual sought his advice - Cooper
made not the slightest distinction between them.
 
'Few doctors would have dared to treat their patients in such a high-handed manner, but Sir
Astley Cooper, baronet and royal physician, was unique. For 30 years in the early 19th century
he dominated the British medical profession as the most brilliant, most sought-after and by far
the wealthiest physician of his age. The firebrand young doctor who once loudly rejoiced in the
French Revolution eventually boasted an income of £20,000 a year - a figure unheard of in his
field for a half a century to come. However, Astley Cooper was much more than merely a 
fashionable physician who often could look down on a queue of coroneted carriages lined up
outside his door. His treatment of heart and chest diseases, his lectures on anatomy and his
daring operating techniques set standards unsurpassed for generations after his death.
 
'The son of a parson and scion of an old landowning family, Astley Paston Cooper was born at
Brooke Hall near Norwich on August 23, 1768.  His destiny was decided on the day when an
uncle, a well-known London doctor, took him to witness an operation at Guys Hospital and
the boy was fascinated by the spectacle. On his 18th birthday he entered Guys as apprentice
to his uncle, but soon transferred to St. Thomas's to study under Henry Cline [1750-1827],
the most famous surgeon of the time. Impressed by Cooper's precocious skill, Cline took him
into his own household, allowed him to assist at operations and predicted that "the boy would
soon teach the master". 
 
'In 1789, before he was 21, Cooper was demonstrator in anatomy at St. Thomas's. Two years
later Cline appointed him joint lecturer with himself in surgery at the hospital. Cline's influence,
however, was not confined to medicine, for the surgeon's house was a meeting place for some
of the extreme radical politicians, journalists and artists of the day. The circle hailed with
jubilation the fall of the Bastille and the outbreak of the French Revolution and young Dr. Cooper
became one of their most ardent spokesmen. 
'When he married he insisted on demonstrating his republican enthusiasm by carrying his 
reluctant bride off to France for their honeymoon. The couple arrived in Paris in the late summer
of 1792 just as the terror was reaching its height. King Louis and Marie Antoinette were 
prisoners. Hundreds of aristocrats had been butchered as the mob swept through the gaols and
every day the tumbrels rattled over the cobbled roads to the guillotine. Unmoved by these 
horrors, Cooper attended meetings of the revolutionary Convention, applauded Robespierre's
harangues and wrote back to Britain that henceforth, he was the dedicated enemy of kings
and tyrants. Disillusion soon followed when he was mistaken for a French aristocrat and 
threatened with arrest. He fled as hastily as possible back to London.
'When Cooper was appointed surgeon at Guys Hospital a few years later he was only too glad
to make a solemn declaration that he had abandoned forever his principles of atheism and
republicanism. Thereafter, Cooper kept his political beliefs discreetly to himself and the 'apostles
of liberty' who met in Henry Cline's house knew him no more.
 
'By 1800 Cooper was not only the most renowned surgeon at Guys but his private practice was
increasing so fast that his working day extended from before dawn to after midnight. Often he
rose at 4 am to deliver his lectures while the shivering, sleepy-eyed students held candles to
illuminate the naked corpse laid out for dissection. The 'resurrection men' who plied the grisly
trade of digging up freshly buried bodies to sell to the doctors found him one of their most
profitable customers. And his rising wealth enabled him to pick and choose among the 
countless "specimens" surreptitiously carted by night to the door of his dissecting room at Guys.
'Once, giving evidence before a parliamentary enquiry into the traffic of body-snatching, Cooper
blandly declared: "There is no dead person, no matter what his station in life might have been,
whom I could not obtain if I were disposed to dissect him." The only effect of the law forbidding
the trade, said Cooper, was that it enhanced the price and made it difficult for poorer doctors 
to get all the corpses they needed. The thought that not even the remains of statesmen, 
nobility and gentry were safe from ending up in a sack destined for Cooper's dissecting table 
filled the committee with horror. Cooper's revealing frankness was bitterly assailed by the 
diehards of the College of Surgeons, but it made no difference to the clamour for his services 
from the public. 
'By the time he had reached his 40s the stripling radical had developed into a tall, burly, 
commanding figure with a ruddy face and an insatiable appetite for work. His dress and manners
were described as "splendid as any lord's", but beneath the courtesy was a domineering will-
power before which his grandest patients stood in awe. The fees he charged were staggering 
by the standards of the time, though Cooper always asserted that he carefully regulated them 
according to what the patient could pay. Once, when he was called to the bedside of a
notoriously rich and miserly West Indian planter, he bluntly demanded 1000 guineas before even
examining the patient. The invalid wailed that he could not possibly afford such a sum. Then, as
Cooper turned on his heel to go, he scribbled his signature on a note for the full amount, rolled 
it in his night-cap and flung it at the doctor's head. 
'Eventually Astley Cooper's earnings were reputed to be at least £20,000 a year, by far the
greatest fortune ever reaped by a medical practitioner up to his time. And his private practice 
was only one part of his work - the part that Cooper himself regarded as the least important of
his duties. Long before dawn he was busy at the dissecting table. "I believe I have lost a day
if I lay my head on the pillow at night without having cut something up that day," he once 
declared. The early morning was devoted to poorer patients who began gathering at his door at 
daybreak and were never turned away, no matter how humble or ragged. Then Cooper hurried 
to the hospital to operate and lecture until the afternoon before returning for consultations and 
visits to the rich and fashionable that usually lasted until midnight.
'In 1804 he published at his own expense a monumental volume on the treatment of hernias - 
losing 1000 guineas in the venture because he insisted on including hundreds of costly illust-
rative plates. However, the money meant little to him and this and other treatises in succeeding
years spread his reputation through every medical centre in Europe. Though many colleagues
envied his wealth and sneered at his passion for fine clothes, they were united in admiration for
his astonishing surgical skill.
 
'In Cooper's day there were no anaesthetics or antiseptics. It was taken for granted that 
probably one-third of the patients would die on the table from shock or from gangrene and
blood-poisoning afterwards. One of the secrets of success was speed, and Cooper operated
with a boldness and rapidity that no other surgeon in London dared to attempt. His outstanding
achievements were in operations on the heart and chest, especially in tying off the aortic 
artery in cases of aneurism - previously regarded as condemning the sufferer to almost certain
death.
'Among Cooper's host of eminent patients was Lord Liverpool, who became Prime Minister in
1812 during the Napoleonic Wars. One day late in 1820, shortly after George IV had succeeded
to the throne, Liverpool summoned the doctor and asked him if he would undertake an operation
on His Majesty. Not being one of the royal surgeons and wary of affronting his colleagues, 
Cooper hesitated until Liverpool told him that the King insisted on seeking his advice. The 
problem was a small, infected cyst on top of the royal head. The surgeons were well aware of 
the danger of operating so close to the brain and were only too glad to step aside in Cooper's 
favour. The operation was a complete success and King George was spared to enjoy another 10 
years of woman-chasing, guzzling and drinking before he joined his ancestors.
 
'His preserver became Sir Astley Cooper, baronet and royal physician, and the following decade
saw him at the pinnacle of his fame and fortune.  Moving to a mansion near St. James's Park, he
at last gave up his arduous hospital lectures to concentrate on private practice and perfecting
his operating techniques. He bought an estate in Hertfordshire intending to spend his spare time
in rural seclusion but soon his restless mind turned it also into an extension of his medical work.
He began buying cheap, broken­down cattle and horses in London's Smithfield market and
experimented in rejuvenating them before trying the methods on his human patients.
'By the 1830s, however, years of over-work and lack of sleep were taking their toll in recurrent
heart attacks and bouts of complete exhaustion. When friends urged him to retire he retorted
angrily: "A man who is not too old to study is not too old to be a physician." He refused
resolutely to give up his enormous practice, only making the concession that he would not climb
more than 20 stairs "to see the grandest man in the kingdom." Sir Astley Cooper was still in
harness when he died on February 12, 1841. At his own desire he was buried beneath the 
chapel of Guys Hospital, the institution that had been the scene of many of his historic feats
of surgery.'
 
Sir Charles Henry Coote, 10th baronet
Sir Charles' temper appears to have gotten the better of him in February 1867, when he
appeared in the police courts, as shown in the following report which appeared in the
'Glasgow Herald' of 1 March 1867:-
'Sir Charles Coote, Bart., of Connaught Place, Bayswater, and Ada Eliza Glover, of Norfolk 
Square, were brought before Sir Thomas Henry, at Bow Street, yesterday, under the
following circumstances: - Mr. Richardson, the station-master at the South-Eastern Railway
Terminus, Charing Cross, stated that a little before six on the previous evening his attention
was called to the female prisoner, who had already been several times put out of the station,
and persisted in coming back. She was the worse for liquor. He told her he could not allow
her to remain, and asked her where she wanted to go, and if he could do anything for her.
'At first she would give no reply, but at last she said she was waiting for a friend. At this point
the male defendant came into the station, and she ran up to him, threw her arms around his
neck, and told him that witness had insulted her. The male prisoner asked him what he meant
by insulting the lady. Witness replied that he had not done so. The prisoner called him a liar
and a scoundrel, and added - "Do you know who I am? I am Sir Charles Coote. Who are you?"
Witness said he was the station-master, and if the defendant would come into witness's office
he would give him every explanation. He refused to do so, and again accused him of insulting
the lady, and swore at him. Witness again denied having insulted the lady, upon which Sir 
Charles struck him on the chest. Witness then gave him in charge to Inspector Parker.
'Mr. Parker, Inspector of the South-Eastern Railway Police, stated that his attention was first
called to the female prisoner, about an hour previously. She was then the worse for liquor,
and was disputing with a cabman who had brought her to the station. He was demanding
payment of his fare, and also for two windows which she had broken. She gave the cabman a
sovereign, which he was unwilling to take, doubting whether it was a good one. Witness told 
him it was an Australian sovereign, for which they would give him change at the Banking Office.
The cabman went for the change, and witness wanted to see him give it to the prisoner,
deducting what he was entitled to. She went away, but returned in about 10 minutes. Witness
advised her to go away quietly, and offered to call a cab. She then hailed a hansom cab, and
proceeded to throw her umbrella into it, missing the first time, but succeeding on a second 
attempt. She did not get into the cab, but walked up and down the street in a very 
unbecoming manner, staggering and throwing her dress about. The cabman was driving off
when witness stopped him, took the umbrella out of the cab, and deposited it in the cloak
room, as she was incapable of taking care of it. She then went away in another cab with a 
woman dressed as a widow, and in about 10 minutes she returned, when witness called the
attention of the station-master to her.
'Mr. Parker then went on to corroborate Mr. Richardson's evidence, and added that as he was
removing Sir Charles from the platform the woman struck him several times. He put them both
into a cab to remove them to the police station, and she again struck him from within the cab.
It appears that the woman who got into the cab with the female defendant was recognised
as a thief by the policeman on duty in the Strand, who hinted to her that he should watch
her, suspecting that she meant to rob the lady. Upon this she got out of the cab. The lady's
purse was afterwards found in the cab by a gentleman, an M.P., who hired it to go down to 
the House, and who called at the King Street Station and left the purse there. It was
subsequently returned to the prisoner.
'Sir Charles Coote admitted the assault, but he said he was provoked to it, believing that the
lady had been insulted. He did not think she was intoxicated, though she might have been a
little excited. She was a very sober woman. In fact, he had never seen her the worse for
liquor during the six years that had lived together in Paris. He had agreed to take her over to
Folkestone, and not having a Bradshaw [a book of railway timetables] they could not tell the
hour at which the train started. She thought it was four o'clock, and arriving at that time had
to wait till six. During the interval, no doubt, she had some refreshment, including some sherry,
which perhaps did not agree with her, as she was not accustomed to it, being only in the 
habit of drinking light French wines. All this would not have happened if they had known the
correct time; and he must say it showed the danger of a lady going anywhere alone in London.
She might have waited two hours at any station in Paris without the least chance of being 
insulted.
'There were several other witnesses, but Sir Thomas Henry thought it unnecessary to call 
them, being satisfied with the evidence of Mr. Richardson and Inspector Parker. It was quite
clear that the female prisoner was drunk, and that the station-master had acted with great
forbearance towards her. He thought Sir Charles had acted in a rash and hasty manner, and 
had come to the conclusion that the woman had been insulted without sufficient grounds. At
all events, he was not justified in using such offensive language. He must pay £5 for the
assault, and £2 for the abusive language; and the female must pay £5 for the assault; or
three weeks' imprisonment each. The fines of course were paid.'
Sir Lionel Copley, 2nd baronet
Sir Lionel met with a particularly grisly death in March 1806. According to the 'Caledonian 
Mercury' of 13 March 1806, "The melancholy event which occasioned the death of this
gentleman has not been correctly stated. He had ascended a library ladder, from which he fell,
and broke his leg in so deplorable a manner, that the bone stuck deeply in the floor. A fever
ensued, and terminated in the death of the unfortunate gentleman.'
Sir Ludlow Cotter, son of Sir James Laurence Cotter, 4th baronet
Ludlow Cotter was the last person who was allowed to enjoy a privilege which had been
granted to all baronetcies created before 1827.
When the Baronetage was first created in 1611, members of the order were granted a number
of privileges, one of which was the right of knighthood for the eldest sons of baronets. The 
wording of the Letters Patent is as follows:_
'And further of Our special grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, We do hereby declare 
and express our true intent and meaning to have been, and do hereby promise and grant for Us, 
our heirs and successors, to and with such Gentlemen as now be, or at any time hereafter shall 
be Baronets; That so soon as they or any of them shall attain the age of one-and-twenty 
years. And likewise so soon as the eldest son and apparent heir male of the bodies of them, or 
any of them, shall during the life of their Father or Grandfather attain to the age of one-and-
twenty years; and that the said baronets, or the said eldest sons or apparent heirs males, shall 
be presented to Us by the Lord Chamberlain of our household, or Vice-Chamberlain for the time 
being, or in their absence by any other officer attending upon the person of Us, our heirs or 
successors to be made Knights that they and every of them shall from time to time be made 
Knights by Us, our heirs and successors accordingly.'
As a result of the above, the Patent (i.e. the document which creates a baronetcy) of every
non-Scottish baronet created between 1611 and 1827 included a clause which ratified the 
privilege that the eldest son of a baronet was entitled to apply to be knighted as soon as he 
came of age. For a discussion on the situation as regards Scottish baronets, see under the
baronetcy of Broun of Colstoun.
This privilege was withdrawn by an Ordinance dated 19 December 1827. After describing the
promise made in the original Letters Patent in relation to the right to knighthood, the Ordinance
states that '......our heirs and successors Do revoke determine and make void the said promise
and grant in the said last mentioned Letters Patent contained with respect to all Letters Patent
for the creation of Baronets to be made and granted after these presents. And that the said
Letters Patent shall be made hereafter without such clause as hereinbefore mentioned without
prejudice nevertheless to any Letters Patents heretofore granted or to the rights and privileges
now by Law belonging to any Baronet and his heirs male.'
In other words, the right to knighthood was removed from all future creations of baronetcies,
but the right was retained for all existing baronetcies at that time. Even so, the privilege was
very rarely claimed between the period 1827 to 1874, but, when it was claimed, the privilege
appears to have been allowed as a matter of course.
Two such knighthoods were granted during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. Firstly,
on 21 February 1865, George Clendining O'Donnell, son of Sir Richard Annesley O'Donnell, 4th 
baronet, was knighted by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Sir George succeeded his father in the 
baronetcy in 1878, and died in 1889, when the baronetcy became extinct. The last occasion
when such a knighthood was granted occurred on 12 December 1874, when Ludlow Cotter, 
eldest son of Sir James Laurence Cotter, was knighted at Windsor, shortly after his 21st 
birthday. He died in the lifetime of his father on 23 November 1882, aged only 29.
 
No successful applications have been made since 1874. When, in May 1895, Claude Champion
de Crespigny, eldest son of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 4th baronet, claimed the honour
of knighthood soon after reaching the age of 21, his application was rejected. I have no 
information other than the application was considered to be 'not valid,' but it seems to me that
there was no reason for the claim not being valid - the baronetcy, having been created in 1805,
pre-dated the 1827 revocation of the privilege. Even the authorities at the College of Arms had
previously disagreed with the rejection of such applications; as quoted in 'A History of the 
Baronetage' by Francis Pixley (Duckworth & Co, London 1900), Sir William Betham, Ulster King of 
Arms 1820-1853, said, "I am surprised to hear such a doubt stated by the Law Officers of the 
Crown, as that the Sovereign has not a right to bind his successors to confer the honour of 
Knighthood on the Eldest Sons of Baronets; for it was part and parcel of the Constitution at the 
foundation of the Order, and consequently part of its essence, and therefore inseparable from 
it." 
Claude Champion de Crespigny, whose application had been rejected, was found dead in the
morning of 18 May 1910, a revolver in his hand. He was 36.
Sir Emile Algernon Arthur Keppell Cowell-Stepney, 2nd baronet
Cowell-Stepney was always known by his christian name of Arthur. He was a keen amateur 
coleopterist, a hobby which indirectly led to his death from heatstroke in Yuma, Arizona, in
July 1909, during a journey to study the local beetles. 
The following edited report appeared in the 'Los Angeles Times' on 3 Jul 1909:-
 
'Sir Arthur Cowell Stepney, an English baronet with large estates and a scientist of distinction,
was found dead today in the train conductors' room of the Southern Pacific station [in Yuma,
Arizona]. Among his papers was found a deposit slip for $13,000 in a Los Angeles bank.
'Until a search of the dead man's belongings had been made his identity was a mystery, as he
had registered at the hotel as Mr. W.C. Stepney of Seattle. His presence here is a mystery.
'The address of a firm of London solicitors, evidently his representatives, was found amongst
his papers and they have been cabled for instructions.
'Stepney had ordered a carriage for a drive, but when it came [he] could not be found about
the hotel, and only an extended search revealed his resting place in the station. Life was 
extinct when a physician, who had been hastily summoned, reached him.
'Gold and notes to the amount of several hundred dollars were found upon the dead man, and
receipts and bank books among his effects showed him to be a person of large means. He
carried a quantity of baggage and had apparently recently landed from a sea voyage.
'Sir Arthur Cowell Stepney was the only instance of a wealthy English baronet publicly 
renouncing, and adjuring, so to speak, an inherited honor of this kind, although many other 
titled Englishmen have dropped the prefixes to their names on coming to America.
'The divorce suit of Stepney's wife, which was heard in London in May, 1903, was one of the
strangest ever recorded in the English courts. The charge was desertion. 
The marriage took place in 1875. There were during the first few months certain eccentricities
on the part of the respondent to which Lady Cowell did not pay much attention. On the birth
of their daughter, in September, 1876, he showed the greatest delight. On October 6, 1876, he
left his home and had never since lived with his wife.
'Certain allegations, which Cowell Stepney made at the time against his wife, were investigated,
and were found to be baseless. They were the result of mental delusion, for which he was 
treated by Sir William Gull and Dr. Maudsley, which resulted in his being sent abroad with a
doctor in 1877. In 1882 husband and wife met, and he showed then, as at all times, great
affection for his daughter.
'In 1890 he fell under the strange delusion that certain pictures of an impure kind were being
made of his daughter, and he wrote to Lady Stepney to the effect that such portraiture would
be damaging to the future welfare of their child. Lady Stepney said that the charges were the
result of a mental delusion, and said she had never allowed anything to which Sir Arthur might
object to be brought before the court of chancery with regard to the custody of the child.'
 
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