8-616: Viscount Stansgate , of Stansgate in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom . It was created in 1942 for the Labour politician, former Secretary of State for India and future Secretary of State for Air , William Wedgwood Benn . He was the second son of Sir John Benn, 1st Baronet, of The Old Knoll . Stansgate's eldest son and heir apparent, Michael Benn, was later killed in
16-641: Is the present holder's brother, the Hon. Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 1953). Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom . It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain . New peers continued to be created in
24-544: The Peerage of Ireland until 1898 (the last creation was the Barony of Curzon of Kedleston ) The House of Lords Act 1999 reformed the House of Lords . Until then, all peers of the United Kingdom were automatically members of the House of Lords. However, from that date, most of the hereditary peers ceased to be members, whereas the life peers retained their seats. All hereditary peers of
32-573: The Second World War . Consequently, he was succeeded in the title by his second son, the Labour politician Tony Benn , who disclaimed the peerage on 31 July 1963, the day the Peerage Act 1963 passed into law and made it possible for him to do so. As of 2022, the title is held by Tony Benn's eldest son, Stephen Benn, 3rd Viscount Stansgate . Stansgate is a hamlet near the village of Steeple, Essex , on
40-566: The Acts of Union of 1707 and 1800 , though the law permitted a limited number to be elected by their fellows to serve in the House of Lords as representative peers . Some peerages of the United Kingdom were created to get around this obstacle and allow certain Scottish and Irish peers to enjoy the automatic right to sit in the House of Lords The ranks of the peerage are Duke , Marquess , Earl , Viscount , and Baron . The last non-royal dukedom
48-424: The first creation (i.e. those for whom a peerage was originally created, as opposed to those who inherited a peerage), and all surviving hereditary peers who had served as Leader of the House of Lords , were offered a life peerage to allow them to continue to sit in the House, should they wish. Peers in the Peerage of Scotland and Peerage of Ireland did not have an automatic seat in the House of Lords following
56-609: The southern side of the River Blackwater estuary . The village has been home to several generations of the Benn family since about 1900. They live in Stansgate Abbey, described by Chris Mullin as "an ungainly, rambling 1920s house in a stunning location". The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. Daniel John Wedgwood Benn (born 1991). The heir apparent's heir presumptive
64-636: Was created in 1874, and the last marquessate was created in 1936. Creation of the remaining ranks, except baronies for life , mostly ceased once Harold Wilson 's Labour government took office in 1964 , and only thirteen (nine non-royal and four royal) people have been created hereditary peers since then. These were: Marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons are all addressed as 'Lord X', where 'X' represents either their territory or surname pertaining to their title. Marchionesses, countesses, viscountesses and baronesses are all addressed as 'Lady X'. Dukes and duchesses are addressed just as 'Duke' or 'Duchess' or, in
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