The Monckton-Arundell Family of Serlby Hall: A Brief History
The first Viscount Galway was Richard Bourke (1572-1635), who succeeded his father as Earl of Clanricarde in 1601. He was created Viscount Tunbridge in 1624, and Earl of St Albans in 1628. In the 1628 creation he was also created Baron of Imanney and Viscount Galway in the Irish peerage. He was succeeded by his son Ulick Bourke, 2nd Earl of St Albans, 2nd Viscount Galway and Marquess of Clanricarde. His titles died with him in 1657.
A relative, Ulick Bourke (c.1670-1691), was created Baron of Tyaquin and Viscount of Galway in the Irish peerage in 1687. His title became extinct on his death at the battle of Aughrim in 1691.
Henry de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny in France (1648-1720), who distinguished himself on the battlefield where Ulick Bourke, previous Viscount of Galway had been killed, was created Baron Portarlington and Viscount Galway in the Irish peerage in 1692. He was unmarried, and his titles became extinct on his death in 1720.
The fourth bestowal of the title happened in 1727, when John Monckton was created Viscount Galway.
The Monckton-Arundell Family
The Monckton family can trace its lineage back to the fourteenth century and Simon Monckton of the lordship of Monckton [Moor Monkton] in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Successive family members married into landed families, consolidating their land holdings. Families into which the Moncktons married include many from Yorkshire such as Mostyn, Wentworth, Hussey, Sutton and Saville and many of these names appear within the documents in the collection. It was through these links that the Moncktons came to hold considerable lands in Yorkshire, including the lordship of Cavil near Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire, from 1454.
From 1617, three successive male heirs were knighted. Robert, the son of Sir Philip, the last knight, followed the precedent set by earlier family members and became a Member of Parliament. He was an active supporter of King William III and Mary. Robert's only surviving son, John (1695-1751), succeeded to the family estates in 1722 and was created Viscount Galway in 1727, an Irish representative peerage. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Rutland. Their son, William, 2nd Viscount Galway (d 1772), inherited the Arundell family estates from his aunt, Lady Frances, sister to the 3rd Duke of Rutland. She had married John, second son of Lord Arundell, and William added Arundell to his surname. In the nineteenth century, this was subsequently omitted from the surnames of all but those succeeding to the Galway title.
As Irish peers were able to become members of the British House of Commons, many members of the family served in this capacity. In 1887 the 7th Viscount was given a United Kingdom barony under which he and his successors sat in the House of Lords. The 7th Viscount then went into royal service, becoming aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. George Vere Arundell, 8th Viscount, was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand in 1935.
The main Galway line came to an end with the death of the 9th Viscount in 1971. His daughter inherited his estates, while the title passed to a descendent of the 5th Viscount.
The descent of the main estates was as follows:
- Thomas Monckton, living 1454, m. the daughter of Sir John Cavil of Cavil, Yorkshire
- Robert Monckton of Cavil
- William Monckton of Cavil (d 1584)
- Christopher Monckton of Cavil
- Marmaduke Monckton of Cavil
- Sir Philip Monckton of Cavil (1574-1646)
- Sir Francis Monckton of Cavil
- Sir Philip Monckton of Cavil and Hodroyd (c.1620-1679)
- Robert Monckton of Cavil and Hodroyd (c.1659-1722)
- John Monckton, 1st Viscount Galway (1695-1751)
- William Monckton-Arundell, 2nd Viscount Galway (1725-1772)
- Henry William Monckton-Arundell, 3rd Viscount Galway (1749-1774)
- Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway (1758-1810)
- William George Monckton-Arundell, 5th Viscount Galway (1782-1834)
- George Edward Arundell Monckton-Arundell, 6th Viscount Galway (1805-1876)
- George Edmund Milnes Monckton-Arundell, 7th Viscount Galway (1844-1931)
- George Vere Arundell Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway (1882-1943)
- Simon George Robert Monckton-Arundell, 9th Viscount Galway (1929-1971)
The title of Viscount Galway passed, on the death of the 9th Viscount in 1971, to a series of cousins:
- William Arundell Monckton-Arundell, 10th Viscount Galway (1894-1977), a descendent of the 5th Viscount Galway
- Edmund Savile Monckton-Arundell, 11th Viscount Galway (1900-1980), brother of the 10th Viscount Galway
- George Rupert Monckton-Arundell, 12th Viscount Galway (1922-), cousin of the 11th Viscount Galway and another descendent of the 5th Viscount
Genealogical Sources
- Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage
- Burke's Landed Gentry
- Debrett's Peerage
- G.E. Cockayne, The Complete Peerage
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- The House of Commons (History of Parliament series)
Next page: Galway Family Seats