There have been three baronetcies created for members of the Mosley family, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of Great Britain. Only one creation is extant. Since 1980, the title has been held jointly with Baron Ravensdale in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[1]

History

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First creation

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The first Mosley baronetcy, of Rolleston, in the County of Stafford, was created in the Baronetage of England on 10 July 1640 for Edward Mosley, of Rolleston Hall, a grandson of Sir Nicholas Mosley of Hough End Hall (who acquired the Manor of Manchester in 1596 and was Lord Mayor of London in 1599), and nephew of the lawyer Sir Edward Mosley (the youngest son of Sir Nicholas and his first wife Marjorie, née Whitbroke). Sir Edward was a lawyer who had been knighted by King James I of England in 1614; appointed a justice of the peace and Attorney-General for the Duchy of Lancaster; and elected as a Member of Parliament for Preston in 1614, 1620–1622, and 1624–1625. It was Sir Edward who first acquired the properties of Rolleston Hall that became the family seat. Sir Edward (1569–1638) died unmarried and without issue, and his estates were inherited by his nephew—the Edward Mosley who was to become the 1st Baronet.

The 1st Baronet's father was Rowland Mosley (1558–1616), another son of the aforesaid Sir Nicholas and his wife Marjorie.

The second Baronet, also called Edward, sat as Member of Parliament for St Michael. The baronetcy became extinct on his death in 1665.

Second creation

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The second Mosley baronetcy, of Rolleston, in the County of Stafford, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 18 June 1720 for Oswald Mosley, a third cousin once removed of the second Baronet of the 1640 creation. The title became extinct on the death of the third Baronet in 1779.

Third creation

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The third Mosley baronetcy, of Ancoats, in the County of Lancaster, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 8 June 1781 for John Mosley, who was a second cousin of the second and third baronets of the 1720 creation.[a] His grandson, the second Baronet, represented several constituencies in the House of Commons. His grandson, the fourth Baronet, served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1915.

The sixth Baronet, Sir Oswald Mosley, grandson of the fourth Baronet, gained notoriety as the founder of the British Union of Fascists. He married as his first wife Lady Cynthia Curzon, second daughter of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston. Lady Cynthia and her two sisters were in special remainder to the barony of Ravensdale created for their father in 1911. After Lady Cynthia's early death in 1933, the sixth Baronet married, as his second wife, the Hon. Diana Mitford, former wife of the Hon. Bryan Guinness and one of the famous Mitford sisters.

In 1966, Mosley's son from his first marriage, author Nicholas Mosley, succeeded his mother's elder sister, Irene Curzon, 2nd Baroness Ravensdale, in the Ravensdale barony, but didn't use the title. On his father's death in 1980, he also inherited the baronetcy of Ancoats, and became the seventh Baronet. On his death in 2017, he was succeeded in both titles by his grandson, Daniel Mosley, who became the 4th Baron Ravensdale and the 8th Baronet.[b] He is an elected member of the House of Lords.

Tonman Mosley, 1st Baron Anslow, younger son of the third Baronet, was a politician. Max Mosley, second son in the second marriage of the sixth Baronet, was the long-serving President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.

The family seats were Rolleston Hall, near Rolleston on Dove, Staffordshire, and Ancoats Hall, near Manchester.

Mosley baronets, of Rolleston (1640)

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Mosley baronets, of Rolleston (1720)

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  • Sir Oswald Mosley, 1st Baronet (1674–1751)
  • Sir Oswald Mosley, 2nd Baronet (1705–1757)
  • Sir John Mosley, 3rd Baronet (died 1779)

Mosley baronets, of Ancoats (1781)

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The heir apparent to both the barony and the baronetcy is the present holder's eldest son, the Hon. Alexander Lucas Mosley (born 2012).

Arms

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The arms of the 2nd Baronet are blazoned: Quarterly—1st and 4th, sable a chevron between three battle axes argent; 2nd and 3rd, or a fesse between three eagles displayed sable. Crest—An eagle displayed ermine. Motto—Mos legem regit.[3]

Title succession chart

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Title succession chart
Title succession chart, Mosley baronets (all creations).
Edward Moseley
died 1571
Sir Nicholas Mosley
Lord Mayor of London
1527–1612
Anthony Moseley
1537–1607
Rowland Mosley
died 1616
Oswald Mosley
died 1616
1640 creation
Sir Edward Mosley
1st Baronet
1616–1657
Nicholas Mosley
1611–1672
Sir Edward Mosley
2nd Baronet

1639–1665
Oswald Mosley
1639–1726
Nicholas Mosley
died 1697
Baronetcy extinct
1720 creation
Sir Oswald Mosley
1st Baronet
1674–1751
Nicholas Mosley
c. 1693 – 1734/5
1781 creation
Sir Oswald Mosley
2nd Baronet
1705–1757
Sir John Mosley
3rd Baronet
a. 1705 – 1779
Sir John Mosley
1st Baronet
[a]
1732–1798
Baronetcy extinct
Oswald Mosley
1761–1789
Sir Oswald Mosley
2nd Baronet

1785–1871
Oswald Mosley
1804–1856
Sir Tonman Mosley
3rd Baronet

1813–1890
Sir Oswald Mosley
4th Baronet

1848–1915
Sir Oswald Mosley
5th Baronet

1873–1928
Sir Oswald Mosley
6th Baronet

1896–1980
Nicholas Mosley
3rd Baron Ravensdale

7th Baronet
1923–2017
Hon.
Shaun Mosley
1949–2009
Daniel Mosley
4th Baron Ravensdale

8th Baronet
born 1982
Hon.
Alexander Mosley
born 2012

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Sir John Mosley, 1st Baronet, of Ancoats, was adopted by Sir Oswald Mosley, 2nd Baronet (of the 1720 creation; 1705–1757),[2] his childless second cousin and godfather, after his father died in 1734/5.
  2. ^ a b The Mosley baronetcy of Ancoats effectively serves as a subsidiary title of the Ravensdale barony, but if the line of the 3rd Baron (author Nicholas Mosley) would fail, the titles would go separate ways. The baronetcy would continue in the Mosley family, but the barony would fall to a male-line descendant of Lady Alexandra Metcalfe, younger sister of Lady Cynthia Mosley, the 3rd Baron's mother. As of February 2024, that descendant is entrepreneur Julian Metcalfe (born 1959), eldest son of David Metcalfe (1927–2012), only son of Lady Alexandra. If the line of David Metcalfe also fails, the barony becomes extinct.

References

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  1. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107th ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 3286. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  2. ^ Family Memoirs, Sir Oswald Mosley, p. 42.
  3. ^ Edmund Lodge, The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage and Baronetage: Containing the Family Histories of the Nobility. Hurst and Blackett, 1859.

Sources

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