Viscountcy of Astor

Arms of Viscount Astor: Or, a falcon resting on a dexter hand couped at the wrist proper and gauntleted gules in chief two fleurs-de-lys of the last[1]
Creation date28 June 1917 [2]
Created byKing George V
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderWilliam Waldorf Astor, 1st Baron Astor
Present holderWilliam Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
Heir apparentThe Hon. William Astor
Remainder toHeirs male of the first viscount's body, lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesBaron Astor
Seat(s)Ginge Manor
Former seat(s)Hever Castle
Cliveden
MottoAd Astra ("To the stars")[3]
William Waldorf Astor,
1st Viscount Astor

Viscount Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for the financier and statesman William Waldorf Astor, 1st Baron Astor. He had already been created Baron Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, in 1916, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[4]

His eldest son Waldorf, the second Viscount, was the husband of Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. As of 2017, the titles are held by their grandson, the fourth Viscount, who succeeded his father in 1966. He is one of the ninety-two elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, and sits as a Conservative.

John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, was the third son of the first Viscount. This peerage, Baron Astor of Hever, was a separate creation in 1956 and not to be confused with the Viscount's subsidiary title of Baron Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent. The Hon. David Astor CH, the Hon. Michael Astor and the Hon. Sir Jakie Astor, younger sons of the second Viscount, all gained prominence in public life.

The family seat is Ginge Manor, near Wantage, Oxfordshire.

The first three Viscounts Astor are buried within the Astor family chapel (also known as the Octagon Temple) at the Cliveden estate near Taplow, Buckinghamshire.[5]

Baron Astor (1916)

Viscounts Astor (1917)

The heir apparent is the present holder's eldest son, the Hon. William Waldorf Astor (born 1979).
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, William Waldorf Astor (born 2012).

Line of succession

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kidd, Charles, Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage 2015 Edition, London, 2015, p. 59.
  2. ↑ "No. 30156". The London Gazette. 29 June 1917. p. 6409.
  3. ↑ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1929). Armorial Families: a Directory of Gentleman of Coat-Armour. Hurst & Blackett. p. 58. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Death of Lord Astor – a Great Anglo-American". The Times. 20 October 1919. p. 16.
  5. ↑ dijit.net. "Astor Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust". www.mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Obituary: Lord Astor – A Life of Public Service". The Times. 1 October 1952. p. 9.
  7. 1 2 "Obituary: Viscount Astor – Former M.P. for East Fulham". The Times. 9 March 1966. p. 12.
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