Marquessate of Coniston
| Marquessate of Coniston | |
| Creation Date | 5th November 1664 |
|---|---|
| Created by | Charles II |
| Peerage | of England |
| First Holder | Bennet Asquith |
| Current Holder | Kenward Asquith |
| Heir Apparent | Emory Asquith |
| Subsidiary Titles | Viscount Milbury |
| Country Seat | Coniston Chase |
| Associated County | Cumberland, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire |
The Marquessate of Coniston is an hereditary title in the Peerage of England. It was created by King Charles II in 1664, and the current holder is Kenward Asquith. The courtesy title is Viscount Milbury and the seat is Coniston Chase in Buckinghamshire. There is also a town house, in Grosvenor Square.
There is a family story that the first Marquess received his title because he once told a particularly funny story while he was a courtier to Charles II, although precisely what the story was has been lost to the mists of time.
The family were staunch Royalists during the Civil War and took their motto, Pro Rege Et Patria (For King and Country), on the Restoration when their lands were given back, having had them seized by Parliamentary forces when they were forced into exile along with Charles II after the execution of King Charles I.
The younger son of the first Marquess was created Baron Wolvercote in 1708, and the present Marquess of Coniston is a second cousin once removed of the current Baron Wolvercote, whose younger son married into the Hissop family, holders of the Dukedom of Pennington.
Coat of Arms
Per fess, vert and or. In chief, three rabbits rampant argent, in base, a tun gules banded argent. (A shield divided in half horizontally, the top half green with three silver rabbits, the lower half gold with a red barrel with silver bands. This is an example of 'canting arms', being a visual pun: Rabbits are also known as conies, so conies-tun = Coniston.)
Supporters: Dexter a sea-horse or, sinister an enfield tenné (on the viewer's left, a gold heraldic sea-horse, on the right a mythical heraldic beast called an enfield, in brown/tan).
Motto: Pro Rege et Patriae (For King and Country)
Previous holders
- First: Bennet Asquith (b. 1634, d. 1705)
- Second: Charles Asquith (b. 1665, d. 1753)
- Third: Tristram Asquith (b. 1704, d.1780)
- Fourth: Francis Asquith (b.1735, d.1810)
- Fifth: Kenward Asquith (b.1776)
- Heir apparent: Emory Asquith (b. 1786)