Viscount Astor

Viscountcy Astor
Creation date 28 June 1917 [1]
Monarch George V
Peerage Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder William Waldorf Astor, 1st Baron Astor
Present holder William Waldorf Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
Heir apparent Hon. William Waldorf Astor
Remainder to Heirs male of the first viscount's body, lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles Baron Astor
Seat(s) Ginge Manor
Former seat(s) Hever Castle
Cliveden
Armorial motto Ad Astra ("To the stars")[2]
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.[3]

His eldest son, 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 second 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, the Hon. Michael Astor and the Hon. 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 chapel of the Cliveden estate, also known as the Octagon Temple, at Taplow, Buckinghamshire.

Baron Astor (1916)

Viscounts Astor (1917)

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "No. 30156". The London Gazette. 29 June 1917. p. 6409.
  2. ↑ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1929). Armorial Families: a Directory of Gentleman of Coat-Armour. Hurst & Blackett. p. 58. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Death of Lord Astor – a Great Anglo-American". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 20 October 1919. p. 16.
  4. ↑ "Obituary: Lord Astor – A Life of Public Service". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 1 October 1952. p. 9.
  5. 1 2 "Obituary: Viscount Astor – Former M.P. for East Fulham". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 9 March 1966. p. 12.
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