View source for Marquess of Abergavenny

{{Short description|British title of nobility}}
{{about|the title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom|the ship|Earl of Abergavenny (1796 EIC ship)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name              = Marquessate of Abergavenny 
| image             = [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|150px]]<br />[[File:Arms of Neville, Marquess of Abergavenny.svg|180px|Arms of the Marquess of Abergavenny]] 
| image_size        =  
| alt               =  
| caption           = '''''Arms:''' Gules, a saltire argent charged with a rose of the field barbed and seeded proper. '''Crest:''' Out of a Ducal Coronet Or, a Bull's Head proper, charged with a Rose Gules. '''Supporters:''' On either side a Bull Argent, pied Sable, armed unguled collared and chained Or, the latter terminating in a Staple Or''
| creation_date     = 14 January 1876 
| creation          =  
| monarch           = [[Queen Victoria]] 
| peerage           = [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]] 
| baronetage        =  
| first_holder      = [[William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny|William Nevill, 5th Earl of Abergavenny]] 
| last_holder       =  
| present_holder    = [[Christopher Nevill, 6th Marquess of Abergavenny]] 
| heir_apparent     = None 
| heir_presumptive  =  
| remainder_to      = the 1st Marquess's [[heirs male]] [[heirs of the body|of the body]] lawfully begotten. 
| subsidiary_titles = {{ubli|[[Earl of Abergavenny]]|[[Earl of Lewes]]|[[Viscount Nevill]]|[[Baron Bergavenny]] (until 1938)}}
| status            = Extant 
| extinction_date   =  
| family_seat       = [[Eridge Park]] 
| former_seat       = {{ubli|[[Michael Hall School|Kidbrooke Park]]|[[Birling, Kent|Birling Manor]]}}
| motto             = '''{{lang|la|Ne vile velis}}''' <br /> ''(Wish not wickedly)'' 
| footnotes         =  
}}
'''Marquess of Abergavenny''' (pronounced Abergenny{{cn<!--Also please use IPA – pronunciation of the g is ambiguous-->|date=June 2025}}) in the [[Monmouthshire (historic)|County of Monmouth]], is a title in the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]] created on 14 January 1876, along with the title '''Earl of Lewes''' (pronounced "Lewis"), in the [[Sussex|County of Sussex]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24283 |date=11 January 1876 |page=99}}</ref> for the [[William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny|5th Earl of Abergavenny]], a member of the [[House of Neville|Nevill family]].

The 6th and present Marquess is [[Christopher Nevill, 6th Marquess of Abergavenny|Christopher George Charles Nevill]] (b. 23 April 1955), son of [[Lord Rupert Nevill]] and [[Lady Anne Wallop|Lady Anne Camilla Evelyn Wallop]]. He succeeded to the title in 2000 on the death of his uncle the [[John Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny|5th Marquess]], who had no surviving sons.

The family seat is [[Eridge Park]], near [[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]].

==History==

===Medieval origins===
The incumbent Marquess of Abergavenny is the current head of the '''[[House of Neville]]''', a [[Nobility|noble house]] of early medieval origins, notable for its central role in the [[Wars of the Roses]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hicks|title=The Wars of the Roses: 1455–1485|publisher=Osprey Publishing Limited|pages= 105–112}}</ref> Lord Abergavenny's ancestor, [[Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny]], was a younger son of [[Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland]], and [[Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland|Lady Joan Beaufort]], daughter of [[John of Gaunt|John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster]]. [[Abergavenny]] in the Marquess's title derives from the market town in Wales in which this branch of the Nevill family inherited [[Abergavenny Castle]], much of the family's ancestral lands and title of '''Baron Bergavenny''' by virtue of the marriage between the ''[[suo jure]]'' peeress [[Elizabeth de Beauchamp, Baroness Bergavenny]], and [[Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny|Edward Neville]] in 1424.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

===Subsidiary titles===
Subsequent Nevill Barons Bergavenny have been raised to higher ranks within the peerage. The 1st Marquess's ancestor, the [[George Nevill, 1st Earl of Abergavenny|''de facto'' 17th (''de jure'' 2nd) Baron Bergavenny]], was created '''Earl of Abergavenny''', in the County of Monmouth, and '''Viscount Nevill''', of Birling in the County of Kent, in the [[Peerage of Great Britain]] on 17 May 1784.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=12541 |date=11 May 1784 |page=1}}</ref> The [[Baron Bergavenny|Barony of Bergavenny]] was held by his successors, the Earls and Marquesses of Abergavenny, until 1938, when it passed into abeyance between the two daughters of the 3rd Marquess. The [[William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny|5th Earl of Abergavenny]] was elevated to the title of '''Marquess of Abergavenny''' along with the subsidiary title of '''Earl of Lewes''' on 14 January 1876, following his role in the foundation of the modern-day [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] with [[Benjamin Disraeli|Disraeli]] and [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|Lord Salisbury]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Harris|title=The Conservatives: A History|publisher=Random House, 2013|pages= 131–132}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Abergavenny Chronicle And Monmouthshire Chronicle Advertiser|url=http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4121551/4121556/69/1913|date=17 December 1915}}</ref>

==Coat of arms==
The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the Marquesses of Abergavenny is: ''Gules, a saltire argent charged with a rose of the field (barbed and seeded proper)''.<ref>Blazon per Debrett's Peerage, 1968, which gives no tinctures for rose, which are however given as stated in brackets for Neville Barons Braybrooke</ref> These are the ancient arms of [[House of Neville|Neville]] [[Difference (heraldry)|differenced]] by a rose, the symbol of a 7th son, in reference to Sir [[Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny|Edward Neville, 1st Baron Bergavenny]] (d.1476), 7th son of [[Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland]]. The blazon can be translated as "On a red background, a white saltire with a red rose, naturally coloured, upon it."

==Earl of Abergavenny (1784)==
:''Other titles (1st Earl onwards): Viscount Nevill (GB 1784), [[Baron Bergavenny#Barons Bergavenny, seventh creation (1724–) (abeyant 1938)|Baron Bergavenny (GB 1724)]] ''
*[[George Nevill, 1st Earl of Abergavenny]] (1727–1785)
*[[Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny]] (1755–1843)
**Henry George Nevill, Viscount Nevill, (1785–1806)
**Ralph Nevill, Viscount Nevill (1786–1826)
*[[John Nevill, 3rd Earl of Abergavenny]] (1789–1845)
*[[William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny]] (1792–1868)
*[[William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny|William Nevill, 5th Earl of Abergavenny]] (1826–1915) (created '''Marquess of Abergavenny''' in 1876)

[[File:William Nevill, Vanity Fair, 1875-06-26.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny|William Nevill, 5th Earl of Abergavenny (later the 1st Marquess)]], 'The Tory Bloodhound',  depicted in a caricature by [[Carlo Pellegrini (caricaturist)|Ape]] published in the June edition of ''[[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' in 1875.]]
===Marquess of Abergavenny (1876)===
:''Other titles (1st Marquess onwards): Viscount Nevill (GB 1784), Earl of Lewes (UK 1876)''
:''Other titles (1st–3rd Marquesses): Baron Bergavenny (GB 1724, abeyant 1938)'' 
* [[William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny]] (1826–1915)
* [[Reginald Nevill, 2nd Marquess of Abergavenny|Reginald William Bransby Nevill, 2nd Marquess of Abergavenny]] (1853–1927)
* [[Henry Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny|Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny]] (1854–1938)
** Gilbert Reginald Nevill (1879–1891)
* [[Guy Larnach-Nevill, 4th Marquess of Abergavenny|Guy Temple Montacute Larnach-Nevill, 4th Marquess of Abergavenny]] (1883–1954)
** [[Lord Rupert Nevill]] (1923-1982)
* [[John Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny|John Henry Guy Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny]] (1914–2000)
** Henry John Montague Nevill, Earl of Lewes (1948–1965)
* [[Christopher Nevill, 6th Marquess of Abergavenny]] (born 1955)

There are no heirs to the marquessate or to the earldom of Lewes. The heir presumptive to the earldom of Abergavenny is the present marquess's fourth cousin, Guy Michael Rossmore Nevill (born 1973). He is descended from the brother of the first marquess, and would succeed as the 11th earl.<ref name="Debrett's" />

==Family tree and line of succession==
{{Marquess of Abergavenny family tree}}
{{Collapse top|title={{small|Line of succession to the earldom of Abergavenny}}
<ref>{{Cite book |title=Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage |publisher=Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd. |year=1999 |isbn=2-9400-8502-1 |editor-last=Mosley |editor-first=Charles |edition=106th |volume=1 |location=Crans, Switzerland |pages=11-20 |chapter=Abergavenny}}</ref><ref name="Debrett's">{{Cite book |title=Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage |publisher=Debrett's Ltd. |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-9997-6705-1 |editor-last=Morris |editor-first=Susan |edition=150th |volume=1 |location=London |pages=270–274 |chapter=Abergavenny |editor-last2=Bosberry-Scott |editor-first2=Wendy |editor-last3=Belfield |editor-first3=Gervase}}</ref>}}
{{tree list}}
* [[File:Coronet of a British Earl.svg|15px]] ''William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny (1792–1868)''
** [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|15px]] ''William Nevill, 1st Marquess and 5th Earl of Abergavenny (1826–1915)''
*** [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|15px]] ''Reginald Nevill, 2nd Marquess and 6th Earl of Abergavenny (1853–1927)''
*** [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|15px]] ''Henry Nevill, 3rd Marquess and 7th Earl of Abergavenny (1854–1938)''
*** ''[[Lord George Montacute Nevill]] (1856–1920)''
**** [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|15px]] ''Guy Larnach-Nevill, 4th Marquess and 8th Earl of Abergavenny (1883–1954)''
***** [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|15px]] ''John Nevill, 5th Marquess and 9th Earl of Abergavenny (1914–2000)''
***** ''[[Lord Rupert Nevill]] (1923–1982)''
****** [[File:Coronet of a British Marquess.svg|15px]] '''Christopher Nevill, 6th Marquess and 10th Earl of Abergavenny''' ({{Born in|1955}})
** ''Hon. Ralph Pelham Nevill (1832–1914)''
*** ''Percy Llewelyn Nevill (1877–1927)''
**** ''Michael George Ralph Nevill (1917–1943)''
***** ''David Michael Ralph Nevill (1941-2025)''<ref>https://peeragenews.blogspot.com/2025/04/david-michael-ralph-nevill-1941-2025.html</ref>
****** '''(1)''' Guy Michael Rossmore Nevill ({{Born in|1973}})
******* '''(2)''' George David Roland Nevill ({{Born in|2010}})
******* '''(3)''' Frederick Guy James Nevill ({{Born in|2012}})
******* '''(4)''' Ralph William James Nevill ({{Born in|2015}})
{{tree list/end}}
{{collapse bottom}}

==See also==
*[[Abergavenny Museum]]
*[[Baron Bergavenny]]
*[[House of Neville]]
*[[Eridge Park]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last=Kidd |first=Charles |date=1903 |title=Debrett's peerage, baronetage, knightage, and companionage |url=https://debretts.com/ |url-status=live |location=London, UK |publisher=Dean & Son Limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620000000/https://debretts.com/ |archive-date=20 June 2016| page=64}} [https://archive.org/details/b24883797/mode/2up?ref=ol Alt URL]
*{{cite book |last=Hesilrige |first=Arthur G. M. |date=1921| title=Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy| url=https://archive.org/details/debrettspeeraget00unse/page/21 | location=London, UK |publisher=Dean & Son Limited|page=21}}

{{British marquessates}}
{{Extant British marquessates}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abergavenny, Marquess of}}
[[Category:Marquessates in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1876]]
[[Category:Neville family|Abergavenny, Marquess of]]
[[Category:Abergavenny|Marquess]]
[[Category:Marquesses of Abergavenny| ]]