Viscount Down

The Viscount Down title was first created on July 19, 1675 for William Ducie, 3rd Baronet Ducie (c. 1612–1679). In 1679, after the death of the latter, the title was interrupted.

The Viscount Down title was recreated on February 19, 1680 for John Downey (1625–1695). He previously represented Yorkshire (1660–1661) and Pontefract (1661–1690) in the House of Commons of England. His son, Henry Downey, 2nd Viscount Down (1664-1741), also represented Pontefract (1690-1695) and Yorkshire (1698-1701, 1707-1727) in the House of Commons. His grandson, Henry Downey, 3rd Viscount Down (1727-1760), sat in the House of Commons from Yorkshire (1750-1760), but died from wounds received at the Battle of Kampen in 1760 . He was succeeded by his younger brother, John Downey, 4th Viscount Down (1728-1780), who represented the House of Commons Cirencester (1754-1768) and Malton (1768-1774).

His son, John Downey, 5th Viscount Down (1764–1832), served in the House of Commons from Petersfield (1787–1790) and Wootton Bassett (1790–1796). In 1797, he was created the title of Baron Downey of Cowick in Yorkshire ( United Kingdom ). In 1832, after the death of the latter, the title of Baron Downey faded, and the title of Viscount was inherited by his younger brother, William Downey, 6th Viscount Down . His son, William Downey, 7th Viscount Down , was a Member of Parliament from Rutland (1841–1846). His son, Hugh Richard Downey, 8th Viscount Down , was a major general of the British army, participated in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and in the Second Boer War . In 1897, he was created the title of Baron Downey from Danby in North Yorkshire ( Peerstvo of the United Kingdom ), which gave him and his descendants an automatic seat in the House of Lords before the 1999 Act of the House of Lords .

As of 2015 , the title holder is his descendant, Richard Henry Downey, 12th Viscount Down (born 1967 ), who inherited from his father in 2002 .

The Honorable Guy Downey (1848–1889), the fourth son of the 7th Viscount Down, was a military and conservative politician.

Sir Christopher Downey, 1st Baronet of Cowick (c. 1620–1644), older brother of John Downey, 1st Viscount Down. In 1642 he received the title of Baronet of Cowick.

• 1675–1679: William Ducie, 1st Viscount Down (c. 1612 - September 9, 1679), son of Sir Robert Ducie, 1st Baronet (1575–1634), 3rd Baronet Ducie from 1656/1657.

• 1680-1695: John Downey, 1st Viscount Down (January 25, 1625 - October 1, 1695), son of John Downey (d. 1629/1630)
• 1695-1741: Henry Downey, 2nd Viscount Down (June 7, 1664 - May 21, 1741), the only son of the previous
  • Hon. John Downey (December 8, 1686 - August 12, 1740), the only son of the previous
• 1741-1760: Lt. Col. Henry Playdell Downey, 3rd Viscount Down (April 8, 1727 - December 9, 1760), the eldest son of the previous
• 1760-1780: John Downey, 4th Viscount Down (April 9, 1728 - December 21, 1780), younger brother of the previous
• 1780-1832: John Christopher Barton Downey, 5th Viscount Down (November 15, 1764 - February 18, 1832), the eldest son of the previous
• 1832–1846: William Henry Downey, 6th Viscount Down (August 20, 1772 - May 23, 1846), younger brother of the previous
• 1846-1857: William Henry Downey, 7th Viscount Down (May 15, 1812 - January 26, 1857), the eldest son of the previous
• 1857-1924: Major General Hugh Richard Downey, 8th Viscount Down (July 20, 1844 - January 21, 1924), the eldest son of the previous
• 1924-1931: John Downey, 9th Viscount Down (May 23, 1872 - December 1, 1931), the eldest son of the previous
• 1931-1965: Richard Downey, 10th Viscount Down (May 16, 1903 - December 8, 1965), the eldest son of the previous
• 1965-2002: John Christian George Downey, 11th Viscount Down (January 18, 1935 - March 15, 2002), the eldest son of the previous
• 2002 - present: Richard Henry Downey, 12th Viscount Down (born April 9, 1967), the only son of the previous
  • Heir: Thomas Payan Downey (born July 24, 1978), the only son of the Honorable James Richard Downey (1937-1991), cousin of the previous one.

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• The Peerages of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom
• Lundy, Darryl. "FAQ" . The Peerage .