26 DARNLEY. DARNLEY, or DERNELEY. Barony [S.] /. Sir John - Stewart, of Derneiey, co. Renfrew, s. and I 1460 ? ^ ot ^ r A ' au °^ t ' le same > uv Catharine, da. of Sir William Seton, ot' Setou, which Alau was s. and h. of Sir John Stewart, of Derneiey, by Elizabeth, da. and coheir of Duncan, Eaiil of Lennox [S.J, sue. his father in 1439, and appears tu have been cr. a Lord of Pari by the title of LORD DERNELEY, or DARNLEY [S.], at the coronation of King James III [S.J, who sue. to the throne, 3 Aug. 1460. He was served heir, 23 July 1473, to his great- grandfather, the Earl of Lennox above named as to half of that Earldom, and to the principal messuage thereof, and sat in Pari. 20 Nov. 1475, as EARL OF LENNOX 1 8.1 which title since Oct. 1488 appears to have been fully recognized to him. The titles continued united till the death of Matthew, the 4th Earl, 4 Sep. 1571, when they devolved on his grandson and In, King James VI [S.], s. and h. of Henry (well known under the style of Lokd Darnley), his s. and h. ap. who d. v.p. 9 Feb. 1566/7. The dignities became thus merged in the Crown [S.], in 1571. i.e. " DERNELEY," or " DARNLEY," Barony of [S.] (Stuart), cr. 1572, with the Earldom op Lennox [S.], which see ; both ex. 1576. i.e. " DERNELEY," or " DARNLEY," Barony of [8.1, [Stuart), cr. 1578, with the Earldo.m of Lennox [S.J, which see ; resigned therewith, 1579. i.e. " DARNLEY, AUBIGNY and DALKEITH," Barony of [S.] (Stuart), cr. 1580, with the Earldom of Lennox [S.J, which see ; ex. 1672. i.e. "DERNELEY," or "DARNLEY," Earldom of [S.] (Stuart), cr. 1581, with the Dokedom of Lennox [S.], which see; ex. 1672. DARNLEY, AND DARNLEY OF ATHBOY. Viscountcy [I.] i, John Bligh, of Rathmore, co. Meath, s. and h. I. 1723. o£ Thomas B. of the same (many years M.P. for that County), by Elizabeth, da. of James Naper, of Loughcrew, co. Meath, sue. his Earldom [I.] father 28 Aug. 1710 ; was M.P. for Athboy. 1708-21. He m. t itok 24 Aug. 1713, at Westm. Abbey, Theodosia, tuo jure, Baroness • Clifton op Leighton-Bromswold (see that title, cr. by writ 1608), which lady was the descendant and h. gen. of Esme (Stuart), Duke and Earl of Lennox, Earl op Darnley, Lord Darnley, &c. [S], she being also, after the Royal line (descendants of King James VI [S.]), the next repre- sentative of the Earls op Lennox and Lords Darnley [S.], of the Stuart family. In consequence of this alliance he was, on 14 Aug. 1721, cr. BARON CLIFTON, OF RATHMORE, co. Meath [I.] ; on 7 March 1722/3, cr. VISCOUNT DARNLEY OF ATHBOY, co. Meath [I.], and on 29 June 1725, EARL OF DARNLEY, co. Meath [I.] Before, however, these last two creations, the Baroness, who was b. 9 Nov. and bap. 6 Dec. 1695, at St. Martins-in-the-Fields, d. 30 July and was bur. 15 Aug. 1722, in AVestni. Abbey. He d. at Epsom, co. Surrey, 12 and was bur. 25 Sep. 1723, at AVestm. Abbey, in his 41st year. Will dat. 1 Jany. 1724, giving £1,500 to endow a poor house at Athboy. figure was attenuated almost to emaciation," was called " the Maypole." She 11 was complaisant enough to allow the King to extend his favours to younger rivals ; " and as, not only the King himself, but his s. and h. ap. (afterwards Geo. II), also kept a bevy of such ladies, while his grandson Frederick (afterwards Prince of Wales), tho' a mere boy, " maintained an established mistress ; the world was startled by the discreditable fact of Uiree generations in the same family, iudulging, openly in the same vice at the same time." See Jesse's " Court of Hanover," vols, ii and iii.
