Duke of Leeds

Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen due to being on the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded as 2nd Baronet, of Kiveton (1647)[1] and been created Viscount Osborne, of Dunblane (1673), Baron Osborne, of Kiveton in the County of York (also 1673) and Viscount Latimer, of Danby in the County of York (also 1673), Earl of Danby, in the County of York (1674), and Marquess of Carmarthen (1689). All these titles were in the Peerage of England, except for the viscountcy of Osborne, which was in the Peerage of Scotland.[note 1] He resigned the latter title in favour of his son in 1673. The Earldom of Danby was a revival of the title held by his great-uncle, Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby (see Earl of Danby).[2]

Dukedom of Leeds
Quarterly, 1st & 4th: quarterly ermine and azure, over all a cross or (for Osborne); 2nd, gules, an eagle with two heads display, between three fleur-de-lis argent (for Godolphin); 3rd, azure, semé of cross-crosslets and three cinquefoils argent (for D'Arcy)
Creation date	4 May 1694
Monarch	William III and Mary II
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
Last holder	D'Arcy Osborne, 12th Duke of Leeds
Remainder to	the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Osborne Baron Osborne Earl of Danby Marquess of Carmarthen Baron Godolphin
Extinction date	20 March 1964
Seat(s)	Hornby Castle
Former seat(s)	Kiveton Hall

The Dukedom was named for Leeds in Yorkshire, and did not (as is sometimes claimed) refer to Leeds Castle in Kent. The principal ducal seat was Kiveton Hall.[3] After Kiveton Hall was demolished in 1811, Hornby Castle became the main seat of the Dukes of Leeds.[4] The traditional burial place of the Dukes of Leeds was All Hallows Church, Harthill, South Yorkshire.[2]

The 4th Duke married Mary Godolphin, daughter of Henrietta Churchill Godolphin, suo jure Duchess of Marlborough, and The 2nd Earl of Godolphin, and assumed the arms of Godolphin and Churchill.[5]

On 8 August 1849, The 7th Duke of Leeds assumed by royal licence the additional surname and arms of D'Arcy, for the Barony of D'Arcy (1322) and Conyers he inherited through his grandmother.[6][7]

Upon the death of the 7th Duke in 1859, the dukedom passed to his cousin, The 2nd Baron Godolphin, whose father (the second son of The 5th Duke of Leeds) had been created Baron Godolphin, of Farnham Royal in the County of Buckingham, in 1832.[2]

The 11th Duke was married three times; he had a daughter, Lady Camilla Osborne, but no son. Upon his death in 1963, the dukedom passed to his cousin, Sir D'Arcy Osborne, a diplomat.[8] Eight months later, the 12th Duke died in Rome, unmarried, at which point the dukedom and the Barony of Godolphin became extinct.[9]

The heir apparent to the Duke of Leeds was styled Marquess of Carmarthen; Lord Carmarthen's heir apparent was styled Earl of Danby; and Lord Danby's heir apparent was styled Viscount Latimer.