The Feilding family have been Lords of Newnham Paddox in Monks Kirby, Warwickshire since 1433. Despite almost certainly being of Warwickshire origin, in the middle of the 17th century, following their elevation to the peerage, the Feilding family began to claim descent from the Habsburgs through the counts of Laufenburg and Rheinfelden. The claim, though widely accepted at one time, including by the historian Edward Gibbon, was also the subject of ridicule. It was comprehensively debunked at the start of the 20th century. and mocking the family's pretensions at ancestral connections to the Habsburg dynasty.
Creation of the title
William Feilding was Master of the Great Wardrobe under King James I and also took part in the Expedition to Cádiz of 1625. Feilding had already been created Baron Feilding, of Newnham Paddox in the County of Warwick, and Viscount Feilding in 1620. These titles are also in the Peerage of England. William Feilding owed his elevation in court and to the peerage primarily to his marriage with Susan Villiers. The Villiers family were also minor Midlands gentry until Susan's brother, George Villiers, became the confidant and lover of King James I and was granted the dukedom of Buckingham.
Earls of Denbigh
Lord Denbigh was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. In contrast to his father he fought as a Parliamentarian in the Civil War. In 1664 he was created Baron St Liz in the Peerage of England, with remainder to the heirs male of his father. William's second son, the Hon. George Feilding, was created Earl of Desmond in 1628. He died childless and was succeeded by his nephew, William Feilding, 2nd Earl of Desmond, who now also became the third Earl of Denbigh. His son, the fourth Earl, served as Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire and Denbighshire. His great-great-grandson, the seventh Earl, was a soldier and courtier. His grandson, the ninth Earl, served as a Lord-in-waiting from 1897 to 1905 in the Conservative administrations of Lord Salisbury and Arthur Balfour. the titles are held by his great-great-great-grandson, the twelfth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1995. Lord Denbigh is Grand Carver of England. The Hon. George Feilding, second son of the first Earl of Denbigh, was created Baron Fielding, of Lecaghe in the County of Tipperary, and Viscount Callan, of Callan in the County of Kilkenny, in 1622, and was made Earl of Desmond in 1628. All three titles were in the Peerage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl, who in 1675 succeeded his uncle as third Earl of Denbigh. See above for further history of the titles.
Other members of the Feilding family
The writer Henry Fielding was the son of Edmund Feilding, the third son of John Feilding, the youngest son of the 3rd Earl. His sister Sarah Fielding was also a well-known author, and their half-brother was John Fielding, the celebrated blind judge. Lady Elizabeth Feilding, daughter of the first Earl of Denbigh, was created Countess of Guilford for life in 1660. The Hon. Sir Percy Robert Basil Feilding, second son of the seventh Earl, was a General in the Army.
