| Earldom of Stockton | |
|---|---|
  Arms: Argent, a Chief Or, overall, between three open Books proper, edged Or, and bound Azure, those in chief inscribed respectively in the letters Sab'e "MISERES" and "DISCERE" and that in the base also in letters Sable "SUCCO", and three Mullets, one and two Azure, a Lion rampant Sable. Crest: Within Sprigs of Oak proper, fructed Or, a dexter Cubit Arm and a sinister Arm embowed proper, the dexter hand gauntleted Or, and together with the other, brandishing a two-handed Sword proper, hilt and quillions Or. Supporters: Dexter, A Lion Gules. Sinister, an American Bald Eagle proper. Compartment: a crenelated Wall proper, in the portal thereof an Anchor Azure, and joined on either side by two Bars wavy Azure, to a Grassy-Mount, growing from that on the dexter a Long Branch, and from that on the sinister a Thisle, all proper. | |
| Creation date | 24 February 1984 |
| Created by | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | Harold Macmillan |
| Present holder | Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton |
| Heir apparent | Daniel Macmillan, Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden |
| Remainder to | the 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden |
| Status | Extant |
| Former seat(s) | Birch Grove |
| Motto | MISERES DISCERE SUCCO (I learn to aid the poor) |
Earl of Stockton is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 24 February 1984 for Harold Macmillan,[1] the former Conservative prime minister (from 1957 to 1963),[2] less than three years before his death in 1986.[2] At the same time he received a subsidiary title Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden, of Chelwood Gate in the County of East Sussex and of Stockton-on-Tees in the County of Cleveland, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The viscountcy is used as a courtesy title by the earl's heir apparent.
As of 2016[update] the titles are held by the first holder's grandson, being the second earl, who succeeded in 1986 on his grandfather's death (namely Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton, son of Maurice Macmillan, Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden, only son of the first earl, who died in 1984). The earldom and viscountcy are the most recent hereditary peerages created outside of the royal family and, with the Thatcher baronetcy, the only such titles which survive of the few created since 1965.
The family seat was Birch Grove, near Chelwood Gate, East Sussex, but it was sold by the 2nd Earl in 1989.[3]
- ^ "No. 49660". The London Gazette. 29 February 1984. p. 2951.
- ^ a b "Harold Macmillan Dies at 92". The New York Times. 30 December 1986. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Golf: Birch Grove gone for good". The Brighton Argus. 24 December 2004.