Baron Monson

Baron Monson, of Burton in the County of Lincoln, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1728 for Sir John Monson, 5th Baronet. The Monson family descends from Thomas Monson, of Carleton, Lincolnshire. He sat as Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire, Castle Rising and Cricklade. On 29 June 1611 he was created a Baronet, of Carleton in the County of Lincoln, in the Baronetage of England. His eldest son, the second Baronet, fought as a Royalist during the Civil War and also represented Lincoln in the House of Commons. He married Ursula Oxenbridge, daughter of Sir Robert Oxenbridge of Hurstbourne in Hampshire, through which marriage the manor of Broxbourne came into the Monson family. This was to be the seat of the family for many years. His eldest son, the third Baronet, also represented Lincoln in Parliament. He died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Baronet. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Lincoln, Heytesbury, Hertford and for Aldborough.

His son, the fifth Baronet, represented Lincoln in Parliament. In 1728 he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Baron Monson, of Burton in the County of Lincoln. He later served as President of the Board of Trade. Lord Monson married Lady Margaret, youngest daughter of Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham. Their second son the Hon. Lewis Monson succeeded to the Watson estates on the death of his cousin Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham, assumed the surname of Watson in lieu of Monson and was created Baron Sondes in 1760 (his great-grandson was created Earl Sondes in 1880; see this title for more information on this branch of the family). Lord Monson was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He declined the offer of an earldom in 1766.

His great-great-grandson, the seventh Baron, was a Liberal politician. In 1886 he was created Viscount Oxenbridge, of Burton in the County of Lincoln, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. However, this title became extinct on his death in 1889, while the barony and baronetcy passed to his brother, the eighth Baron. He held several court positions. His great-grandson, the eleventh Baron, was a civil liberties campaigner and president of the Society for Individual Freedom who sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. He was one of the ninety elected hereditary peers who remained in the House after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999. As of 2011 the titles are held by his son.

Several other members of the Monson family have gained distinction. Sir William Monson, younger brother of the first Baronet, was an admiral in the Royal Navy. Sir William Monson, second son of the first Baronet, was created Viscount Monson in the Peerage of Ireland in 1628. However, he was a member of the court which tried King Charles I and was deprived of his honours and sentenced to imprisonment for life in 1661. Also, Sir Edmund Monson, younger brother of the first Viscount Oxenbridge and the eighth Baron, was a noted diplomat and served as British Ambassador to France from 1896 to 1904. In 1905 he was created a Baronet in his own right (see Monson Baronets for more information).

The family surname and the title of the barony, Monson, is pronounced "Munson".