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Viscount Molesworth, of Swords in the County of Dublin, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1716 for Robert Molesworth. He was made Lord Molesworth, Baron of Philipstown, of King's County, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. Molesworth had been invested as member of the Irish Privy Council in 1697, represented Camelford, Lostwithiel, East Retford and Mitchell in the British House of Commons and served as British Ambassador to Denmark. His elder son, the second Viscount, notably served as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Republic of Venice. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Viscount. He was a Field Marshal in the Army. On the death of his son, the fourth Viscount, this line of the family failed, and the titles passed to the latter's first cousin, the fifth Viscount. He was the eldest son of the Hon. William Molesworth, third son of the first Viscount. His son, the sixth Viscount, was a Major-General in the Army, who was lost in the wreck of Arniston. On his death, this line of the family also failed and the titles were inherited by his second cousin, the seventh Viscount. He was the eldest son of Richard, third son of the Hon. William Molesworth, third son of the first Viscount. He was succeeded by his nephew, the eighth Viscount. As of 2010, the titles are held by the latter's great-grandson, the twelfth Viscount, who succeeded his father in 1997.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is a descendant of the 1st Viscount through her grandmother, Margaret Rhys-Jones (née Molesworth; 1904–1985), who was the great-granddaughter of the Rev. John Molesworth, himself the father of Sir Guilford Molesworth and the great-grandson of Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth.

Viscounts Molesworth (1716)

• Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth (1656–1725)
• John Molesworth, 2nd Viscount Molesworth (1679–1726)
• Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth (1680–1758)
• Richard Nassau Molesworth, 4th Viscount Molesworth (1748–1793)
• Robert Molesworth, 5th Viscount Molesworth (1729–1813)
• William John Molesworth, 6th Viscount Molesworth (1763–1815)
• Richard Pigott Molesworth, 7th Viscount Molesworth (1786–1875)
• Samuel Molesworth, 8th Viscount Molesworth (1829–1906)
• George Bagot Molesworth, 9th Viscount Molesworth (1867–1947)
• Charles Richard Molesworth, 10th Viscount Molesworth (1869–1961)
• Richard Gosset Molesworth, 11th Viscount Molesworth (1907–1997)
• Robert Bysse Kelham Molesworth, 12th Viscount Molesworth (born 1959)

The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother, the Hon. William John Charles Molesworth (born 1960). His heir, and the next in line, is his son James Vladimir Richard Molesworth (born 2010).

Male-line family tree

Notes

1. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, volume 2, 2003. pp. 2720–2731.
2. "Sophie's Brush With Greatness". Manchester Evening News. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2020. The Countess of Wessex will come face to face with her great great great grandfather the Rev John Edward Nassau Molesworth...her ancestor son ...solicitor's firm...set up in 1840 by the Reverend's son John Molesworth...
3. Morris, Susan; Bosberry-Scott, Wendy; Belfield, Gervase, eds. (2019). "Molesworth, Viscount". Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Vol. 1 (150th ed.). London: Debrett's Ltd. pp. 2466–2478. ISBN 978-1-999767-0-5-1.

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages

v t e Extant viscountcies in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
Sorted by kingdom in which created, then creation date
England	Hereford
Scotland	Falkland Arbuthnott Oxfuird
Great Britain	Bolingbroke St John Cobham Falmouth Torrington Hood
Ireland	Gormanston Mountgarret Valentia Dillon Massereene Charlemont Downe Molesworth Chetwynd Midleton Boyne Gage Galway Powerscourt Ashbrook Southwell de Vesci Lifford Bangor Doneraile Harberton Hawarden Ferrard Monck Gort
United Kingdom	St Vincent Melville Sidmouth Exmouth Combermere Hill Hardinge Bridport Portman Hampden Hambleden Knutsford Esher Goschen Ridley Colville of Culross Selby Knollys Allendale Chilston Scarsdale Mersey Cowdray Devonport Astor Wimborne St Davids Rothermere Allenby Chelmsford Long Ullswater Younger of Leckie Bearsted Craigavon Bridgeman Hailsham Brentford Buckmaster Bledisloe Hanworth Trenchard Samuel Runciman of Doxford Davidson Weir Caldecote Camrose Stansgate Margesson Daventry Addison Kemsley Marchwood Montgomery of Alamein Waverley Thurso Brookeborough Norwich Leathers Soulbury Chandos De L'Isle Monckton of Brenchley Tenby Mackintosh of Halifax Dunrossil Stuart of Findhorn Rochdale Slim Head Boyd of Merton Mills Blakenham Eccles Dilhorne
Italics: This title is held by a peer who holds another of higher precedence.

• Viscountcies in the Peerage of Ireland
• Noble titles created in 1716