Baron Brabourne

Baron Brabourne, of Brabourne in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[2] It was created in 1880 for the Liberal politician Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, the second son of Sir Edward Knatchbull, 9th Baronet, of Mersham Hatch. He had previously represented Sandwich in the House of Commons and served as Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs and Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lord Brabourne had assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Hugessen (which was that of his maternal grandmother) in 1849. His son, the second Baron, represented Rochester in Parliament as a Liberal.

Barony of Brabourne
Arms of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 8th Baron Brabourne (whose mother was the daughter and heiress of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma)[1] and descendants: Quarterly, 1st: azure, three cross-crosslets fitchée between two bendlets or (Knatchbull); 2nd: argent, two pallets sable (Mountbatten); 3rd: azure, a lion rampant double queued barry of ten argent and gules crowned or a bordure compony of the second and third (Hesse, with a bordure for difference); 4th: the Royal Arms differenced with a label of three points argent the centre point charged with a rose gules barbed vert and each of the other points with an ermine spot (Princess Alice).[1]
Creation date	26 May 1880
Created by	Queen Victoria
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen
Present holder	Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Heir apparent	Nicholas Knatchbull
Remainder to	The 1st Baron's heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten
Seat(s)	Broadlands

In 1917, his younger brother, the fourth Baron, who had succeeded his nephew the third Baron in 1915, inherited the Baronetcy of Mersham Hatch. Since then, the titles have remained merged. The fourth Baron was succeeded by his son, the fifth Baron. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashford, Governor of Bombay and Governor of Bengal. In 1919, Lord Brabourne assumed by deed poll the surname of Knatchbull only.

His eldest son, the sixth Baron, was killed in the Second World War, when the title passed to the latter's younger brother, the seventh Baron. He was a film and television producer. In 1946, he married Patricia Mountbatten,[3] daughter of the naval commander Viscount Mountbatten[4] (later the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma). Their son, the eighth Baron, who succeeded in 2005, is also the Earl Mountbatten of Burma (since 2017). This means that the Barony of Brabourne is held jointly by the current and future Earls Mountbatten of Burma descended only from male lines of the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and her husband, the 7th Baron Brabourne.[5][6] Should that male line become extinct, the titles will then separate or become extinct, depending on collateral male lines existing from previous holders of the titles.

The Baronetcy, of Mersham Hatch in the County of Kent, was created in the Baronetage of England in 1641 for Sir Norton Knatchbull, who represented Kent and New Romney in the House of Commons. His son, the second Baronet, also represented these constituencies in Parliament. His nephew, the fourth Baronet (who had succeeded his father, a younger brother of the second Baronet), sat as Member of Parliament for Rochester, Kent and Lostwithiel. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Baronet, who served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1733. In 1746, he assumed by private act of the Parliament of Ireland the additional surname of Wyndham, pursuant to the will of his mother's father, Thomas Wyndham, 1st Baron Wyndham.[7] His son, the sixth Baronet, represented Kent in Parliament. On his death, the title passed to his uncle, the seventh Baronet. He sat in the Irish House of Commons as representative for Armagh. His son, the eighth Baronet, was High Sheriff of Kent in 1785 and later represented Kent in the House of Commons.

He was succeeded by his son, the ninth Baronet. He represented both Kent and East Kent in Parliament and notably served as Paymaster General in the Tory administrations of Sir Robert Peel. His grandson, the twelfth Baronet, briefly represented East Kent in the House of Commons. On his death in 1917, he was succeeded by his first cousin, the 4th Baron Brabourne, who became the thirteenth Baronet of Mersham Hatch as well.

The 8th Baron Brabourne[8] inherited the peerage of Earl Mountbatten of Burma upon the death of his mother, Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma,[9] on 13 June 2017. As consequence, the Barony of Brabourne, as well the Knatchbull Baronetcy, became subsidiary titles to that of the earldom.

The title of the barony is pronounced "Bray-burn". The family seat is Broadlands,[10][11] near Romsey, Hampshire.