Baron Burgh

The title Baron Burgh, of Gainsborough in the County of Lincolnshire, was created in the Peerage of England when Thomas Burgh was summoned to Parliament in 1529. There were, however, previous creations, about which very little is known. The first creation was for William de Burgh in 1327, but nothing further is known about the descent of that title. Next, it might have been created in 1487, as Sir Thomas Burgh was summoned to Parliament. Normally, if an individual who is not a peer were summoned to Parliament, then that person would ipso facto become a peer upon sitting in the House of Lords. Thus, if Sir Thomas did sit in the House of Lords, then he would automatically have become a peer. However, his son Edward, did not receive a writ of summons, to which every peer would be entitled. Thus, it may have been the case that Sir Thomas did not eventually sit in Parliament, and therefore was not a peer.

Nonetheless, Edward's Sir Thomas Burgh was clearly summoned to Parliament as Lord Burgh in 1529; that title is the one in existence now. He was already held to have succeeded as 5th Baron Strabolgi, although he was never summoned to Parliament in this title or confirmed in it. The baronies of Burgh and Strabolgi continued to remain united until the death of the fourth Baron Burgh in 1602, when both titles fell into abeyance between the late Baron's sisters. In 1916, after 314 years of abeyance, both titles were called out of abeyance by the Sovereign, but in favour of different heirs.

Barons Burgh (1529)

*Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh, de jure 5th Baron Strabolgi (d. 1550)
*William Burgh, 2nd Baron Burgh, de jure 6th Baron Strabolgi (1522-1584)
*Thomas Burgh, 3rd Baron Burgh, de jure 7th Baron Strabolgi (c. 1555-1597)
*Robert Burgh, 4th Baron Burgh, de jure 8th Baron Strabolgi (1594-1602) (abeyant 1602)
*Alexander Henry Leith, 5th Baron Burgh (1866-1926) (abeyance terminated 1916)
*Alexander Leigh Henry Leith, 6th Baron Burgh (1906-1959)
*Alexander Peter Willoughby Leith, 7th Baron Burgh (1935-2001)
*Alexander Gregory Disney Leith, 8th Baron Burgh (b. 1958)