The Cholmondeley family descends from William le Belward (or de Belward), the feudal lord of the barony of Malpas in Cheshire who acquired the lordship of "Calmundelai" (as it was spelt in the Domesday Book) through his wife Beatrix, daughter of Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester.

Their eldest son David le Belward inherited the feudal barony of Malpas and was the ancestor of the Egerton family.

He succeeded to the estates of his uncle Lord Leinster and was created Viscount Cholmondeley, of Kells in the County of Meath, in the Peerage of Ireland in 1661.

[citation needed] The family seats are Houghton Hall, Norfolk, and Cholmondeley Castle, which is surrounded by a 7,500-acre (3,000-hectare) estate near Malpas, Cheshire.

Peers in the House of Lords can hold their 70th birthday parties in the Cholmondeley Room at the Palace of Westminster.

[9] Among other uses, Baroness Elliot of Harwood organised a dinner in 1984 for all female Conservative members of Parliament and peers, and this event was held in this venue.

[11] The heir apparent is Alexander Hugh George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, the elder of the present holder's twin sons (b. 2009).