[2] It was created on 27 June 1861 for the lawyer and Liberal politician Sir Richard Bethell on his appointment as Lord Chancellor, a post he held until 1865.

[3] The title descended in the direct line until the death of his great-great-grandson, the fourth baron (who succeeded his grandfather), in 1961.

He was equerry to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester from 1947 to 1949 and also served as Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire in 1973.

As of 2016[update] the title is held by his son, the sixth baron, who succeeded in 2001.

1986) The heir presumptive is his son Richard Maximilian Ferdinand Bethell (b.