BUCKINGHAM

buckingham, henry stafford, 2nd duke of). in 1617 king james i. created george villiers earl, in 1618 marquess, and in 1623 duke of buckingham (see buckingham, george villiers, 1st duke of). the marquessate and dukedom became extinct with the death of the 2nd (villiers) duke (_q.v._) in 1687; but the earldom was claimed, under the special remainder in the patent of 1617, by a collateral line of doubtful legitimacy claiming descent from john villiers, 1st viscount purbeck. the title was not actually borne after the death of john villiers, styling himself earl of buckingham, in 1723. the claim was extinguished by the death of george villiers, a clergyman, in 1774. in 1703 john sheffield, marquess of normanby, was created "duke of the county of buckingham and of normanby" (see below). he was succeeded by his son edmund who died in october 1735 when the titles became extinct. the title of marquess and duke of buckingham in the grenville family (to the holders of which the remainder of this article applies) was derived, not from the county, but from the town of buckingham. it originated in 1784, when the 2nd earl temple was created marquess of buckingham "in the county of buckingham," this title being elevated into the dukedom of buckingham and chandos for his son in 1822.