Barons de St. Hippolite (Saint-Hippolyte)
Note that Burke's 'Peerage & Baronetage', under 'Elibank, Baron', states that the Barony of 'Hypolite' is an 'HRE' creation, that is 'Holy Roman Empire'. I believe that this is unlikely given the family were Protestant. In any event, my family notes state that in 1557 Guillaume de Montolieu acquired the estates of St. Hippolite 'from which fief they derived the title of baron' i.e. the barony is (a) French and (b) feudal in origin. I am not sure what happens to such baronies, either French or of the Holy Roman Empire, on extinction of the male line; perhaps the title should have gone to Marie as the eldest daughter of the senior male heir (assuming that there were no other male heirs elsewhere) and then to her son, Hugh Montolieu Hammersley (1825-1896), then to their eldest daughter, Diana Emily Hammersley (1852-1880), who married (1875), Pearson F. Crozier (d. 1892) of West Hill, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, their second daughter, Constance Maria, who married Lt. Col. Henry Edward Stopford, son of the Honble. and Revd. Richard Bruce Stopford, Chaplain to the Queen and Canon of Windsor, and so on. It would seem clear, in any case, that there is likely to be someone today who should be Baron or Baroness de St. Hippolite. There are 16 places called Saint-Hippolyte in France according to Michelin. My family notes state that 'At an heraldic visitation in 1664, four brothers, Pierre, Louis, Jacques and Aymon de Montolieu, respectively seigneurs of St. Hippolite de la Coste, de Montredon, and de Montussarges, were by decree of sovereignty inscribed in the roll of the "nobles of the Province of Languedoc".', which might help to identify the place. There was, however, a custom in France of adding the names of estates to one's surname as they were acquired. Thus, a younger son of a Baron of St. Hippolite who acquired another estate called 'Montredon', say by marriage, would be known as 'de St. Hippolite de Motredon', so Montredon is not necessarily part of or even near St. Hippolite.
Two possible locations for Saint-Hippolyte, being near Marseilles, indicated by the red pointers, but there are a number of other places called Saint-Hippolyte in the Languedoc.
Various memoirs of David de Montolieu and other members of his family are held in the collection of the papers of Sir James Bland Burges, Bt. (d. 1824) at the Bodleian Library. He married Anne de Montolieu, third daughter of Louis de Montolieu, Baron of St. Hippolite, son of David de Montolieu, Baron of St. Hippolite (above). Sir James assumed the surname of Lamb in 1821. See Burke's 'Peerage & Baronetage' under 'Lamb'.
