Sir Ralph Milbanke, 6th Baronet

Sir Ralph Noel, 6th Baronet (28 July 1747 – 19 March 1825), was a British landowner and politician. He was born as Sir Ralph Milbanke and later adopted the name Noel in 1815. He was the eldest son of Sir Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet, and Elizabeth Hedworth. His family connections included his uncle John Milbanke, who was married to a sister of the Whig leader Lord Rockingham, and his sister Lady Melbourne, who was known as a political hostess.

On 9 January 1777, Sir Ralph Milbanke married Judith Noel, daughter of Lord Wentworth. The couple had one daughter, Anne Isabella Milbanke. He succeeded his father as the sixth baronet on 8 January 1798. The family resided at Seaham Hall in County Durham and owned additional property in Northumberland and Yorkshire.

In the realm of politics, Sir Ralph Milbanke was elected as the Member of Parliament for County Durham during the 1790 general election. He aligned with the Foxite Whigs, supporting initiatives such as the abolition of the slave trade and Catholic emancipation. Due to health issues and financial constraints, he retired from the House of Commons by 1812.

In 1815, following his wife Judith’s inheritance of the Leicestershire estates from her brother Thomas, Sir Ralph adopted the surname Noel by royal license on 29 May of that year. His wife Judith Noel passed away in 1822. Their daughter, Lady Anne Isabella Milbanke, later succeeded as the 11th Baroness Wentworth in 1856 after the death of her maternal grandmother.

Sir Ralph Noel was also involved in freemasonry, having been admitted as a joining member of the Sea Captain’s Lodge in Sunderland (later Palatine Lodge No.97) on 14 February 1793. He became the Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Durham in 1799.

He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his nephew, John Penistone Milbanke.