Thurlow had already on his appointment as Lord Chancellor on 3 June 1778 been created Baron Thurlow, of Ashfield in the County of Suffolk, in the Peerage of Great Britain, with remainder to the heirs male of his body.[2] Lord Thurlow never married and on his death in 1806 the barony of 1778 became extinct, while he was succeeded in the barony of 1792 according to the special remainder by his nephew Edward, the second Baron. The latter was the son of the Right Reverend Thomas Thurlow, Bishop of Durham from 1787 to 1791. Lord Thurlow gained a reputation as a minor poet. In 1813, he married the actress Mary Catherine Bolton, and they had three sons. In 1814 he assumed by royal licence the additional surname of Hovell, in commemoration of his ancestor Sir Richard Hovell.
His grandson, the fifth Baron (who succeeded his elder brother), was a Liberal politician and served as Paymaster General in 1886. In 1873 he assumed by royal licence the additional surname of Bruce, which was that of his father-in-law, James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin. One year later, Lord Thurlow assumed by royal licence the additional surname of Cumming.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. Nicholas Edward Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce (b. 1986)
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, George Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce (b. 2018)
Male-line family tree
Male-line family tree, Barons Thurlow (both creations).