Gladstone baronets

The Gladstone Baronetcy, of Fasque and Balfour in the County of Kincardine, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 18 July 1846 for the Scottish businessman and politician John Gladstone, father of prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Born John Gladstones, the son of the merchant Thomas Gladstones, John assumed by Royal licence the surname of Gladstone (without the "s" at the end) in 1835. The name Gladstone is geographical, deriving from a farmstead near Biggar in Lanarkshire; it comes from the Old English for "kestrel stone".

John Gladstone was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baronet. He represented several constituencies in the House of Commons and served as Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire. His son, the third Baronet, was briefly Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire in 1926. He never married and was succeeded by his cousin, the fourth Baronet. He was the son of John Neilson Gladstone, third son of the first Baronet. He had no sons and was succeeded by his cousin, the fifth Baronet. He was the son of Reverend Stephen Edward Gladstone, second son of William Ewart Gladstone, fourth son of the first Baronet. He never married and was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Baronet, who did not use the title. As of 2014 the title is held by his son, the seventh Baronet, who succeeded in 1968.

Several other members of the Gladstone family have also gained distinction. Robertson Gladstone, second son of the first Baronet, was a merchant and politician. John Neilson Gladstone, third son of the first Baronet, was a politician. William Ewart Gladstone, fourth son of the first Baronet, was the distinguished statesman who served four times as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. William Henry Gladstone, Lord Gladstone of Hawarden, and Viscount Gladstone, were all younger sons of William Ewart Gladstone. William Glynne Charles Gladstone, son of William Henry Gladstone, was a politician.

The family seat was Fasque House, near Fettercairn in Kincardineshire. They still own the House, though they are now seated at Hawarden Castle in Wales, which was acquired through the marriage of William Ewart Gladstone to Catherine, the heiress of the Glynne family.