A younger son of John St John, 3rd Baronet, was elected for Wiltshire and Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire equally his son in turn. In 1716 the latter was created Baron St John, of Battersea in the County of Surrey, and Viscount St John, with remainder to his second son and in default third son, as his eldest son Henry St John had already been created Baron St John, of Lydiard Tregoze, and Viscount Bolingbroke in 1712. He also represented Wootton Bassett in Parliament. In 1751 his son, the 3rd Viscount, succeeded his uncle as 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke and 2nd Baron St John according to a special remainder in the letters patent. The titles have remained united since. The son of the "second son" mentioned, the 3rd and 4th Viscount, was elected briefly for Cricklade, Wiltshire. the titles are held by his descendant, the 8th Viscount Bolingbroke and 9th Viscount St John. He lives in New Zealand. As of 28 February 2014, the present Baronet has not successfully proven his succession and is therefore not on the Official Roll of the Baronetage, with the baronetcy considered dormant since 1974. The titles Baron St John, of Lydiard Tregoze in the County of Wilts, and Viscount Bolingbroke were created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1712 for the politician and orator the Hon. Henry St John, the eldest son of Henry St John, 1st Viscount St John. The peerages were created with remainder to his father and his male heirs. Lord Bolingbroke died childless and was succeeded according to the special remainder by his nephew, the second Viscount, who had already succeeded as third Viscount St John in 1749.
Family seats and abodes
An established family seat was, from 1420 until sale in 1943, Lydiard House, Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire. From 1648 until 1765 the family had a house near to London, namely the forerunner to the wider Battersea Park area, Bolingbroke House, which was then in the county of Surrey. This became the de facto seat of the lord of the manor title inherited from the 1st Baronet from Viscount Grandison, buried there with great pomp in 1648. In 1742 the then Lord Bolingbroke, who, in spite of his attainder, had been enabled to inherit the estate by an Act of 1725, lent the manor house to his friend Hugh Hume, 3rd Earl of Marchmont. Later he settled there himself, either in 1743 or early in the following year and there spent the remainder of his life. He was buried in the family vault in Battersea Church in 1751. His nephew and heir Frederick, second Viscount Bolingbroke, sold the Battersea estate about 1763. It was purchased by John Viscount Spencer, created Earl Spencer in 1765.
Coat of arms
The heraldic blazon for the armorials of the St John family is: Argent, on a chief gules two mullets or. This can be translated as: a white shield with a red rectangle at the top holding two golden stars.
