The Arms and Crest of James Allister Odd, 19th Lord of Hasley
The Current Steward of the Lordship of Hasley The Hon. James Allister Odd
James Allister Odd is a scholar and investigative professional who serves as the present holder of the Lordship of Hasley, a historic English lordship associated with Buckinghamshire. The Lordship of Hasley is recorded as an incorporeal hereditament in the National Feudal Register (NFRA H1223210-21), with a notice of reaffirmation published in The London Gazette (Notice 4290557, 23 February 2023). The family’s hereditary distinctions are also documented in the British & European Nobility Register (BENR #720713).
The lordship is maintained as a hereditary title grounded in documentary, genealogical, and historical record. Its use is treated as a matter of historical continuity and record-keeping rather than ceremonial or political function.
In addition to the Lordship of Hasley, Dr. Odd holds the continental titles of Count of Valais and Baron of Carrighmain, associated with the House of Valais-Reade. He has also received appointments within orders of merit, including Knight of the Valiant Order of Saint George (KStG) and Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite of the French Republic.
Dr. Odd resides in the Pacific Northwest of the United States with his wife, Clarity Rose Odd, and his children. Mrs. Odd is an entrepreneur with independent professional interests.
He is a former member of the United States Armed Forces and a service-disabled veteran. Following his honorable discharge, Dr. Odd has been involved in matters relating to veteran welfare and post-service support. His work in this area has focused on issues affecting disabled veterans, informed by his own experience of military service and its long-term effects.
Dr. Odd’s family history is associated with Buckinghamshire, with earlier roots traceable to Surrey. During the nineteenth century, members of the Odd family were involved in the manufacture and development of cricket equipment.
In 1880, Montagu Odd and Gilbert Odd were granted a patent for a cricket bat design developed in collaboration with Duke & Sons, a sporting goods firm established in 1760. The patent formed part of a broader period of experimentation and standardisation in cricket equipment during the late Victorian era.
Dr. Odd is the owner and director of Montagu Odd & Sons, a hand-crafted cricket bat and ball manufacturer established by Amos Odd in 1854 and retained within the family since its founding. He is also the author of The American Guide to the Laws of Cricket and has written on the history and regulation of the sport.
On the maternal line, Dr. Odd’s ancestry includes individuals documented in English ecclesiastical, legal, and administrative records. Among these is William Rede, who served as Bishop of Chichester in the fourteenth century. His episcopacy coincided with periods of construction and institutional consolidation at Chichester Cathedral, and contemporary sources place him among the senior clerical administrators of his period.
The lineage also includes Sir Robert Rede, who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in the late fifteenth century. In addition to his judicial career, Sir Robert Rede is recorded as a benefactor of the University of Cambridge, where his endowments supported legal education and collegiate institutions.
Subsequent generations maintained connections to the Tudor court. Sir Robert Heneage, a kinsman within the broader maternal line, served as a courtier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and appears in contemporary records as a member of the royal household.
Historically, the senior line of the family held several British noble titles by primogeniture, including Earl of Lydford, Viscount of Mensbach, Baron of Lincolnshire, and Baron of Somerset. These titles were forfeited in the mid-eighteenth century following the decision of the Odd/Read line to support the American colonies during the War of Independence, resulting in their formal rescission by the Crown.
In the present era, the family continues through the House of Valais-Reade, a cadet branch historically associated with continental noble houses, including the House of Lorraine (Haus Lothringen) and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha). The house presently holds a combination of British and European titles, including Count of Valais, Baron of Carrighmain, and the Lordships of the Baronies of Burford, Radcliff, and Hasley/Thornton.
Within the family, these titles are treated as matters of historical succession and record, with emphasis placed on accurate documentation, lawful recognition, and preservation of the historical context in which each title arose.
Dr. James Allister Odd is recorded as standing in line of succession to two extant English baronies and an English baronetcy. By hereditary succession, he holds the continental titles of 19th Count of Valais and 11th Baron of Carrighmain, associated with the House of Valais-Reade and historically conferred within European legal tradition.
He has received appointments within several orders and institutions. These include Knight of the Valiant Order of Saint George (KStG), Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite of the French Republic, and Lord Regent of the Order of Saint Sigismund (LRStS), a spiritual and chivalric institution historically associated with the Abbey of Saint-Maurice d’Agaune, founded in 515.
In accordance with the customs and laws of the United States, Dr. Odd does not employ noble titles in daily or professional life, reserving their use for ceremonial, charitable, academic, and historical contexts.
As Lord and Lady Hasley, James and Clarity Odd undertake responsibilities associated with the barony. These include participation in the governance of the Hasley Manor Trust, oversight of the Lord’s Scholars Grant, and the maintenance of the historical and charitable obligations traditionally associated with the Barony of Hasley.
Written by Otto Day at the behest of the Trust. Updated 18 February 2025.
