Welcome to the official site of the House of Valais-Reade,
a noble lineage of ecclesiastical, diplomatic, and scholarly descent tracing its origins to the Prince-Bishopric of Sion in the late 10th century.
The House of Valais-Reade continues to uphold a legacy shaped by service to Church, Crown, and country across Europe and the New World. Rooted in the alpine traditions of Valais and guided by the Anglo-Valaisan branch since the Tudor era, the family honours its ancient dignities through archival preservation, cultural engagement, and moral custodianship.
Motto: “Our blood has known mitre and star, sword and exile.”
A reflection of a life shaped by both ecclesiastical calling and temporal burden, this phrase—long attributed to Michael Heneage—is the spiritual compass of the House, uniting past and present under a banner of service, honour, and memory.
Lineage
The Noble House of Valais-Reade
Origins
The House of Valais-Reade traces its ancestry to the Alpine principality of Valais, where in 999 A.D., Hugues de Valaiswas appointed the first Prince-Bishop of Sion by King Rudolph III of Burgundy. Through this sacred investiture, the House assumed a dual spiritual and temporal sovereignty that endured across centuries.
The comital dignity of le Comte de Valais, established through ecclesiastical office, evolved into a hereditary title maintained through both continental and Anglo-diplomatic service.
From Ecclesiastical Throne to English Court
Descended collaterally from Cardinal Matthäus Schiner, the most prominent statesman of Valais, the family’s Anglo-Valaisan branch was established through Michel de Walais, a Tudor-era Latinist who entered the English court under the name Michael Heneage. His descendants held positions in diplomacy, royal administration, and colonial oversight.
Colonial Continuity and American Transition
The Reade family—styled de Walais, then Heneage, and later Reade—continued to bear the comital dignity in the American colonies. Despite the loss of certain English peerage titles after the Revolution, the family retained the Countship of Valais, the Barony of Carrighmain, and the Barony of Reed, the latter grounded in ecclesiastical and colonial foundations.
Generations served as royal agents, loyalist diplomats, clerical scholars, and hereditary stewards of the family’s sacred codices, including the Codex de Rede (1861) and the Illuminated Scroll De Redibus (1835).
Present Generation
Today, the House is led by:
Le Comte James Allister de Valais
Count of Valais · Baron of Carrighmain · Baron of Reed
19th Lord of Hasley
Knight of the Valiant Order of Saint George (KStG)
Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (France)
He succeeds his mother, La Comtesse Antina Rosa de Valais, who held the comital dignity under the revised succession charter of 1922 and 1981, which permits female succession in the absence of a male heir until one is confirmed.
