Earl

In the Sherwood period earls hold the highest noble rank in England, standing only below the king in terms of precedence. Earls usually have the largest noble estates and wealth in addition to high status. though the wealthiest barons may exceed the holdings and wealth of the poorest earls.

Traditionally, earls are entitled to 1/3 of the proceeds of provincial courts in their respective counties, which were divided into the King's penny, the Earl's penny, and the Sheriff's penny. This system, however, started to break down during Henry II's reign.

England has 16 earldoms from 1190 to 1200. The number varies slightly in the subsequent decade: the earldom of Richmond lapsed in 1203 with the murder of Arthur of Brittany (though Peter Mauclerc, Arthur's brother-in-law, used the title he was not officially proclaimed as earl until 1218). A new earldom - Winchester - is created by King John in 1209.

In addition, a number of continental counts, an equivalent rank to earls, also hold land in England. One such example is Hawise of Aumâle, who has extensive holdings in Holderness, Craven and Westmoreland in addition to the county of Aumâle in Normandy, which was lost to the French in 1196 (though she and her descendents continued to use the title).

Qualifications

By royal appointment, through being the heir of an earl, or through marriage to an earl's heiress.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

The title may in exceptional circumstances be stripped as a result of rebellion or treason, or allowed to lapse if there is no direct heir.

History

Earls were pre-Conquest nobles. The Old English eorl means 'man of noble birth or rank', equivalent to the Old Norse jarl, 'chieftain'.
The role held by earls in pre-Conquest England originated in ealdormen, appointed by kings as the chief officers of shires (lands or districts) and commanders of the local fyrd. They presided over the shire court alongside the local bishop. By the late 10th century, one ealdorman might control several shires.
In the early 10th century King Cnut created four earldoms - Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria, and appointed earls as viceroys - provincial governors ruling in the king's name, whose duties were to keep the peace, dispense justice and raise armies, and to be the king's chief advisers in the witan. Like ealdormen they kept the third penny of royal revenues from their jurisdiction. They could not hold their own courts or mint coins. Although theoretically appointments, the office quickly became hereditary, and the earls the wealthiest tier of English nobility.
William I initially kept the English earldoms, recognising them as the equivalent of Norman counties, but reduced their size. He created new earldoms, covering only one county, in border areas such as the Welsh Martches (Shrewsbury and Chester), and the Channel (Kent).
After the rebellions of Earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria in 1068, and the subsequent Revolt of the Earls (Ralph of East Anglia, Roger of Hereford and Waltheof of Northumberland) in 1075, only four earldoms remained: Kent, Shrewsbury, Chester and Northumbria. By the death of William II in 1100 there were six earldoms: Chester, Shrewsbury, Surrey, Warwick, Buckingham, and Huntingdon. In 1122 Henry I added a seventh, making his illegitimate son Robert Earl of Gloucester.
Henry I reduced the power of the earls in provincial government, preferring to rely on the 'new men' of the royal bureaucracy who - as appointees at his pleasure rather than hereditary nobles - relied on him for their position. This caused some discontent among the higher nobility, but Henry was a strong king and able to force his changes through. 
When King Stephen took the throne in 1135 he won support from many nobles by instigating a return to the older ways. During his reign he created 12 new earldoms, eight of them in 1138. In 1141, when she briefly held the crown, Empress Matilda created three new earldoms. Several earls assumed Crown rights, sich as minting coinage and building castles without permission.
Henry II reduced the growing power of the earls during his reign. He reduced the number of earldoms, sometimes by not recognising titles awarded by Stephen, sometimes by allowing the title to die with its holder, and demolished aldulterine castles. He reduced the governmental role of the earls, passing their responsibilities to royal sheriffs and justices, so that the title became one of rank rather than substantial office.

Notable Holders

The earldoms of England extant during the during the Sherwood period (1189-1217), their dates of creation and their holders since creation are:

Earldom of Surrey

Created by William I in 1088 to reward William de Warenne for loyal service during the Norman Conquest. De Warenne died later that year. The Earls of Surrey held lands in 11 counties, including Yorkshire, where the first Earl built Conisbrough Castle, later rebuilt in stone by his great-grandaughter's second husband, King Richard's natural uncle Hamelin of Anjou, and his son, the 5th Earl.

1. William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey (d. 1088)
2. Willam de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey (1088-1101, 1103-1138)
3. William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey (b. 1119, d. 1148 on crusade, earl 1138-1148)
4. Isobel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey (b. c. 1137, d. 1203)
   1. William I, Count of Boulogne and Earl of Surrey from 1153 jure uxoris (by right of his wife). d. 1159
   2. Hamelin of Anjou (de Warenne), Earl of Surrey from 1164 jure uxoris. d. 1202
5. William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, d. 1240.

Earldom of Warwick

Created by William I in 1088,when he appointed Henry de Beaumont the first earl.

1. Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick (d. 1119)
2. Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick (b. c, 1102, d. 1153)
3. William de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Warwick, (b. before 1140, d. 1184)
4. Waleran de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Warwick, (b. c. 1153, d. 1204), younger brother of third earl.
5. Henry de Beaumont, 5th Earl of Warwick (b. c. 1192, d. 1229), son of fourth earl.

Earldom of Devon

The earldom was created by the Empress Matilda in 1141 for Baldwin of Redvers, a notable rebel against King Stephen. The caput (principal seat) is at Tiverton Castle, Devon, with a secondary seat at Colscombe Castle, Devon.

1. Baldwin of Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon (b.c 1095, d 1155)
2. Richard de Redvers, 2nd Earl of Devon (d. 1162)
3. Baldwin de Redvers, 3rd Earl of Devon (d. childless 1188)
4. Richard de Redvers, 4th Earl of Devon, brother to 3rd Earl (d. childless 1193)
5. William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon, third son of 1st Earl (d. 10 September 1217)

Earldom of Leicester

The earldom was created in 1107 for Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, who commanded the infantry of the Norman right flank at the Battle of Hastings. Its caput is at Mountsorrel Castle, Leicestershire.

1. Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester (d. 1118)
2. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (b. 1104, d. 1168)
3. Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester (d. 1190)
4. Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester (d. 1204)
5. Amice, Countess of Leicester, sister of 4th Earl (d. 1215)
6. Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, son of Amice (b. c. 1170, d. 1218, confirmed as earl 1207)

Earldom of Chester

The earldom of Chester is one of the most powerful in England. Although not technically a palatinate until 1307, when county and earldom were merged, the earldom injoys quasi-regal powers in the late 12th century, and is so independent that the articles of Magna Carta do not apply within the earldom.
There are two post-conquest foundations of the earldom. The first, granted to Gerbod the Fleming in in 1067, lapsed with his capture in the Battle of Cassel, Flanders, in February 1071, and his subsequent taking of monastic orders at Cluny. At this point William I awarded the earldom to Hugh d'Avranches.

1. Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester (d. 1101)
2. Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (b. 1094, d. 1120)
3. Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (d. c. 1129)
4. Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester (d. 1153)
5. Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester (d. 1181)
6. Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester (d. 1232)

Earldom of Hertford

The earldom of Hertford was created by King Stephen in 1138 for Gilbert de Clare, baron of Clare, Suffolk, and nephew of the Earl of Pembroke. Unlike many of Stephen's earldoms, it survived the reign of King Henry II because Gilbert switched allegiance to support Mathilda after 1147. Gilbert died without heir in 1153 and the earldom passed to his brother.

1. Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford (d. 1153)
2. Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford (d. 1173)
3. Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of hertford (d. 1217)

Earldom of Richmond

The earldom of Richmond was created in 1136 by King Stephen for Alan Niger ('the Black'), lord of Richmond. His marriage to Bertha, heiress of Conan III, Duke of Brittany, meant their son, Conan IV, inherited both earldom and duchy, and the title continued to be associated with the Dukes of Brittany until 1218.
The marriage of Constance of Brittany, and the imprisonment and murder of her son Arthur by King John brought some confusion to the inheritance. Arthur's sister Eleanor, the 'fair maid of Brittany', was considered by many to have inherited the earldom of Richmond, but she was imprisoned from 1202 to her death in 1241, and officially the earldom, like the duchy of Brittany, went to her half-sister Alix, Duchess of Brittany. Her husband, Peter Mauclerc held both duchy and earldom jure uxoris (by right of his wife) until 1218, when the regency council of Henry III recreated the earldom for him in his own right.

1. Alan Niger, 1st Earl of Richmond (d. 1146)
2. Conan IV, Duke of Brittany asnd 2nd Earl of Richmond (d. 1171)
3. Constance, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond (d. 1201)
   1. Geoffrey, fourth son of King Henry II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, jure uxoris (d. 1186)
   2. Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester and Earl of Richmond jure uxoris (to 1198, when the marriage was annulled)
   3. Guy of Thouars, Earl of Richmond jure uxoris 1199-1201 (d. 1213)
4. Arthur I, Duke of Brittany and 4th Earl of Richmond (imprisoned 1203, presumed d. 1203)
5. Alix, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond (d. 1221)
   1. Peter I Mauclerc, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond jure uxoris (to 1218)
6. Peter Mauclerc, 1st Earl of Rchmond (new foundation) (1218-1235)

Earldom of Arundel

The honour of Arundel was one of the earliest created after the Norman conquest, a compact 'rape' or castlery after the old Norman fashion, before William I realised the wisdom of scattering his barons' lands to reduce their regional power. Arundel's holder, Roger de Montgomery, was first Earl of Arundel as well as Earl of Shrewsbury. After his son Robert de Bellême, third earl of Shrewsbury and Arundel, rebelled against King Henry I in 1101, his English lands and titles were forfeited to the crown, and Robert was banished to Normandy.
In King Henry I granted the honour and castle of Arundel to his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, who retained it after his death. Adeliza was instrumental in allowing her step-daughter, the Empress Matilda, into England at the start of the civil war against King Stephen. Her reward was Matilda's elevation of her second husband, William d'Aubigny, to a new Earldom of Arundel (sometimes known as the Earldom of Sussex or of Chicester) in 1141.

1. William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel (d. 1176)
2. William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel (d. 1193)
3. William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of ARundel (d. 1221)

Earldom of Derby

The earldom was created in 1139 to reward Robert I de Ferrers for his role in defeating the invading Scots at the Battle of the Standard (1138) near Northallerton, Yorkshire. He died the following year. Robert's father, Henry de Ferrièrs, had accompanied William I during the Norman Conquest, and was rewarded with 114 manors in Derbyshire and a grant to build a castle at Tutbury, just across the border in Staffordshire. Tutbury remains the caput of the Ferrers earldom.

1. Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby (d. 1139)
2. Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby (d. 1162)
3. William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby (d. 1190 at the siege of Acre)
4. William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby (d. 1247)

Earldom of Norfolk

Norfolk was part of the pre-conquest Earldom of East Anglia held first by the English lord Ralph the Staller, then by his son Ralph de Gael. De Gael lost his lands and title following the Revolt of the Earls in 1075. The earldom was recreated as that of Norfolk for Hugh Bigod, sheriff of Norfolk, royal steward of many Norfolk royal manors, and constable of Norwich Castle. Although Bigod initially supported King Stephen during the Anarchy, and fought beside him at the Battle of Lincoln (1141), he deserted the king after his capture in that battle. The Empress Matilda rewarded him with the Earldom of Lincoln.

1. Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk (d. 1177)
2. Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk (d. 1221)

Earldom of Oxford

The earldom was created in 1141 by the Empress Matilda for Aubrey de Vere, Lord Chamberlain and Sheriff of London, who did homage to her that year following the death of his father in a riot in London and the capture of King Stephen at Lincoln. The reward of an earldom in return for his homage seems to have been the result of negotiations by his brother-in-law, Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex. Although de Vere's caput was at Hedingham, in Suffolk, and he held few lands in Oxfordshire, his title was granted for Oxford.

1. Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford (d. 1194)
2. Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford (d. 1214)
3. Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford (d. 1221)

Earldom of Salisbury

The title was created by Empress Matilda for Patrick, constable of Salisbury and brother-in-law of John Marshal (father to William Marshal), who persuaded him to change his allegiance from King Stephen to the Empress in 1141. He was killed in 1168 in an ambush by Guy de Lusignan while commanding the guard retinue of Eleanor of Aquitaine as they returned from pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela. His nephew, William Marshal, was part of the guard and successfully escorted Queen Eleanor free of the attempted capture, but was severely wounded in the attempt. The earldom passed to his son, then his granddaughter, who was 9 years old at the time. King Richard immediately married her to his illegitimate half-brother William Longspee (Longsword), then 22.

1. Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury (d. 1168)
2. William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury (d. 1196)
3. Ela of Salisbury, Countess of Salisbury (d. 1261)
   1. William Longspee, Earl of Salisbury jure uxoris (d. 1226)

Earldom of Pembroke

Gilbert FitzGilbert de Clare was one of the new earls created by King Stephen in 1138. Prior to this, he was a baron and marcher lord, holding the baronies of Bienfaite and Orbec in Normandy, and those of Nether Gwent and Striguil (Chepstow) in Wales. Though he rebelled against Stephen in 1147, he made his peace shortly afterwards. His son Richard, the second earl, known as Stongbow, led the Norman invasion of Ireland in defiance of King Henry II 1170. His son Gilbert, was three years old when Strongbow died, and was just 12 years old at his own death in 1185. Though he was never formally invested with the earldom, he is counted as the third earl. The de Clare lands and the earldom then passed to his sister Isobel until her death in 1220. Although her husband, William Marshal, gained use of her lands on their marriage in 1189, King Richard withheld the title of earl. It was not until the accession of King John, who recreated the earldom, that Marshal becaome Earl of Pembroke in his own right.
First Foundation (de Clare)

1. Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d. 1147)
2. Richard de Clare, 'Strongbow', 2nd Earl of Pembroke (d. 1176)
3. Gilbertt de Clare, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (d. 1165)
4. Isabel de Clare, Countess of Pembroke (d. 1220)

Second Foundation (Marshal)

1. William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d. 1219)

Earldom of Essex

The earldom of Essex was created by King Stephen for Geoffrey de Mandeville in 1139. Geoffrey's paternal inheritance in Essex (including constableship of the Tower of London) and maternal inheritance (also in Essex) had both defaulted to the crown due to royal displeasure. Geoffrey courted both parties during the Anarchy to recover his ancestral lands, before setting out for himself and becoming a bandit in the fen country in 1143 until his death from an arrow wound in 1144. His son Geoffrey made his way to Empress Matilda, who recognised his right to inherit his father's earldom. Though he married Eustachia, a kinswoman of King Henry II, he refused to live with her and they remained childless. On his death the earldom passed to his younger brother William, who married Hawise, Countess of Aumâle, in 1180. They also remained childless and William died in 1189, shortly after being named co-justiciar by King Richard, without a clear heir. After some disputes, it eventually went to his cousin's husband Geoffrey de Say to hold in his own right in a new creation.
First Creation (1139)

1. Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex (d. 1144)
2. Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex (d. 1166)
3. William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex (d. 1189)

Second Creation (1199)

1. Geoffrey FitzPeter de Say, 1st Earl of Essex (d. 1213)
2. Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex (d. 1216)
3. William FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex (d. 1227)

Earl of Hereford

The earldom of Hereford was created three times before the Norman Conquest, the last time in 1058 for Harold Godwinsson, later King Harold. Following the Conquest, William I recreated the title for his close counsellor William FitzOsbern, a strong advocate for the Conquest, in 1067. His son, Roger de Breteuil, was dispossessed following the Revolt of the Earls in 1175.
In 1141, King Stephen recreated thre title for Miles of Gloucester, hereditary constable of England, sheriff of Gloucester, and lord of Abergevenny, St Briavel's Castle and the Forest of Dean, and though his wife lord of Brecknock and other extensive lands in Gloucester. On his death the earldom was inherited by his son Roger, but King Henry II allowed the earldom to lapse on Roger's death without issue in 1155.
In 1199 King John created Humphrey de Bohun, baron of Trowbridge and grandson of David, King of Scots, the Earl of Essex and appointed him Constable of England.
Fourth Creation (1067)

1. William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford (d. 1171)
2. Roger de Bretuiel, 2nd Earl of Hereford (disinherited and imprisoned 1075, d. after 1087)

Fifth Creation (1141)

1. Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (d. 1143)
2. Roger FitzMiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford (d. 1155)

Sixth Creation (1199)

1. Humphrey de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford (d. 1220)

Earldom of Gloucester

The Earldom of Gloucester was created by King Henry I in 1121 for his illegitimate son Robert de Caen, who became the principal military commander of his half-sister Matilda's cause in the Anarchy, and held the earldom until his death in 1147, when it passed to his son William FitzRobert. William's son Robert having died before him, his three daughters were co-heirs to his lands. While his two older daughters, by then both married, inherited 1/3 of his lands each, the earldom and the remaining third passed to his youngest daughter, Isabel, who was married to Count John of Mortain, youngest son of King Henry II and future king of England, until their marriage was annulled in 1199. The title then went to her nephew Amaury IV de Monftort, count of Évreux, who became Earl of Gloucester in quitclaim of Évreux, which was lost to King Philip II of France, until his death in 1213. When Isobel married Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1214, he paid King John 20,000 marks for her inheritence and title. After Geoffrey's death she married Hubert de Burgh, the future Earl of Kent and Justiciar of England, in September 1217, but died less than a month after this marriage, and the earldom passed to another nephew, Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hereford.

1. Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester (from 1121, d. 1147}
2. William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (d. 1183)
3. Isabel, 3rd Countess of Gloucester (d. 1217)
   1. John, Count of Mortain, Earl of Glouncester jure uxoris (married 1189. annulled 1199)
   2. Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex, Earl of Gloucester jure uxoris (married 1213, died 1216)
4. Amaury IV, Count of Évreux, 4th Earl of Glouncester from 1200 (d. 1213)
5. Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester (from 1217, d. 1230)

Earldom of Cornwall

The earldom of Cornwall has a confusing early history. 16th century genealogists determined that at the time of the Norman Conquest it was held by Earl Condor of Cornwall, who was deprived of it after rebelling in 1068. The earldom then (his nephew Alan Niger, Earl of Richmond, later claimed) passed to Brian of Brittany, who resigned the title in 1072. The earldom was then created (the first official creation) for William the Conqueror's half-brother, Robert, Count of Mortain, in 1072, and on his death in 1095 passed to his son William, Count of Mortain, who forfeited the title after being captured with Robert Curthose during the Battle of Tinchebrai (1106). The earldom then supposedly passed to Cadoc, son of Condor. In 1140 King Stephen recreated the earldom for Alan Niger, who claimed his uncle Brian of Brittany had once held it, but he was captured by Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, and tortured until he relinquished his claim to the earldom.
In 1141 the Empress Matilda created the earldom once more for her illegitimate half-brother, Reginald de Dunstanville, who had married the daughter of Cadoc of Cornwall. Following his death in 1175 the title lapsed. King Richard granted Cornwall and other lands to his younger brother, John, Count of Mortain, in 1189, and John became de facto Earl of Cornwall until his coronation in 1199, though he does not appear to have been formally invested with the title.
First Creation (1072)

1. Robert, Count of Mortain, Earl of Cornwall (d. 1095)
2. William, Count of Mortain, Earl of Cornwall (deprived 1106)

Second Creation (1140)

1. Alan Niger, 1st Earl of Richmond, Earl of Cornwall (to 1141)

Third Creation (1141)

1. Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall (d. 1175)
2. John, Count of Mortain (unofficial, 1189-1199)

Earldom of Winchester

King John created the earldom in 1207 for Saer de Quincy, who held important lordships in Scotland and who had married Margaret, sister of Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester. Robert's lands had been divided between his two sisters, giving de Quincy half of his English holdings. On ratification of the division in 1207, de Quincy was made Earl of Winchester. he became an important figure in English politics, and was one of the chief authors of Magna Carta, fought against King John in the subsequent war, and travelled to France to invite Prince Louis to take the English throne. With the unsoccessful siege of Lincoln and subseqwuent defeat of the Frnech forces under Prince Louis, he left on Crusade, falling sick and dying at Damietta in 1219.

1. Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester (d. 1219)

Earldom of Lincoln

The Earldom of Lincoln is lapsed for almost the entirety of the Sherwood period. Its first three creations were by King Stephen during the Anarchy, and it reverted to the crown on the death of Gilbert de Gant in 1156.
During the siege of Lincoln in 1217 the French prince Louis gave Gilbert de Gaunt, a Lincolnshire lord whose caput was at Folkingham, near Grantham, and a relative of the last of King Stephen's earls, the sword of Lincoln and proclaimed him Earl of Lincoln. This title was not recognised by the English crown, and Gilbert was captured by Royalist forces led by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, and Ranulf de Blondville, 6th Earl of Chester, at the battle of Lincoln Fair on 20 May 1217, along with the earls of WEinchester and Hereford, and 45 rebel barons.
In recognition of his part in the defeat of the rebels and their French allies, Ranulf de Blondville was created Earl of Lincoln by the young King Henry III on 23 May 1217. Gilbert was later pardoned and his lands restored, and he lived the rest of his life in realtive obscurity. Ranulf, who had no legitimate male heir, successfully petitioned the crown to recognise his sister Hawise of Chester as countess of Lincoln suo jure on his death. It was for her daughter Margaret de Quincy, countess of Lincoln suo jure, that Bishop Robert Grosseteste wrote his rules of good husbandry.
First Creation (1141)

1. William d;Aubigny, 1st Earl of Lincoln and 1st Earl of Arundel

Second Creation (after 1143)

1. William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln (removed 1149)

Third Creation (1149)

1. Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln (d. 1156)

Fourth Creation (1217)

1. Ranulph de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester and 1st Earl of Lincoln (d. 1232)

Earldom of York

King Stephen created the Earldom of York in 1138 for William le Gros, count of Aumâle and lord of Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire, as a reward for his victory over the invading Scots at the Battle of the Standard. William seems to have taken his duties seriously, and acted as Stephen's administrator of the whole of Yorkshire. He was forced to relinquish the title by King Henry II in 1155.
In 1190 recreated the title for his nephew Otto of Brunswick, son of Richard's sister Matilda and Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony. Otto, 15 at the time of the creation, was not accepted by the vassals of Yorkshire and visited the county only once, in 1191. Nevertheless, he continued to received the earl;'s revenues even after he became King of the Germans in 1198.
First Creation (1138)

1. William le Gros, Count of Aumâle and Earl of York (to 1155)

Second Creation (1190)

1. Otto of Brunswick, Earl of York (to after 1198)

Earldom of Huntingdon

The Earldom of Huntingdon was split from the Anglo-Saxon Earldom of East Anglia, and from 1065 was held by Waltheof, son of Siward of Northumbria. Waltheof kept the title after the Norman Conquest, even after his rebellion in 1067, but was executed for his part in the Rebellion of the Earls in 1075, when the title passed to his daughter Judith, then his grandaughter Maud and her husbands - first Simon de Senlis, then David I, King of Scots. The earldom remained closely associated with the Scottish royal family into the middle of the 13th century.

1. Waltheof, 1st Earl of Huntingdon (d. 1076)
2. Judith, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon (d. 1130/31)
   1. Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton jure uxoris (d1111)
   2. David I, King of Scots, Earl of Huntingdon jure uxoris (m. 1113)
3. Henry of Scotland, son of David, King of Scots, Earl of Northumbria, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon (app. 1139, d. 1153)
4. Simon II de Senlis, son of Simon I de Senlis, 4th Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton (d. 1153)
5. Malcolm IV of Scotland, 5th Earl of Huntingdon (d. 1165)
6. William I of Scotland, 6th Earl of Huntingdon (forfeited 1174)
7. Simon III de Senlis, 7th Earl of Huntingdon (d. 1184)
8. David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon (d. 1219)

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Equates to

Count

Source of Authority

King

Length of Term

Life

Reports directly to

King