Earl of Chester
Encyclopedia
The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales
.
of Chester.
to the Crown in 1237 on the death of John the Scot, Earl of Huntingdon, seventh and last of the Earls. It was annexed to the Crown in 1246. King Henry III
then passed the Lordship of Chester, but not the title of Earl, to his son the Lord Edward in 1254; as King Edward I
he in turn conferred the title and the lands of the Earldom on his son, Edward, the first English Prince of Wales
. By that time the Earldom of Chester consisted of two counties: Cheshire
and Flintshire
.
The establishment of royal control at Chester made possible King Edward I's conquest of north Wales
, and Chester
played a vital part as a supply base during the Welsh Wars (1275–84), so the separate organisation of a county palatine was preserved. This continued until the time of King Henry VIII
. Since 1301 the Earldom of Chester has always been conferred on the Princes of Wales.
Briefly promoted to a principality
in 1398 by King Richard II
, it was reduced to an earldom again in 1399 by King Henry IV
. Whereas the Sovereign's eldest son is born Duke of Cornwall
he must be made or created Earl of Chester (and Prince of Wales; see the Prince Henry's Charter Case (1611) 1 Bulst 133; 80 ER 827). Prince Charles
was created Earl of Chester on 26 July 1958, when he was also made Prince of Wales.
The independent palatinate jurisdiction of Chester survived until the time of King Henry VIII (1536), when the earldom was brought under the control of the Crown. The palatinate courts of Great Sessions and Exchequer survived until the reforms of 1830.
The importance of the Royal County of Chester is shown by the survival of Chester Herald
, in the College of Arms
, for some six hundred years. The office, currently held by Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke
, has anciently been nominally under the jurisdiction of Norroy King of Arms
.
(dates above are approximates)
(There is no evidence that Alphonso
, elder son of Edward I, was created earl of Chester, although he was styled as such)
Thereafter, the Earldom of Chester was created in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. See Prince of Wales
for further Earls of Chester.
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
.
Honour of Chester
The County of Cheshire was held by the powerful Earls (or "Counts" from the Norman-French) of Chester from the late eleventh century, and they held land all over England comprising 'the honour of Chester'.County Palatine of Chester
By the late twelfth century the earls had established a position of power as quasi-princely rulers of Cheshire which led to the later establishment of the County PalatineCounty palatine
A county palatine or palatinate is an area ruled by an hereditary nobleman possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom or empire. The name derives from the Latin adjective palatinus, "relating to the palace", from the noun palatium, "palace"...
of Chester.
Royal County Palatine
The earldom escheatedEscheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
to the Crown in 1237 on the death of John the Scot, Earl of Huntingdon, seventh and last of the Earls. It was annexed to the Crown in 1246. King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
then passed the Lordship of Chester, but not the title of Earl, to his son the Lord Edward in 1254; as King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
he in turn conferred the title and the lands of the Earldom on his son, Edward, the first English Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. By that time the Earldom of Chester consisted of two counties: Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Flintshire
Flintshire (historic)
Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....
.
The establishment of royal control at Chester made possible King Edward I's conquest of north Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
played a vital part as a supply base during the Welsh Wars (1275–84), so the separate organisation of a county palatine was preserved. This continued until the time of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Since 1301 the Earldom of Chester has always been conferred on the Princes of Wales.
Briefly promoted to a principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
in 1398 by King Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
, it was reduced to an earldom again in 1399 by King Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. Whereas the Sovereign's eldest son is born Duke of Cornwall
Duke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
he must be made or created Earl of Chester (and Prince of Wales; see the Prince Henry's Charter Case (1611) 1 Bulst 133; 80 ER 827). Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
was created Earl of Chester on 26 July 1958, when he was also made Prince of Wales.
The independent palatinate jurisdiction of Chester survived until the time of King Henry VIII (1536), when the earldom was brought under the control of the Crown. The palatinate courts of Great Sessions and Exchequer survived until the reforms of 1830.
The importance of the Royal County of Chester is shown by the survival of Chester Herald
Chester Herald
Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office of Chester Herald dates from the 14th century, and it is reputed that the holder was herald to Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince. In the reign of King Richard II the officer was attached...
, in the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, for some six hundred years. The office, currently held by Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke
Timothy Duke
Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Duke began his career as an officer of arms in 1989 when he was appointed Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary. He held this position until 7 August 1995, when he was appointed Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary...
, has anciently been nominally under the jurisdiction of Norroy King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms. The current office is the combination of two former appointments...
.
Second Creation (1071)
- 1071-1101 Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of ChesterHugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of ChesterHugh d'Avranches , also known as le Gros and Lupus was the first Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.-Early career:...
(–1101) - 1101-1120 Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of ChesterRichard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of ChesterRichard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester was the son of Hugh, 1st Earl of Chester and Ermentrude of Clermont.-Early life:...
(1094–1120) - 1120-1129 Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of ChesterRanulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of ChesterRanulf le Meschin, Ranulf de Briquessart or Ranulf I [Ranulph, Ralph] was a late 11th- and early 12th-century Norman magnate based in northern and central England...
(–c.1129) - 1129-1153 Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester (–c.1153)
- 1153-1181 Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester (1147–1181)
- 1181-1232 Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester (c.1172–1232)
- 1232-1232 Matilda of Chester, Countess of Chester suo jure (1171–1233) (Inherited Oct 1232 - inter vivos gift to son Nov 1232)
- 1232-1237 John of Scotland, 7th Earl of Chester (c. 1207–1237)
(dates above are approximates)
Third Creation (1254)
- Edward, Lord of ChesterEdward I of EnglandEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, but without the title of earl (1239–1307) (became King in 1272)
Fourth Creation (1264)
- Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of ChesterSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of LeicesterSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
(1208–1265) (forfeit 1265)
(There is no evidence that Alphonso
Alphonso, Earl of Chester
Alphonso was the ninth child of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. During his lifetime, he was first in line to his father's throne of England and to his mother's county of Ponthieu in France....
, elder son of Edward I, was created earl of Chester, although he was styled as such)
Fifth Creation (1301)
- Edward of Caernarvon, Earl of ChesterEdward II of EnglandEdward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
(1284–1327) (became King Edward II in 1307)
Sixth Creation (1312)
- Edward Plantagenet, Earl of ChesterEdward III of EnglandEdward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
(1312–1377) (became King Edward III in 1327)
Thereafter, the Earldom of Chester was created in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. See Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
for further Earls of Chester.
Other uses
- Earl of Chester was one of the GWR 3031 ClassGWR 3031 ClassThe Dean Single, 3031 Class, or Achilles Class was a type of steam locomotive built by the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1899. They were designed by William Dean for passenger work...
locomotives that were built for and run on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915.
Sources
- BE Harris, "Administrative History" in CR Elrington (ed), The Victoria County History of Chester (University of London Institute of Historical Research, London, 1979) vol II 1-97