Earl of Rochford was a a title in the Peerage of England

Peerage of England

The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....

. It was created in 1695 for William Nassau de Zuylestein

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford was a Dutch soldier and diplomat in the service of William III of England...

, one of the most trusted companions of his kinsman, William of Orange

William III of England

William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...

. He was made Viscount Tunbridge at the same time, also in the Peerage of England. He was the son of Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein

Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein

Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein was an illegitimate son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange.-Life:In 1640 his father gave him the castle and title Heer van Zuylestein and made him captain of infantry for the state. In 1659, he was made governor of the household of his nephew, William III of Orange...

, natural son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...

. Zuylestein was sent to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1687 and again in 1688 to report on the condition of affairs. In 1688 he sailed with the prince on his famous expedition. After the Revolution he was naturalized and served the king in the field, being raised to the English peerage in 1695. He was succeeded by his son William, the second Earl, who was killed at the Battle of Almenar, and then by another son, Frederick, the third Earl. Frederick's son, William Henry, the 4th Earl, was a diplomat and a statesman. Having gained experience as envoy

Envoy (title)

In diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....

 at Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 from 1749 to 1753, he was Ambassador to Madrid from 1763 to 1766 and to Paris from 1766 to 1768. From 1768 to 1775 he was one of the secretaries of state. He left no children when he died on 28 September 1781, and was succeeded by his nephew, William Henry, the 5th Earl. The titles became extinct on the latter's death in September 1830. The estates of the Earls of Rochford were in Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 and Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, their principal residence being St Osyth Priory in the latter county.

Earls of Rochford (1695)

• William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford
  William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford
  William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford was a Dutch soldier and diplomat in the service of William III of England...
  
   (1649–1708)
• William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford
  William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford
  William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford was a British peer and member of the House of Lords, styled Viscount Tunbridge from 1695 to 1709....
  
   (1682–1710)
• Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein, 3rd Earl of Rochford (1683–1738)
• William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford
  William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford
  William Henry Nassau, 4th Earl of Rochford, PC, KG was a British courtier, diplomat and statesman of Anglo-Dutch descent. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, and served as Secretary of State in both the Northern and Southern Departments...
  
   (1717–1781)
• William Nassau de Zuylestein, 5th Earl of Rochford (1754–1830)

Arms

The earls of Rochford used the arms below, inherited via the founder of their Family Fredrick of Nassau, lord of Zuylestein

Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein

Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein was an illegitimate son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange.-Life:In 1640 his father gave him the castle and title Heer van Zuylestein and made him captain of infantry for the state. In 1659, he was made governor of the household of his nephew, William III of Orange...

, illegitimate son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange