Earl of Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
The title Earl of Wiltshire is one of the oldest in the Peerage of England
, going back to the 12th century. It is currently held by the Marquess of Winchester
, and is used as a courtesy title
for the eldest son of the marquess.
The earldom was first created for Harvey of Léon
, who married Sybilla, an illegitimate daughter of King Stephen
. The title lapsed after Hervey lost his English lands during the Anarchy, since at that time one could not be an earl without the territory to support the dignity.
Patrick of Salisbury
was created Earl of Wiltshire by the Empress Matilda
, probably after July 1143, but he was usually styled Earl of Salisbury
. He was the second but eldest surviving son of William of Salisbury and the grandson of Walter of Salisbury, the founder of Bradenstoke Priory, in Wiltshire. He was Sheriff of Wiltshire
in October 1152, when he was addressed as "Earl Patrick, sheriff" in a writ of Stephen. Patrick of Salisbury, Earl of Wiltshire, passed the title to his great-granddaughter Margaret Longespee. She married Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, they had a daughter who became suo jure
Countess of Lincoln and Wiltshire on her mother's death. She married three times, but the earldom of Wilshire seems to have reverted to the crown with her death in October 1348.
William le Scrope was created Earl of Wiltshire in 1397. He was executed during the events leading to the deposition of Richard II
by Henry IV
. The charter which granted his earldom limited its inheritance to heirs male, but not did not contain the usual additional limitation of his body. Thus in 1859 a collateral descendant attempted to claim the earldom, but the claim was rejected by the House of Lords
.
The next creation was for James Butler, eldest son of the 4th Earl of Ormond. He fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton
, and afterwards was executed and posthumously attainted.
The earldom was next held by three members of the Stafford family, beginning with John, a younger son of the 1st Duke of Buckingham.
Anne Boleyn
's father Thomas was the recipient of the next creation, but after out living his son and with no other male heir's upon his death the title became vacant.
Finally, in 1550 William Paulet
was created Earl of Wiltshire. He was made Marquess of Winchester the next year, and his descendants continue to hold both titles.
The title 'Earl of Wiltshire' is now used as the courtesy title of Lord Winchester's eldest son and heir
.
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....
, going back to the 12th century. It is currently held by the Marquess of Winchester
Marquess of Winchester
Marquess of Winchester is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. He had already been created Baron St John in 1539 and Earl of Wiltshire in 1550, also in the Peerage of England...
, and is used as a courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
for the eldest son of the marquess.
The earldom was first created for Harvey of Léon
Harvey of Léon
Harvey 1st Earl of Wiltshire was a Viscount of Léon from 1103 until his death. Harvey struggled to maintain the de facto independence of Léon from his immediate overlord, the Duke of Brittany, and the influence of the Kingdom of England across the Channel...
, who married Sybilla, an illegitimate daughter of King Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
. The title lapsed after Hervey lost his English lands during the Anarchy, since at that time one could not be an earl without the territory to support the dignity.
Patrick of Salisbury
Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and the uncle of the famous William Marshal.His parents were Walter of Salisbury and Sibilla de Chaworth. Before 1141, Patrick was constable of Salisbury, a powerful local official but not a nobleman...
was created Earl of Wiltshire by the Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, probably after July 1143, but he was usually styled Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in British history. It has a complex history, being first created for Patrick de Salisbury in the middle twelfth century. It was eventually inherited by Alice, wife of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster...
. He was the second but eldest surviving son of William of Salisbury and the grandson of Walter of Salisbury, the founder of Bradenstoke Priory, in Wiltshire. He was Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
in October 1152, when he was addressed as "Earl Patrick, sheriff" in a writ of Stephen. Patrick of Salisbury, Earl of Wiltshire, passed the title to his great-granddaughter Margaret Longespee. She married Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, they had a daughter who became suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Countess of Lincoln and Wiltshire on her mother's death. She married three times, but the earldom of Wilshire seems to have reverted to the crown with her death in October 1348.
William le Scrope was created Earl of Wiltshire in 1397. He was executed during the events leading to the deposition of 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...
by 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...
. The charter which granted his earldom limited its inheritance to heirs male, but not did not contain the usual additional limitation of his body. Thus in 1859 a collateral descendant attempted to claim the earldom, but the claim was rejected by the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
The next creation was for James Butler, eldest son of the 4th Earl of Ormond. He fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
, and afterwards was executed and posthumously attainted.
The earldom was next held by three members of the Stafford family, beginning with John, a younger son of the 1st Duke of Buckingham.
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
's father Thomas was the recipient of the next creation, but after out living his son and with no other male heir's upon his death the title became vacant.
Finally, in 1550 William Paulet
William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester
Sir William Paulet was an English Secretary of State and statesman who attained several peerages throughout his lifetime: Baron St John , Earl of Wiltshire , and Marquess of Winchester .-Family origins and early career in Hampshire:William Paulet was eldest son of Sir John Paulet of...
was created Earl of Wiltshire. He was made Marquess of Winchester the next year, and his descendants continue to hold both titles.
Earl of Wiltshire, creation by the Empress Matilda (c. 1145)
- Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of SalisburyPatrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of SalisburyPatrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and the uncle of the famous William Marshal.His parents were Walter of Salisbury and Sibilla de Chaworth. Before 1141, Patrick was constable of Salisbury, a powerful local official but not a nobleman...
(c. 1122-1168) - William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of SalisburyWilliam of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of SalisburyWilliam of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury was an Anglo-Norman peer. Though he is generally known as such, his proper title was Earl of Wiltshire, which title was conferred on his father by the Empress Maud around 1143...
(d. 1196) - William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (c. 1176–1226), jure uxoris Ela, Countess of SalisburyEla, Countess of SalisburyEla of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury was a wealthy English heiress and the suo jure Countess of Salisbury, having succeeded to the title in 1196 upon the death of her father, William FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Salisbury...
(1187–1261) - Margaret Longespée, Countess of Salisbury (c. 1261 - c. 1311)
- Alice de Lacy, 4th Countess of Lincoln (1281–1348)
Earl of Wiltshire, Second Creation (1397)
- William le Scrope, 1st Earl of WiltshireWilliam le Scrope, 1st Earl of WiltshireSir William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, King of Mann KG was a close supporter of King Richard II of England. He was a second son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton.-Life:...
(1350–1399) (executed 1399)
Earl of Wiltshire, Third Creation (1449)
- James Butler, 1st Earl of Wiltshire (1420–1461) (forfeit 1461)
Earl of Wiltshire, Fourth Creation (1470)
- John Stafford, 1st Earl of WiltshireJohn Stafford, 1st Earl of WiltshireJohn Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire was an English nobleman, the youngest son of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham.In 1461 he was made a Knight of the Bath....
(d. 1473) - Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of WiltshireEdward Stafford, 2nd Earl of WiltshireSir Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire was an English nobleman.He was the only child of John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and succeeded his father as earl in 1473 when he was 3 years old....
(1469–1499) (extinct)
Earl of Wiltshire, Fifth Creation (1510)
- Henry Stafford, 1st Earl of WiltshireHenry Stafford, 1st Earl of WiltshireHenry Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire was an English nobleman.Henry, born in Brecknock Castle, Wales, was the younger son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and of Catherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham and Bedford, and thus a nephew of King Edward IV of England...
(1479–1523) (extinct)
Earl of Wiltshire, Sixth Creation (1529)
- Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of WiltshireThomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of WiltshireThomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, KG was an English diplomat and politician in the Tudor era. He was born at the family home, Hever Castle, Kent, which had been purchased by his grandfather Geoffrey Boleyn, who was a wealthy mercer. He was buried at St. Peter's parish church in the village of...
(1477–1539) (extinct)
Earl of Wiltshire, Seventh Creation (1550)
- see Marquess of WinchesterMarquess of WinchesterMarquess of Winchester is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. He had already been created Baron St John in 1539 and Earl of Wiltshire in 1550, also in the Peerage of England...
The title 'Earl of Wiltshire' is now used as the courtesy title of Lord Winchester's eldest son and heir
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
.