The Earldom of Castlemaine was a title created in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

. It was created for Roger Palmer, the husband of

Barbara Palmer Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine (née Barbara Villiers, – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of ...

(née Villiers), mistress to King Charles II. The Earl was also given the title ''Baron Limerick''. The earldom was named after

Castle Maine Castle Maine, also recorded as Castle Magne and Castlemaine, was a medieval castle located at what is now Castlemaine, County Kerry. The castle, built in 1215, stood on a bridge over the River Maine (County Kerry), River Maine. A defensive structur ...

in County Kerry. The title was limited to his male heirs by Barbara (i.e. as opposed, that is, to any later wife he might have) making it clear that the earldom was for his wife's services to the King and not his own. As the only child officially fathered by the 1st Earl (which probably was not actually his) was female, the title became extinct on his death.

Earls of Castlemaine, First Creation (1661)

Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine, PC (1634–1705) was an English courtier, diplomat, and briefly a member of parliament, sitting in the House of Commons of England for part of 1660. He was also a noted Roman Catholic writer. His wife Barba ...

(1634–1705)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castlemaine Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland Peerages created with special remainders Noble titles created in 1661 County Kerry