The title Earl of Holderness also known as Holdernesse existed in the late 11th and early 12th centuries as a feudal lordship and was officially created three times in the

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. There are five peerages in t ...

namely in 1621, in 1644 as a subsidiary title to that of the then-Duke of Cumberland and in 1682. The official creations lasted 5, 38 and 96 years respectively. The title was first held by

Odo, Count of Champagne }; 1115) was Count of Troyes and of Meaux from 1047 to 1066, then Count of Aumale from 1069 to 1115. He was later also known as the count of Champagne and as Eudes II of Troyes. Biography Odo was the son of Stephen II of Troyes and Meaux, and Adel ...

created Earl of

Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...

(an area of land occupying the far east of

East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to th ...

along the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and

Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...

) by his brother-in-law

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

. Odo was stripped of his English lands after being implicated in a plot to put his own son

Stephen of Aumale Stephen of Aumale (–1127) was Count of Aumale from before 1089 to 1127, and Lord of Holderness. Life He was son of Odo, Count of Champagne, and Adelaide of Normandy, countess of Aumale, sister of William the Conqueror.George Edward Cokayne, ''Th ...

upon the throne of England in place of his first cousin, William II. However, the title was restored to Stephen in 1089. The first official creation, in 1621, along with the subsidiary title Baron Kingston upon Thames, of

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

in the County of Surrey, was in favour of John Ramsay, 1st Viscount of Haddington. As well as the Barony created with the Earldom, this Earl held the subsidiary titles Viscount of Haddington (1606), Lord Ramsay of Barns (1606) and Lord Ramsay of Melrose (1615), all in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...

. The second creation, in 1644, was as a subsidiary title of the Dukedom of Cumberland conferred on

Prince Rupert of the Rhine Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

, a nephew of King Charles I. The third creation, in 1682, was in favour of Conyers Darcy, 2nd Baron Darcy and Conyers. In 1641, his father, Sir Conyers Darcy, had successfully petitioned King Charles I to be restored to the

abeyant Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

baronies of Darcy de Knayth (created 1332) and

Conyers Conyers is an Atlanta suburb, the county seat of and only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, Rockdale County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city is 24 miles (38.6 km) east of Atlanta, downtown Atlanta and is a part of t ...

(created 1509), with remainder to his

heirs male In inheritance, a hereditary successor is a person who inherits an indivisible title or office after the death of the previous title holder. The hereditary line of succession may be limited to heirs of the body, or may pass also to collateral l ...

. These were considered new creations that became extinct upon the death of the 4th Earl of Holderness, at which time the earldom also became extinct. (The 1641 decision was reversed in 1903, however, and both baronies were restored to the original remainders, which could be inherited by daughters.)

Feudal Earl of Holderness (1071/72)

* Odo, Count of Champagne, Earl of Holderness, Lord of Aumale (1046–1092) * Stephen of Aumale, Earl of Holderness and Lord of Bitham, Count of Aumale (died 1127)

Earls of Holderness, 1st Creation (1621)

John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness (c. 1580 – January 1626), known as Sir John Ramsay between 1600 and 1606, and as the Viscount of Haddington between 1606 and 1621, was an important Scottish aristocrat of the Jacobean era, best known in ...

(1580–1626)

Earls of Holderness, 2nd Creation (1644)

* Prince Rupert of the Rhine, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness (1619–1682)

Barons Darcy and Conyers (1641)

* Conyers Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy and Conyers (d. 1654) *Conyers Darcy, 2nd Baron Darcy and Conyers (created Earl of Holderness in 1682), see below.

Earls of Holderness, 3rd Creation (1682)

Conyers Darcy, 1st Earl of Holderness Conyers Darcy, 1st Earl of Holderness (24 January 1598/1599 – 14 June 1689) was a British noble; created Earl of Holderness in 1682. Personal life Darcy was born the son of Conyers Darcy, 7th Baron Darcy de Knayth and Dorothy Belasyse. He ...

(1599–1689) *

Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness (1622 – 13 December 1692) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679 and later became a peer. Life Darcy was the eldest son of Conyers Darcy, 8th Lord Darcy of Knayth and 5 ...

(1620–1692) *

Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, (24 November 168120 January 1721) was a British peer and politician. Life Darcy was the second (but eldest surviving) son of John Darcy, Lord Conyers, (himself the eldest son of Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of H ...

(1681–1722) *

Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, (17 May 1718 – 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as Lord Darcy and Conyers, was a British diplomat and politician. Career In 1741 he collaborated with G.F. Handel in the production of Deidamia. From ...

(1718–1778)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holderness Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England Noble titles created in 1621 Noble titles created in 1644 Noble titles created in 1682 Darcy family