The

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

title Earl of Kent has been created eight 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 ...

and once in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

. In fiction, the Earl of Kent is also known as a prominent supporting character in William Shakespeare's tragedy

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

Earls of Kent, first creation (1020)

The Earldom Kent was first created by

Cnut the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...

for

Godwin, Earl of Wessex Godwin of Wessex ( ang, Godwine; – 15 April 1053) was an English nobleman who became one of the most powerful earls in Kingdom of England, England under the Denmark, Danish king Cnut the Great (King of England from 1016 to 1035) and his succ ...

. Upon his death, in 1053, it was inherited by his son,

Leofwine Godwinson Leofwine Godwinson (c. 1035 – 14 October 1066) was a younger brother of King Harold Godwinson, the fifth son of Earl Godwin. When the Godwin family was exiled from England in 1051 he went with Harold to Ireland, where they were sheltered and he ...

. Leofwine, in 1066, at the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William the Conqueror, William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godw ...

, was killed, and his titles forfeited to the new King

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

. *

(1020–1053), 1st Earl of Kent. *

(1053–1066), 4th son of above, 2nd Earl of Kent.

Earls of Kent, second creation (1067)

After

William, Duke of Normandy 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 Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...

conquered England, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, his half-brother, was awarded the Earldom of Kent, the second creation. In 1076, Odo was found guilty of defrauding the crown, and most of his properties were forfeited to the crown, but he was not executed. In 1082, he was arrested for planning a military campaign to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and in 1088 his titles were forfeited. He died in 1097 at

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, on his way to join the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

. *

Odo, Earl of Kent Odo of Bayeux (died 1097), Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeux, was the maternal half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was, for a time, second in power after the King of England. Early life Odo was the son of William the Conqueror's mother ...

, and Bishop of Bayeux (died 1097) (forfeit 1088).

Earls of Kent, third creation (1141)

William of Ypres William of Ypres ( nl, Willem van Yper; 1090 – 24 January 116524 January 1164 O.S., 1165 N.S.) was a Flemish nobleman and one of the first mercenary captains of the Middle Ages. Following two unsuccessful bids for the County of Flanders, ...

was the principal lieutenant of King Stephen and was thus rewarded the Earldom of Kent. He was deprived of the title in 1155, by King Henry II. *

William de Ipres, Earl of Kent William of Ypres ( nl, Willem van Yper; 1090 – 24 January 116524 January 1164 O.S., 1165 N.S.) was a Flemish nobleman and one of the first mercenary captains of the Middle Ages. Following two unsuccessful bids for the County of Flanders, ...

(c. 1095–1165) (deprived 1155)

Earls of Kent, fourth creation (1227)

Hubert de Burgh Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Justiciar, Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John, King of England, John and of his son and successor Kin ...

was a loyal supporter of King John and in 1227 was created Earl of Kent by John's son and successor,

King Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry ass ...

. He died childless in 1243, his Earldom becoming extinct. *

Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

(died 1243)

Earls of Kent, fifth creation (1321)

Edmund of Woodstock was sixth son of

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

. He was created Earl of Kent in 1321. Following his execution for high treason, his son

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and ...

became Earl of Kent. Edmund died the following year and the Earldom of Kent was inherited by his younger brother

John, 3rd Earl of Kent John (7 April 1330 – 26 December 1352), an English nobleman, was the Earl of Kent (1331–52) and 4th Baron Wake of Liddell (1349–52). His promising career was cut short by an untimely death at the age of twenty-two. He was born on 7 April ...

. John died aged 22 and all his land was passed to his sister

Joan, Countess of Kent Joan, Countess of Kent (29 September 1326/1327 – 7 August 1385), known as The Fair Maid of Kent, was the mother of King Richard II of England, her son by her third husband, Edward the Black Prince, son and heir apparent of King Edward III. A ...

. The Earldom of Kent, as a royal earldom, became extinct. Joan married Sir Thomas Holland and was created Earl of Kent in her own right, in what is considered a separate creation of the Earldom of Kent (see below). *

Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent (5 August 130119 March 1330), whose seat was Arundel Castle in Sussex, was the sixth son of King Edward I of England, and the second by his second wife Margaret of France, and was a younger half-brother ...

(1301–1330) ( attainted 1330) *

Edmund, 2nd Earl of Kent Edmund, 2nd Earl of Kent (c. 1326 – 5 October 1331Waugh, Scott L"Edmund_[Edmund_of_Woodstock/nowiki>,_first_earl_of_Kent".html" ;"title="/nowiki>Edmund of Woodstock">"Edmund [Edmund of Woodstock/nowiki>, first earl of Kent"">/nowiki>Edmund of Woo ...

(–1331) (restored 1331) *

(1330–1352)

Earls of Kent, sixth creation (1360)

The earls of Kent of this creation used ''Baron Holand'' (1353) as a subsidiary title; it became Abeyance, abeyant 1408. The first earl of Kent by this creation was the husband of Joan of Kent of the fifth creation. *Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent (died 1360) *

Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (135025 April 1397) was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England. Family and early life Thomas Holland was born in Upholland, Lancashire, in 1350. He was the eldest s ...

(1350–1397) * Thomas Holland, 3rd Earl of Kent (1372–1400) *

Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, 5th Baron Holand, KG (6 January 1383 15 September 1408) was the Earl of Kent from 1400 to 1408. He was the 106th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1403. Edmund was born in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, the second ...

(1383–1408) The line of the earls of Kent became extinct with the death of Edmund, the fourth earl. Image:Holland Earls of Kent.svg, centre, 1000px, alt=insert description of map here, The Holland Earls of Kent. Where an article exists, it can be found by clicking on the name. rect 255 0 370 75 w:Robert Holland, 1st Baron Holand rect 190 95 295 150 w:Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent rect 300 95 350 150 w:Joan of Kent rect 365 95 435 140 w:William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury rect 485 95 540 135 w:Otho Holand rect 615 95 715 150 w:John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey rect 940 95 1025 150 w:John de Mowbray, 3rd Baron Mowbray rect 365 145 455 190 w:Edward the Black Prince rect 70 200 120 260 w:Alice FitzAlan, Countess of Kent rect 130 200 245 260 w:Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent rect 250 200 310 260 w:Hugh Courtenay (died 1374) rect 380 200 475 260 w:Waleran III, Count of Ligny rect 485 200 527 260 w:Joan Holland, Duchess of Brittany rect 537 200 635 260 w:John IV, Duke of Brittany rect 660 200 800 260 w:John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter rect 85 300 190 360 w:Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey rect 250 300 360 350 w:Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent rect 370 300 425 350 w:Lucia Visconti rect 445 300 510 330 w:Alianore Holland, Countess of March rect 605 300 665 330 w:Joan Holland rect 730 300 800 330 w:Margaret Holland, Duchess of Clarence rect 850 300 915 330 w:Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury rect 430 340 530 380 w:Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March rect 560 340 700 370 w:Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York rect 710 340 810 380 w:John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset rect 830 340 935 380 w:Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury rect 945 340 1020 380 w:John Neville (died 1420) rect 400 390 550 430 w:Edward Charlton, 5th Baron Charlton rect 570 375 680 417 w:William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby rect 705 390 825 430 w:Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence rect 560 420 700 470 w:Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham

Earls of Kent, seventh creation (1461)

William Neville, Earl of Kent William Neville, Earl of Kent KG (c. 14059 January 1463) and '' jure uxoris'' 6th Baron Fauconberg, was an English nobleman and soldier. He fought during the latter part of the Hundred Years War, and during the English dynastic Wars of the Ro ...

(died 1463)

Earls of Kent, eighth creation (1465)

The Greys were a baronial family with substantial property in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, and later around

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...

in Wales. They rose to greater prominence during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

. Edmund Grey, Lord Grey of Ruthin, started out a Lancastrian, but switched to the Yorkist side at the Battle of Northampton. He was a member of Edward IV's council, became Lord Treasurer in 1463/4, was created Earl of Kent in 1465 and was keeper of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

in 1470. He remained loyal through

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

's accession, taking part in his coronation (1483). Edmund's son George, the 2nd Earl, had continued as a Yorkist, marrying Anne Woodville, a sister of Edward IV's queen

Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile;Although spelling of the family name is usually modernised to "Woodville", it was spelt "Wydeville" in contemporary publications by Caxton, but her tomb at St. George's Chapel, Wind ...

. (He was half-first cousin - both being grandsons of Reynold 3rd Lord Grey of Ruthin - to Queen Elizabeth's first husband,

Sir John Grey of Groby Sir John Grey, of Groby, Leicestershire (c. 1432Douglas Richardson. ''Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families,'' 2nd Edition, 2011. pg 161-164. – 17 February 1461) was a Lancastrian knight, the first husband of Elizab ...

.) He later married Catherine Herbert, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. The third earl, Richard, was the son of the second earl and Anne Woodville. He wound up heavily in debt, probably through gambling, and was forced to alienate most of his property. A good part ended up in the crown's hands; historians disagree regarding what this says about Henry VII's relationship with the aristocracy. He was succeeded as earl by his half-brother Henry, son of the second earl and Catherine Herbert. Henry tried, with little success, to reacquire the property Richard had sold, and had to live as a modest gentleman, never formally taking title as earl. *

Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent (26 October 141622 May 1490), English administrator, nobleman and magnate, was the son of Sir John Grey, KG and Constance Holland. His main residence was at Wrest near Silsoe, Bedfordshire. Lineage Through Cons ...

(c. 1420–1490) *

George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, (1454 – 25 December 1505) was the son of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent and Lady Katherine Percy. He was the Second Earl of Kent from 1490 to 1505. Biography George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent and 5th Baron Grey de Ru ...

(c. 1460–1503) *

Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent KG (1481 – 3 May 1524) was an English peer. Family He was a son of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent and his first wife Anne Woodville. His maternal grandparents were Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquet ...

(1481–1524) *

Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent (c. 1495 – 24 September 1562) was Earl of Kent from 1524 to his death. He was a son of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent and his second wife Catherine Herbert. His maternal grandparents were William Herbert, 1st Earl ...

(c. 1495–1562) *

Reginald Grey, 5th Earl of Kent Reginald Grey, 5th Earl of Kent (before 154117 March 1573) was an English peer. Biography He was a son of Henry Grey (1520–1545) and Margaret St John. His paternal grandparents were Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent and Anne Blennerhassett. Reginal ...

(died 1573) *

Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent (1541 – 31 January 1615) was an English peer. He was a son of Henry Grey (1520–1545) and Margaret St. John and grandson of Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent. He was a younger brother of Reginald Grey, 5th Earl of Ken ...

(1541–1615) *

Charles Grey, 7th Earl of Kent Charles Grey (1540s – 26 September 1623) was Earl of Kent from 1615 to his death. Personal life Grey was a son of Henry Grey (1520–1545) and Margaret St. John. His paternal grandparents were Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent and Anne Blennerhasset ...

(c. 1545–1623) *

Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent (c. 1583 – 21 November 1639) of Wrest Park, Bedfordshire was Earl of Kent from 1623 to his death. He was born the only son of Charles Grey, 7th Earl of Kent and his wife Susan Cotton and educated at Trinity College ...

(c. 1583–1639) *

Anthony Grey, 9th Earl of Kent Rev. Anthony Grey (1557 – 9 November 1643) was Earl of Kent from 1639 to his death. He was a son of George Grey by Margery, daughter of Gerard Salvaine of Croxdale. George was the apparently only son of Anthony Grey of Brancepeth, a son of Georg ...

(1557–1643) *

Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent (24 November 1594 – 28 May 1651), known as Lord Ruthin from 1639 to 1643, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and succeeded to the title Earl of Kent in 1643. Doyle's ''The Official Bar ...

(1594–1651) * Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent (1645–1702) *

Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, KG, PC (16715 June 1740) was a British politician and courtier. None of his sons outlived him, so his new title became extinct on his death. Though the house he built at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire has gone, parts ...

(1671–1740) (created Marquess of Kent in 1706,

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...

in 1710) (all Kent titles were extinct on his death, though some others passed to

Jemima Yorke, 2nd Marchioness Grey Jemima Yorke, 2nd Marchioness Grey and Countess of Hardwicke (; 9 October 1723 – 10 January 1797), was a British peeress. Life and family She was a daughter of John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, and his first wife, Lady A ...

)

Earls of Kent, ninth creation (1866)

* Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Kent (1844–1900)

References