Earl of Marlborough is a title that has been created twice, both 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 ...

. The first time in 1626 in favour of James Ley, 1st Baron Ley and the second in 1689 for John Churchill, 1st Baron Churchill the future Duke of Marlborough.

History

The first creation came on 5 February 1626 in favour of James Ley, 1st Baron Ley, Lord Chief Justice and Lord High Treasurer. He had already been created a 'baronet, of Westbury in the County of Wiltshire, in the

Baronetage of England Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

in 1619 and Baron Ley, of Ley in the County of Devon, on 31 December 1624, also in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He served as Custos Rotulorum of Somerset. In 1628, one year before he succeeded his father in the earldom, he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration as Baron Ley. He was succeeded by his only son, the third Earl. He was a naval commander and was killed at the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665. He was unmarried and was succeeded by his uncle, William Ley, the fourth Earl. William married Miss Hewet, daughter of Sir William Hewet, but dying without issue, in 1679, the Baronetcy of Ley, and Earldom of Marlborough, became extinct. The second creation came on 9 April 1689, when John Churchill, 1st Baron Churchill, was created Earl of Marlborough, in the County of Wiltshire, for his role in the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

. He was subsequently created Duke of Marlborough, and the earldom has since descended with the dukedom.

Earls of Marlborough; First creation (1626)

* James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough (1552–1629) * Henry Ley, 2nd Earl of Marlborough (1595–1638), elder son of 1st Earl * James Ley, 3rd Earl of Marlborough (1618–1665), only son of 2nd Earl *

William Ley, 4th Earl of Marlborough 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 ...

(1612–1679), younger son of 1st Earl

Earls of Marlborough; Second creation (1689)

*see Duke of Marlborough

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marlborough Earldoms in the Peerage of England Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England 1626 establishments in England Noble titles created in 1626 Noble titles created in 1689