Earl of Southampton was a title that was 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 ...

. The first creation came in 1537 in favour of the courtier William FitzWilliam. He was childless and the title became extinct on his death in 1542. The second creation came in 1547 in favour of the politician Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Baron Wriothesley,

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

between 1544 and 1547. He had already been created Baron Wriothesley (pronounced "rose ley" /ˈroʊzli/) in 1544, also in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his third but only surviving son, the second Earl. On his death the titles passed to his second but only surviving son, the third Earl. He is best remembered as a patron of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. He was succeeded by his second but only surviving son, the fourth Earl. He was a prominent statesman and served as

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...

under Charles II between 1660 and 1667. In 1653 he had succeeded his father-in-law

Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester ( 28 April 1598 – 21 December 1653) was a Royalist politician and courtier around the period of the English Civil War.''Thomas Seccombe'', 'Leigh, Francis, first earl of Chichester (died 1653)', rev. Sean Ke ...

as second

Earl of Chichester Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The current title was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for Thomas Pelham, 2nd Ba ...

according to a special remainder in the

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

. However, Lord Southampton had no sons and the titles became extinct on his death in 1667. The third creation came in 1670 for

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 Eng ...

, mistress of Charles II. She was made Baroness Nonsuch and Duchess of Cleveland at the same time. See the latter title for more information on this creation.

Earls of Southampton; First creation (1537)

* William Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton (1490–1542)

Barons Wriothesley (1544)

* Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Baron Wriothesley (1505–1550) (created Earl of Southampton in 1547)

Earls of Southampton; Second creation (1547)

Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton (21 December 1505 – 30 July 1550), KG was an English peer, secretary of state, Lord Chancellor and Lord High Admiral. A naturally skilled but unscrupulous and devious politician who changed with t ...

(1505–1550) **William Wriothesley (1535–1537) **Anthony Wriothesley (1542–1542) *

Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton (pronunciation uncertain: ''RYE-zlee'' (archaic), ''ROTT-slee'' (present-day) and ''RYE-əths-lee'' have been suggested) (24 April 1545 – 4 October 1581), was an English peer. Family Henry Wrioth ...

(1545–1581) *

Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, (pronunciation uncertain: "Rezley", "Rizely" (archaic), (present-day) and have been suggested; 6 October 1573 – 10 November 1624) was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of So ...

(1573–1624) **

James Wriothesley, Lord Wriothesley James Wriothesley, Lord Wriothesley KB (1 March 1605 – 5 November 1624) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1624. Life Wriothesley was the eldest son of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton and ...

(1605–1624) * Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, 2nd Earl of Chichester (1607–1667)

Earls of Southampton; Third creation (1670)

*''see

Duke of Cleveland Duke of Cleveland was a title that was created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The dukedoms were named after Cleveland in northern England. The first creation in 1670 (along with the barony ...

References

*http://www.raymentleigh.com *http://www.tudorplace.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Southampton 1537 establishments in England 1542 disestablishments in England 1547 establishments in England 1667 disestablishments in England 1670 establishments in England Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England Noble titles created in 1537 Noble titles created in 1547 Noble titles created in 1670

Earls of Southampton; First creation (1537)

Barons Wriothesley (1544)

Earls of Southampton; Second creation (1547)

Earls of Southampton; Third creation (1670)

See also

References