The title of Earl of Cambridge was created several times in 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 * Be ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and since 1362 the title has been closely associated with the

Royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...

(see also

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

, Marquess of Cambridge). The first

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particu ...

of the fourth creation, the Marquess of Hamilton, was at the time sixth in line to the

Crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland ( gd, Crùn na h-Alba) is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and dates from at least 1503, although it has been claimed that the c ...

(after the Duke of Rothesay, later King Charles I, his sister Elizabeth and her children); his grandfather Lord Arran had been

heir-presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to, and Regent for,

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

. The

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

currently holds the title ''Earl of Arran and Cambridge'' in the Peerage of Scotland, which is not related to this earldom. From 1664, the title

superseded that of the Earl of Cambridge.

Earls of Cambridge, 1st Creation (1340)

* William of Juliers, 1st Earl of Cambridge (1299–1361)

Earls of Cambridge, 2nd Creation (1362)

Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York Edmund of Langley, Duke of York (5 June 1341 – 1 August 1402) was the fourth surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Like many medieval English princes, Edmund gained his nickname from his birthplace: Kings Lang ...

(1341–1402) * Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York (–1415), resigned 1414

Earls of Cambridge, 3rd Creation (1414)

* Richard of Conisburgh, 1st Earl of Cambridge (1385–1415) *

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Planta ...

(1411–1460) * Edward Plantagenet, 4th Duke of York (1442–1483), merged in crown 1461

Earls of Cambridge, 4th Creation (1619)

The subsidiary title was ''Baron of Innerdale'' (1619). * James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton (1589–1625) *

James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC (19 June 1606 – 9 March 1649), known as The 3rd Marquess of Hamilton from March 1625 until April 1643, was a Scottish nobleman and influential political and military leader during the Thirty Year ...

(1606–1649) *

William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton KG (14 December 161612 September 1651) was a Scottish nobleman who supported both Royalist and Presbyterian causes during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Life Hamilton was born at Hamilton Palace in De ...

(1616–1651) extinct

Earls of Cambridge, 5th Creation (1659)

Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester (8 July 164013 September 1660) was the youngest son of Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France. He is also known as Henry of Oatlands. From the age of two, Henry ...

(1640–1660) extinct

Earls of Cambridge, 6th Creation (1664)

James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge KG (12 July 1663 – 20 June 1667) was the second son of the Duke of York (later James II of England) and his first wife, Anne Hyde. In 1664, the infant James became the first Duke of Cambridge and Baron of D ...

(1663–1667)

Earls of Cambridge, 7th Creation (1667)

Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

(1667–1671)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown Noble titles created in 1340 Noble titles created in 1362 Noble titles created in 1414 Noble titles created in 1619 Noble titles created in 1659 Noble titles created in 1664 Noble titles created in 1667