Earl of Rochford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1695 and became extinct in 1830.

History

The title of Earl of Rochford was created in 1695 for William Nassau de Zuylestein, one of the most trusted companions of his kinsman, William of Orange. He was made Viscount Tunbridge at the same time, also in the Peerage of England. He was the son of

Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein Frederick of Nassau, Lord of Zuylestein (1624–1672) was an illegitimate son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, by Margaretha Catharina Bruyns, Life Frederick was born in 1624 out of wedlock to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1584 – 1647 ...

, natural son of

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

. Zuylestein was sent to

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 b ...

in 1687 and again in 1688 to report on the condition of affairs. In 1688 he sailed with the prince on his famous expedition. After the Revolution he was naturalized and served the king in the field, being raised to the English peerage in 1695. He was succeeded by his son William, the second Earl, who was killed at the Battle of Almenar, and then by another son, Frederick, the third Earl. Frederick's son, William Henry, the 4th Earl, was a diplomat and a statesman. Having gained experience as

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

from 1749 to 1753, he was Ambassador to Madrid from 1763 to 1766 and to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

from 1766 to 1768. From 1768 to 1775 he was one of the secretaries of state. He left no children when he died on 28 September 1781, and was succeeded by his nephew, William Henry, the 5th Earl. The titles became extinct on the latter's death in September 1830. The estates of the Earls of Rochford were in Suffolk and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, their principal residence being St Osyth Priory in the latter county.

Earls of Rochford (1695)

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford William Hendrik of Nassau, Lord of Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford (1649 – 12 July 1708) was a Dutch soldier and diplomat in the service of his cousin William III of England. During the reign of James II of England he travelled to England to l ...

(1649–1709) *

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford (1682 – 27 July 1710), styled Viscount Tunbridge from 1695 to 1709, was a British Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the Irish House of Commons from 1705 and in the British House of ...

(1682–1710) *Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein, 3rd Earl of Rochford (1683–1738) * William Henry Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford (1717–1781) *William Henry Nassau de Zuylestein, 5th Earl of Rochford (1754–1830)

Arms

The earls of Rochford used the arms below, inherited via the founder of their Family Fredrick of Nassau, lord of Zuylestein, illegitimate son of

. File:Blason Nassau-Zuylestein.svg, Arms of Nassau-Zuylestein. The 3 pillars are known as "Zuylen" in Dutch.

Family Tree

References

External links