The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in

medieval England England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the medieval period, from the end of the 5th century through to the start of the Early Modern period in 1485. When England emerged from the collapse of the Roman Empire, the econ ...

, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and

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. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, and after

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the British throne. From the late 14th century, it has been given only in conjunction with that of

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

Honour of Chester and County Palatinate

The County of Cheshire was held by the powerful Earls (or "Counts" from the Norman-French) of Chester from the late eleventh century, and they held land all over England, comprising "the

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

of Chester". By the late twelfth century (if not earlier) the earls had established a position of power as ''quasi''-princely rulers of Cheshire that led to the later establishment of the County Palatine of Chester and

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

. Such was their power that '' Magna Carta'' set down by King John did not apply to Cheshire and the sixth earl was compelled to issue his own

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County palatine

Wales 1234 (Marchia Wallie and Pura Wallia)

The earldom passed to the Crown by

escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

in 1237 on the death of

John the Scot, Earl of Huntingdon John of Scotland (or John de Scotia or John le Scot), 9th Earl of Huntingdon and 7th Earl of Chester (c. 12076 June 1237), sometimes known as "the Scot", was an Anglo-Scottish magnate, the son of David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon by his wife M ...

, seventh and last of the Earls.

William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (died 1260) ( Latinised as ''de Fortibus'', sometimes spelt Deforce) played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England, notably in the Mad Parliament of 1258. William married twice. His firs ...

, claimed the earldom as husband of Christina, the senior co-heir, but the king persuaded them to

quitclaim Generally, a quitclaim is a formal renunciation of a legal claim against some other person, or of a right to land. A person who quitclaims renounces or relinquishes a claim to some legal right, or transfers a legal interest in land. Originally a c ...

their rights in 1241 in exchange for modest lands elsewhere. The other co-heiresses did likewise. It was annexed to the Crown in 1246. King Henry III then passed the Lordship of Chester, but not the title of Earl, to his son, the Lord Edward, in 1254; as King Edward I, this son in turn conferred the title and lands of the Earldom on his son, Edward, the first English

. By that time, the Earldom of Chester consisted of two counties: Cheshire and

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. The establishment of royal control of the Earldom of Chester made possible King Edward I's conquest of

north Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

, and Chester played a vital part as a supply base during the Welsh Wars (1275–84), so the separate organisation of a county palatine was preserved. This continued until the time of King Henry VIII. Since 1301, the Earldom of Chester has always been conferred on the Princes of Wales. Briefly promoted to a principality in 1398 by King Richard II, who titled himself "Prince of Chester", it was reduced to an earldom again in 1399 by King Henry IV. Whereas the Sovereign's eldest son is automatically Duke of Cornwall, he must be made or created Earl of Chester as well as Prince of Wales. The independent palatinate jurisdiction of Chester survived until the time of King Henry VIII (1536), when the earldom was brought more directly under the control of the Crown. The palatinate courts of Great Sessions and Exchequer survived until the reforms of 1830. The importance of the County Palatinate of Chester is shown by the survival of

Chester Herald Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office of Chester Herald dates from the 14th century, and it is reputed that the holder was herald to Edward, Prince of Wales, also known as the Black ...

in the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

for some six hundred years. The office has anciently been nominally under the jurisdiction of

Norroy King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is ...

Revenues

In the year 1377, the revenues of the Earldom were recorded as follows:

County of Chester

:Fee-Farm of city of Chester – £22 2 4 1/2, :

Escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

ed lands of said city – £0 7 0, :Rents of the Manor of Dracklow and Rudeheath – £26 2 6, :Farm of Medywick – £21 6 0, :Profits of Mara and Modren – £34 0 9, :Profits of

Shotwick Shotwick is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Puddington, on the southern end of the Wirral Peninsula in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The villag ...

Manor and Park – £23 19 0, :Mills upon River Dee – £11 0 0, :Annual profits of Fordham Manor – £48 0 0, :Profits of Macklefield Hundred – £6 1 8, :Farm of Macklefield Borough – £16 1 3, :Profits of the forest of Macklefield £85 12 11 3/4, :Profits of escheater of Chester – £24 19 0, :Profits of the sheriff of said county – £43 12 3, :Profits of the Chamberlain of county – £55 14 0.

County of Flint

:Yearly value of Ellow – £20 8 0, :Farm of the town of

– £33 19 4, :Farm of Cayrouse – £7 2 4, :Castle of Ruthlam – £5 12 10, :Rents and profits of Mosten – £7 0 0, :Rents and profits of Colshil – £54 16 0, :Rents of Ruthlam town – £44 17 6, :Lands of Englefield (yearly) – £23 10 0, :Profits of Vayvol – £5 9 0, :Profits of the office of escheator – £6 11 9, :Mines of Cole and Wood within Manor of Mosten – £0 10 0, :Office of the sheriff in rents and casualties – £120 0 0, :Mines and profits of the Fairs of

Northop Northop ( cy, Llaneurgain) is a village, community and electoral ward situated in Flintshire, Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Chester, midway between Mold and Flint, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wale ...

e – £3 9 2, :Casualties was lastly – £37 0 8. Total income was £418 1 2 3/4 from Cheshire and £181 6 0 from Flintshire.

List of the Earls of Chester

First Creation (1067–1070)

Gerbod the Fleming, 1st Earl of Chester Gerbod the Fleming, of Oosterzele, 1st Earl of Chester, was a hereditary advocate of the Abbey of Saint Bertin at Saint-Omer, Flanders (now France) and Earl of Chester in 1070.David C. Douglas, ''William The Conqueror'' (University of California P ...

Second Creation (1071)

*1071–1101

Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester Hugh d'Avranches ( 1047 – 27 July 1101), nicknamed ''le Gros'' (the Large) or ''Lupus'' (the Wolf), was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. Early life and career Hugh d'Avra ...

(died 1101) *1101–1120

Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (1094 – 25 November 1120) was the son of Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, and his wife, Ermentrude of Clermont. Early life He was seven years old when his father, known as Hugh the Fat, died. Due ...

(1094–1120) *1120–1129 Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (died c. 1129) *1129–1153

Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester Ranulf II (also known as Ranulf de Gernon), 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester. He was desc ...

(died c. 1153) *1153–1181

Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester Hugh of Cyfeiliog, 5th Earl of Chester (1147 – 1181), also written Hugh de Kevilioc, was an Anglo-French magnate who was active in England, Wales, Ireland and France during the reign of King Henry II of England. Origins Born in 1147, he was ...

(1147–1181) *1181–1232

Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester and 1st Earl of Lincoln (1170–26 October 1232), known in some references as the 4th Earl of Chester (in the second lineage of the title after the original family line was broken after the 2nd Earl), w ...

(c. 1172–1232) *1232–1232 Matilda of Chester, Countess of Chester ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' (1171–1233) (Inherited Oct 1232 ''inter vivos'' gift to son Nov 1232) *1232–1237 John of Scotland, 7th Earl of Chester (c. 1207–1237) (dates above are approximate)

Third Creation (1254)

* Edward, Lord of Chester, but without the title of earl (1239–1307) (became King Edward I in 1272)

Fourth Creation (1264)

* Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester (1208–1265) (forfeit 1265) (There is no evidence that Alphonso, elder son of Edward I, was created earl of Chester, although he was styled as such)

Fifth Creation (1301)

* Edward of Caernarvon, Earl of Chester (1284–1327) (became King Edward II in 1307)

Sixth Creation (1312)

* Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Chester (1312–1377) (became King Edward III in 1327) ''Thereafter, the Earldom of Chester was created in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. See

for further Earls of Chester.''

Other associations

* ''Earl of Chester'' was one of the GWR 3031 Class locomotives that were built for and ran on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915.