Earl of Antrim

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Coat of arms of the Earls of Antrim (first award)
Coat of arms of the Earl of Antrim (second award)

Earl of Antrim is a hereditary British title of nobility awarded twice in the Peerage of Ireland .

Awards

The title was created on December 12, 1620 for Randal MacDonnell, 1st Viscount Dunluce . He had already been raised to Viscount Dunluce , in the County of Antrim, on May 28, 1618, also in the Peerage of Ireland . His eldest son of the same name, the 2nd Earl, fought on the side of the royalists in the English Civil War and was raised to Marquess of Antrim for his services on January 26, 1645 in the Peerage of Ireland . Since he remained childless, the Marquessate already went out on his death on February 3, 1682. The Earldom and the Viscountcy inherited his younger brother as 3rd Earl.

His great-grandson, the 6th Earl, were awarded the titles Earl of Antrim and Viscount Dunluce again on June 19, 1785 , i.e. in the second award, in the Peerage of Ireland, this time with the special addition that these were also given in the absence of male descendants whose daughters and their male offspring are inheritable. On August 18, 1789, he was also raised in the second award in the Peerage of Ireland to Marquess of Antrim , this time with the normal genealogy in favor of exclusively male offspring. When he died on July 29, 1791 without sons, the Marquessate, as well as the Earldom and the Viscountcy first bestowal expired. The Earldom and the Viscountcy Second Award went to his eldest daughter Anne MacDonnell as 2nd Countess, according to the special addition. Since she left no sons, the title fell to her younger sister Charlotte Kerr as 3rd Countess on her death on June 30, 1834. Their son, Hugh Kerr, the 4th Earl, changed his last name to McDonnell in 1836 with royal permission . Today's title holder has been his descendant Alexander McDonnell as 9th Earl since 1977.

The historic family seat of the Earls is Glenarm Castle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland .

List of the Earls of Antrim

Earls of Antrim, first bestowal (1620)

Earls of Antrim, second bestowal (1785)

The heir ( Heir Apparent ) is the son of the current title holder Randal McDonnell, Viscount Dunluce (* 1967).

Literature and web links