Earl of Derby

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Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, British Prime Minister

Earl of Derby is a hereditary British title in the Peerage of England .

The title is named after the West Derby Hundred administrative unit in Lancashire , where the 1st Earl owned extensive estates.

The Earls' family seat was formerly Greenhalgh Castle near Garstang in Lancashire and is now Knowsley Hall near Knowsley in Merseyside .

Awards

The title was awarded a total of three times. The first bestowal was in August 1138 from King Stephen to Robert de Ferrers for his services at the Battle of Northallerton . After the 6th Earl in the Second War of the Barons repeatedly against King Henry III. had rebelled and was captured, his titles and lands were finally stripped and confiscated in 1266.

The second award was by Edward III. Made in 1337 to Henry of Grosmont , who was also raised to Duke of Lancaster in 1351 . The title fell through the son-in-law John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, to his son Henry Bolingbroke, who ascended the English throne as Henry IV in 1399. The title thereby merged with the crown and became extinct.

For the third and last time to date, the title of Earl of Derby was bestowed on October 27, 1485 by Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth Field to Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley , who had changed sides during the battle. He had already inherited the title of Baron Stanley in 1459 from his father Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley , which had been conferred on him in 1456. This barony, which belongs to the Peerage of England, is also hereditary in the female line and therefore fell in Abeyance when the 5th Earl died in 1594 . The 2nd Earl had inherited from his mother around 1514 the title of 10th Baron Strange of Knockin , created in the Peerage of England in 1299 . This also fell on the death of the 5th Earl in Abeyance and has been held as a subordinate title by the respective Viscount St. Davids since 1921 . The 7th Earl was awarded the title of Baron Strange in 1628 due to a procedural error , which fell in 1702 when the 9th Earl died in Abeyance. The later 13th Earl was awarded the title Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe , of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on December 22, 1832 . His son, the 14th Earl, inherited this title as early as 1844 by a special royal resolution ( Writ of Acceleration ), so that he became a peer and thus a member of the House of Lords while his father was still alive . The second son of the 14th Earl, who held various ministerial offices and then became Governor General of Canada , was awarded the title Baron Stanley of Preston , of Preston in the County Palatine of Lancaster, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom on August 27, 1886 . He followed his brother in 1893 as 16th Earl . The latter two baronies are still subordinate titles of the respective earl.

The eldest son of the respective earl carries the courtesy title of Lord Stanley as his heir apparent .

List of the Earls of Derby

Earls of Derby, first bestowal (1138)

Earls of Derby, second bestowal (1337)

Earls of Derby, third bestowal (1485)

Family home at Knowsley Hall, Merseyside

The heir to the title is the son of the current earl, Edward John Robin Stanley, Lord Stanley (* 1998).

Trivia

  • The 12th Earl was the namesake for the famous Epsom Derby . He was also instrumental in creating the Epsom Oaks .
  • The 16th Earl donated the Stanley Cup , the most famous cup in ice hockey , during his time as Governor General of Canada in 1892 .

Web links

Commons : Earls of Derby  - collection of images, videos and audio files