Earl of Desmond

Coat of arms of the Earls of Desmond (fourth award)

Earl of Desmond ( Irish : Iarla Deasmumhan ) is a hereditary British title of nobility created four times in the Peerage of Ireland .

Awards, subordinate and other titles

In the first bestowal, the title was created August 22, 1329 for Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron of Desmond , who already led the title Baron Desmond created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1259 . As a result of the Desmond Rebellions , the title of the 15th Earl was stripped of high treason in 1582.

In the second bestowal, the title was created on October 1, 1600 together with the subordinate title Baron Inchiquin for James Fitzgerald . The titles expired on his death on November 7, 1601.

In the third bestowal, the title was created on July 11, 1619 together with the subordinate title Baron Dunmore for Richard Preston, 1st Lord Dingwall . He had already been awarded the title Lord Dingwall in 1609 in the Peerage of Scotland . The titles expired on his death on October 28, 1628, with the exception of the Lordship Dingwall, which fell to his daughter, who married James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde .

The fourth bestowal of the title was created on October 28, 1628 for George Feilding, 1st Viscount Callan , a younger son of the 1st Earl of Denbigh . Already on November 7, 1622, he had been awarded the titles Viscount Callan , of Callan in the County of Kilkenny , and Baron Fielding , of Lecaghe in the County of Tipperary , also in the Peerage of Ireland . His son, the 2nd Earl, inherited the Earl of Denbigh, created on September 14, 1622, in 1675, along with the subordinate titles Viscount Feilding and Baron Feilding , of Newnham Paddox in the County of Warwick (both created December 30, 1620) and the title Baron St. Liz created on February 2, 1664 . All four titles belong to the Peerage of England . The titles have since been united.

List of Barons and Earls of Desmond

Barone Desmond (1259)

• John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond († 1261)
• Thomas FitzGerald, 2nd Baron Desmond († 1298)
• Thomas FitzGerald, 3rd Baron Desmond (1290–1307)
• Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron of Desmond († 1356) ( raised to Earl of Desmond in 1329 )

Earls of Desmond, first bestowal (1329)

• Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond († 1356)
• Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond (1336-1358)
• Nicholas Fitzgerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond (around 1338-1367)
• Gerald FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond († 1398)
• John FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond († 1399)
• Thomas FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond (around 1386–1420)
• James FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond († 1463)
• Thomas FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Desmond († 1468)
• James FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond (1459–1487)
• Maurice FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond († 1520)
• James FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Desmond († 1529)
• Thomas FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Desmond (1454–1534)
• James FitzGerald, 13th Earl of Desmond († 1540)
• James FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond († 1558)
• Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond (around 1533–1583) (title forfeited 1582)

Earls of Desmond, second bestowal (1600)

• James FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond (1571-1601)

Earls of Desmond, third bestowal (1619)

• Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond († 1628)

Earls of Desmond, fourth bestowal (1628)

• George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond († 1666)
• William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh , 2nd Earl of Desmond (1640–1685)
• Basil Feilding, 4th Earl of Denbigh , 3rd Earl of Desmond (1668-1717)
• William Feilding, 5th Earl of Denbigh , 4th Earl of Desmond (1697–1755)
• Basil Feilding, 6th Earl of Denbigh , 5th Earl of Desmond (1719–1800)
• William Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh , 6th Earl of Desmond (1796–1865)
• Rudolph Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh , 7th Earl of Desmond (1823-1892)
• Rudolph Feilding, 9th Earl of Denbigh , 8th Earl of Desmond (1859–1939)
• William Feilding, 10th Earl of Denbigh , 9th Earl of Desmond (1912–1966)
• William Feilding, 11th Earl of Denbigh , 10th Earl of Desmond (1943–1995)
• Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh , 11th Earl of Desmond (* 1970)

Probable title heir ( Heir Apparent ) is the son of the current title holder, Peregrine Feilding, Viscount Feilding (* 2005).

Literature and web links

• Charles Kidd, David Williamson (Eds.): Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage . St Martin's Press, New York 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page