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Earl of Essex

Earl of Essexis a title in thePeerage of Englandwhich was first created in the 12th century byKing Stephen of England.The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new firstEarlupon each new creation. The most well-known Earls of Essex wereThomas Cromwell(c. 1485 – 1540) (sixth creation), chief minister to KingHenry VIII,Sir William Parr(1513-1571) who was brother to QueenCatherine Parrwho was the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, andRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex(1565–1601) (eighth creation), a favourite of QueenElizabeth Iwho ledEssex's Rebellionin 1601.

Earldom of Essex

Arms of Capell, Earl of Essex:Gules, a lion rampant, between three cross crosslets fitcheeé or[1]
Creation date1139(first creation)
1199(second creation)
1239(third creation)
1376(fourth creation)
1461(fifth creation)
1540(sixth creation)
1543(forfeit 1553–59) (seventh creation)
1572(eighth creation)
1661(ninth creation)
Created byStephen(first creation)
John(second creation)
Henry III(third creation)
Edward III(fourth creation)
Edward IV(fifth creation)
Henry VIII(sixth creation)
Henry VIII(seventh creation)
Elizabeth I(seventh creation, restoration)
Elizabeth I(eighth creation)
Charles II(ninth creation)
PeeragePeerage of England
First holderGeoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex
Present holderPaul Capell, 11th Earl of Essex(ninth creation)
Heir presumptiveWilliam Jennings Capell
Subsidiary titlesViscount Malden
Baron Capell of Hadham
Former seat(s)Cassiobury House
MottoFide et fortitudine(By faith and fortitude)

The current holder of the earldom isPaul Capell, 11th Earl of Essex(born 1944), a retired school teacher fromCaton, Lancashire.[2]

The family seat wasCassiobury House,nearWatford,Hertfordshire.

Early creations

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A miniature painting ofRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of EssexbyNicholas Hilliard,c. 1588

The title was first created in the 12th century forGeoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex(died 1144).[3]Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct.Geoffrey Fitz Peter,who had married Beatrice de Say, granddaughter of the first earl's sister and eventual heir to the Mandeville honour, gained the earldom in 1199 at its second creation byKing John.The Essex title passed to two of Fitz Peter's sons before again becoming extinct upon the death of the second son, William, the 3rd Earl of Essex, who had taken the surname de Mandeville.[4]

The third creation was for Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford in 1239, whose father Henry had married Maud, sister of the sixth earl. All three of the Earldoms of Hereford, Northampton and of Essex became extinct in 1373. There were several more creations, including one briefly forThomas Cromwell,before the Devereux creation in 1572.Walter Devereuxwas the first earl of this creation; he was related to theBourchierfamily who had held the honour earlier. This line continued to his sonRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex(1566–1601) a favourite of QueenElizabeth Iand his sonRobert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex,the general who commanded the Parliamentary army at theBattle of Edge Hill,the first major battle of theEnglish Civil War(for further history of the Devereux family, see theViscount Hereford). Following its extinction in September 1646, the present creation was made in 1661.

Capell creation

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Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham, and his family

The Capell (or Capel) family descends from Sir Arthur Capell of Raines Hall inEssexand of Hadham inHertfordshire.His grandsonArthur CapellrepresentedHertfordshirein both theShortandLong Parliaments.In 1641 he was raised to thePeerage of EnglandasBaron Capell of Hadham,in the County of Hertford.[5]Capell later fought as a Royalist in theCivil War.He was tried and condemned to death by the Parliamentarians and beheaded in May 1649.[5]He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. In 1661 he was createdViscount Malden,in the County of Essex, andEarl of Essex,with remainder, failing heirs male of his own, to, firstly, his brother Henry Capell (later Baron Capell of Tewkesbury; see below), failing which to, secondly, his brother Edward Capell. These titles are also in the Peerage of England. Lord Essex later served asLord-Lieutenant of Irelandand asFirst Lord of the Treasury.On his death, the titles passed to his son, the second Earl. He was alieutenant-generalin the army and served asLord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.He was succeeded by his son, the third Earl. He served asCaptain of the Yeomen of the Guardfrom 1739 to 1743 and was also Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. When he died the titles passed to his son, the fourth Earl. He also served as Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

He was succeeded by his eldest son from his first marriage, the fifth Earl. He sat in theHouse of Commonsfor many years and was Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire from 1801 to 1817. Lord Essex assumed the surname of Coningsby. In 1839, at the age of seventy-six, he married the vocalist and actressCatherine Stephens.He was succeeded by his nephew, the sixth Earl. He was the son of the Hon. John Thomas Capell, second son of the fourth Earl from his second marriage to Harriet Bladen. On his death, the titles passed to his grandson, the seventh Earl. He was the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur de Vere Capell, Viscount Malden, eldest son of the sixth Earl. The line of the sixth Earl failed on the death of the seventh Earl's grandson, the ninth Earl, in 1981. The succession was unclear and it was not until 1989 that the late Earl's third cousin once removed, Robert Edward de Vere Capell, managed to prove his claim, and became the tenth Earl. He was the great-grandson of the Hon. Algernon Henry Champagné Capell (younger brother of the sixth Earl), son of the aforementioned the Hon. John Thomas Capell (half-brother of the fifth Earl), son of the second marriage of the fourth Earl. As of 2017the titles are held by his only son, the eleventh Earl, who succeeded in 2005.

Two other members of the Capell family have also gained distinction. The Hon.Henry Capell,second son of the first Baron, was a politician and was createdBaron Capell of Tewkesburyin 1692. The Hon. Sir Thomas Bladen Capell (1776–1853), youngest son of the second marriage of the fourth Earl, was anadmiralin theRoyal Navy.

List of Earls of Essex

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Earls of Essex, first creation (c. 1139)

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Earls of Essex, second creation (1199)

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Earls of Essex, third creation (1239)

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Earls of Essex, fourth creation (1376)

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Earls of Essex, fifth creation (1461)

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Earls of Essex, sixth creation (1540)

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Earls of Essex, seventh creation (1543)

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Earls of Essex, eighth creation (1572)

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Barons Capell of Hadham (1641)

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Earls of Essex, ninth creation (1661)

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Theheir presumptiveis the present holder's fourth cousin once-removedWilliam Jennings Capell(born 1952).
The heir presumptive'sheir apparentis his only son Kevin Devereux Capell (born 1982)

Family tree

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Ancestral seat

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Hadham Hall, Little Hadham
The Cassiobury Estate, Watford

At the time of the Capell creation, the Barons Hadham were based at thefamily seatat Hadham Hall inLittle Hadham,Hertfordshire, which was originally purchased in the early 16th century by SirWilliam Capel,a wealthy draper andLord Mayor of London.In 1627 his descendantArthur Capellmarried Elizabeth Morrison, daughter and heir ofSir Charles MorrisonofCassioburyinWatford.[6]The turmoil of theCivil Wartook its toll on the Capell family, and Arthur, aRoyalist,was executed in 1649.[7][5]Arthur Capell's eldest son, also calledArthur Capell,inherited both the Hadham and Cassiobury estates. After theRestoration,having been created Viscount Malden and 1st Earl of Essex,[8]the younger Capell became an ambitious courtier ofCharles II.Now one of the wealthiest men in England, he embarked on an ambitious project to redecorate Cassiobury House in the style of the sumptuous state rooms ofWindsor Castle,hoping to attract a visit from the King to Cassiobury. Although a royal visit was not forthcoming, the 1st Earl's favour for Cassiobury completed the family's move to Watford, and Hadham Hall fell into disuse.[9]The Capell family finally sold Hadham in 1900 and it is now a private residence; Cassiobury remained in the family until 1927 when, likemany other British country housesin the period between the world wars, it was demolished.[10]

Notes

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  1. ^Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p. 430
  2. ^Bunyan, Nigel; Fenton, Ben (18 June 2005)."New Earl of Essex is ever so humble".The Daily Telegraph.London.Retrieved3 January2015.
  3. ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Essex, Earls of".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 781.
  4. ^G. E. Cokayne, et al.,The Complete Peerage,vol. 5, "Essex"
  5. ^abcChisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Capel, Arthur Capel, Baron".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 248–249.
  6. ^"'Watford: Manors', A History of the County of Hertford: volume 2 (1908), pp. 451–464 ".Retrieved11 March2012.
  7. ^"A Brief History of Little Hadham".The Hadhams.Archived fromthe originalon 1 November 2014.Retrieved1 November2014.
  8. ^Osmond & Leslie 1887,pp. 12–17.
  9. ^"Hadham Hall".Bishop's Stortford and Thorley History and Guide.Retrieved1 November2014.
  10. ^Robinson, John (2014).Felling the ancient oaks: how England lost its great country estates.[S.l.]: Aurum Pr Ltd. p. 55.ISBN9781781313343.

Work cited

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Further reading

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