Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first earl upon each new creation. The most well-known Earls of Essex were Thomas Cromwell (c. 14851540) (sixth creation), chief minister to King Henry VIII, Sir William Parr (1513-1571) who was brother to Queen Catherine Parr who was the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1565–1601) (eighth creation), a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I who led Essex's Rebellion in 1601.

The current holder of the earldom is Paul Capell, 11th Earl of Essex (born 1944), a retired school teacher from Caton, Lancashire.

The family seat was Cassiobury House, near Watford, Hertfordshire.

Early creations

thumb|120px|A miniature painting of [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex by Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1588]]

The title was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex (died 1144). 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 by King 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.

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 for Thomas Cromwell, before the Devereux creation in 1572. Walter Devereux was the first earl of this creation; he was related to the Bourchier family who had held the honour earlier. This line continued to his son Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566–1601) a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and his son Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, the general who commanded the Parliamentary army at the Battle of Edge Hill, the first major battle of the English Civil War (for further history of the Devereux family, see the Viscount Hereford). Following its extinction in September 1646, the present creation was made in 1661.

Capell creation

thumb|400px|[[Capel family|Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham, and his family]]

The Capell (or Capel) family descends from Sir Arthur Capell of Raines Hall in Essex and of Hadham in Hertfordshire. His grandson Arthur Capell represented Hertfordshire in both the Short and Long Parliaments. In 1641 he was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Capell of Hadham, in the County of Hertford. Capell later fought as a Royalist in the Civil War. He was tried and condemned to death by the Parliamentarians and beheaded in May 1649. The turmoil of the Civil War took its toll on the Capell family, and Arthur, a Royalist, was executed in 1649. The Capell family finally sold Hadham in 1900 and it is now a private residence; Cassiobury remained in the family until 1927 when, like many other British country houses in the period between the world wars, it was demolished.

The influence of the family is marked by the naming of Capel Road, Villiers Road, and the Villiers Arms public house in Oxhey Village, some two miles away from the site of Cassiobury House.

Notes

Work cited

Further reading

  • Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press
  • Everything2: Earl of Essex