Misplaced Pages

Earl of Oxford: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 15:34, 25 June 2006 editV M 1974 (talk | contribs)2,737 edits →Earls of Oxford and Asquith ([])← Previous edit Revision as of 23:46, 25 June 2006 edit undoTamfang (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers57,090 edits clarify meaning of "dormant"Next edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Earl of Oxford''' was one of the older titles in the English ], and was held for several centuries by the de Vere family from ]. It finally became dormant in ] with the death of the 20th Earl. ], is perhaps the most famous of the line, because of claims put forward by some that he was the actual author of the works of ] (see ]). The Vere Earls of Oxford were also hereditary holders of the office of ] from ] until the death of the 18th Earl in ]. '''Earl of Oxford''' was one of the older titles in the English ], and was held for several centuries by the de Vere family from ]. It finally became dormant in ] with the death of the 20th Earl. ], is perhaps the most famous of the line, because of claims put forward by some that he was the actual author of the works of ] (see ]). The Vere Earls of Oxford were also hereditary holders of the office of ] from ] until the death of the 18th Earl in ].


The title of '''Earl of Oxford and Mortimer''' was given out in the peerage of ] to ] in ]; in the 20th century the title of '''Earl of Oxford and Asquith''' was given out in the peerage of the ] to the former ] ], whose descendants still bear that title. These later creations bear the double title because the original creation is dormant but not extinct. The title of '''Earl of Oxford and Mortimer''' was created in the peerage of ] to ] in ]; in the 20th century the title of '''Earl of Oxford and Asquith''' was created in the peerage of the ] to the former ] ], whose descendants still bear that title. These later creations bear the double title because the original earldom is not certainly known to be extinct; the first Vere earl may still have living legitimate descendants in the male line, though it would be exceedingly difficult to prove such a claim.


After the discontinuation of the title, the retiring Prime Minister ] was keen to choose 'Earl of Oxford' for his own title. As an Earldom was then traditional for former Prime Ministers, and Asquith had a number of connections with the city, it seemed a logical choice, and had the King's support. However, it greatly offended the relatives of the dormant Earldom, and in the face of opposition from them, another title had to be selected - the formal title 'Earl of Oxford and Asquith' was finally decided as a compromise, with it being abbreviated to 'Earl of Oxford' in everyday conversation and letters. After the discontinuation of the title, the retiring Prime Minister ] was keen to choose 'Earl of Oxford' for his own title. As an Earldom was then traditional for former Prime Ministers, and Asquith had a number of connections with the city, it seemed a logical choice, and had the King's support. However, it greatly offended the relatives of the dormant Earldom, and in the face of opposition from them, another title had to be selected - the formal title 'Earl of Oxford and Asquith' was finally decided as a compromise, with it being abbreviated to 'Earl of Oxford' in everyday conversation and letters.

Revision as of 23:46, 25 June 2006

Earl of Oxford was one of the older titles in the English peerage, and was held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141. It finally became dormant in 1703 with the death of the 20th Earl. Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, is perhaps the most famous of the line, because of claims put forward by some that he was the actual author of the works of William Shakespeare (see Shakespearean authorship). The Vere Earls of Oxford were also hereditary holders of the office of Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625.

The title of Earl of Oxford and Mortimer was created in the peerage of Great Britain to Robert Harley in 1711; in the 20th century the title of Earl of Oxford and Asquith was created in the peerage of the United Kingdom to the former Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, whose descendants still bear that title. These later creations bear the double title because the original earldom is not certainly known to be extinct; the first Vere earl may still have living legitimate descendants in the male line, though it would be exceedingly difficult to prove such a claim.

After the discontinuation of the title, the retiring Prime Minister Herbert Asquith was keen to choose 'Earl of Oxford' for his own title. As an Earldom was then traditional for former Prime Ministers, and Asquith had a number of connections with the city, it seemed a logical choice, and had the King's support. However, it greatly offended the relatives of the dormant Earldom, and in the face of opposition from them, another title had to be selected - the formal title 'Earl of Oxford and Asquith' was finally decided as a compromise, with it being abbreviated to 'Earl of Oxford' in everyday conversation and letters.

The family seat is The Manor House, near Frome, Somerset.

The Earls of Oxford are as follows:

Earls of Oxford (1142)

Earls of Oxford and Mortimer (1711)

Earls of Oxford and Asquith (1925)

Heir Apparent: Raymond Benedict Bartholomew Michael Asquith, Viscount Asquith (b. 1952).
Lord Asquith's Heir is Hon. Mark Julian Asquith (b. 13 May 1979).

Categories: