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SUSSEX, EARLS OF

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 164 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SUSSEX, EARLS OF . The See also:early See also:history of the earldom of Sussex, a See also:title that has been See also:borne at different periods by several See also:English families, is involved in some obscurity, owing to the fact that under the See also:Norman See also:kings the titles of earls were often indifferently derived from a See also:county, from its See also:chief See also:town, or from the See also:earl's See also:principal See also:residence, although the distinctive See also:mark of an earl was deemed to ,be his right to " the third See also:penny " of the pleas of a county (see EARL). Thus in the 12th See also:century the same See also:person is sometimes found described as earl of Sussex, sometimes as earl of See also:Chichester, and sometimes as earl of See also:Arundel, while the inclusion of the counties of Sussex and See also:Surrey under ,the See also:jurisdiction of a single See also:sheriff led at one See also:time, as will be seen, to a further confusion between the earldoms of those counties. The difficulty is, again, increased by the See also:Crown's See also:admission in 1433 that the See also:possession of the See also:castle of Arundel carried with it the right to the title of earl of Arundel, though later investigation (see Lords' Reports on the Dignity of a Peer, i. 404–429) has proved the invalidity of the claim, and Mr J. H. See also:Round and other See also:modern authorities maintain that inasmuch as Norman earls were earls of counties, the earldom of Arundel was strictly that of Sussex. On the other See also:hand G. E. Cockayne (See also:Complete See also:Peerage, i. 138, 139) holds that See also:Roger de See also:Montgomery, who received grants from See also:William the Conqueror of a large See also:part of the county of Sussex, including the See also:city of Chichester and the castle and See also:honour of Arundel, besides lands in See also:Shropshire with the castles of See also:Shrewsbury and Montgomery, but who does not appear to have had " the third penny " of any county, " was an earl pure and See also:simple, and that, as was usual in those early times, his earldom was indifferently styled either from the territories of Chichester or of Shropshire, or from the castles of Arundel, Shrewsbury or Montgomery." This Roger de Montgomery was considered by See also:Dugdale, a 17th-century authority, to have been earl of Sussex. Whatever Roger's titles may have been, they were forfeited to the Crown when his son See also:Robert was attainted in sloe, and the forfeited estates were conferred by See also:Henry I. on his second wife Adelicia, who after Henry's See also:death married William de Albini, or d'Aubigny.

The latter was created earl of Sussex by See also:

King See also:Stephen, and " the third penny " of that county was confirmed to him by an See also:instrument of the reign of Henry II., in which however, he is styled earl of Arundel, a designation by which he was more generally known. His See also:grandson William, 3rd earl of Sussex, was one" of King See also:John's sureties for the observance of Magna Carta; and the earldom remained in his See also:family till 1243, when it reverted to the Crown on the death of See also:Hugh de Albini, 5th earl of the See also:line (see ARUNDEL, EARLS or). This Hugh married See also:Isabel, daughter of William de See also:Warenne, earl of Surrey, who survived him by nearly See also:forty years, during which time she held the estates of the earldom of Sussex in See also:dower; after her death in 1282 her See also:brother John de Warenne, earl of Surrey,was in various writs described as " earl of Surrey and Sussex," the same See also:style being also used by his grandson and successor, another John de Warenne (1286-1347), though it is not clear that either of these Warennes had any right, to the Sussex title, the confusion having, perhaps arisen through both counties being under the jurisdiction of one sheriff. In any See also:case the earldom of Sussex, if vested in the younger Warenne, reverted to the Crown on his death without legitimate issue in 1347, when his estates devolved on his See also:nephew See also:Richard . Fitzalan, earl of Arundel. Since the death of the last earl of the de Albini line in 1243 the earldoms of Arundel and Sussex had been See also:separate. For nearly two See also:hundred years, from 1347 to 1529, the title of earl of Sussex did not exist in the English peerage. In 1529, however, it was conferred on Robert See also:Radcliffe, Radclyffe or Ratclyffe (c.1483–1542), who had been made See also:Viscount See also:Fitzwalter in 1525. Radcliffe was a son of John Radcliffe, See also:Baron Fitzwalter (c. 1452–1496), and a grandson of See also:Sir John Radcliffe of See also:Attleborough in See also:Norfolk, who became Baron Fitzwalter by right of his wife See also:Elizabeth. The younger John Radcliffe shared in the See also:conspiracy of See also:Perkin See also:Warbeck and was beheaded for high See also:treason in 1496. The See also:attainder being reversed in 15o6, his son Robert became Baron Fitzwalter in x 5o6 and was soon a prominent person at the See also:court of Henry VIII.

In 1529 he was created earl of Sussex and in 1540 he was appointed See also:

great See also:chamberlain of See also:England. He died on the 26th of See also:November 1542, when his son Henry (c. 1506–1557) became the 2nd earl. Henry's son, See also:Thomas Radcliffe (see below), became the 3rd earl. Thomas was succeeded in 1583 by his brother Henry (c. 1530–1593) who served Elizabeth in See also:Ireland. His son Robert (c. 1569–1629) the 5th earl, was a soldier and a See also:patron of men of letters. When Robert's son, See also:Edward, the 6th earl (c. 1552-1641), died, the title became See also:extinct, but the See also:barony of Fitzwalter passed to the family of Mildmay, which held it until 1756, when it See also:fell into See also:abeyance. In 1644 Thomas See also:Savile (c. 1590–c.

1659), son of John Savile, 1st Baron Savile of See also:

Pontefract (1566–1630), was created earl of Sussex. Having been elected to the See also:House of See also:Commons as member for See also:Yorkshire in 1624, Savile became an opponent of See also:Wentworth, afterwards earl of See also:Strafford, the rivalry between the Saviles and the Wentworths having See also:long been a feature of the history of Yorkshire, and attaching himself to the See also:duke of See also:Buckingham, he was created Viscount Savile of See also:Castlebar in the peerage of Ireland in 1628, and two years later succeeded to his See also:father's English peerage. His growing enmity to Strafford led him into violent opposition to the See also:government as the earl's See also:power increased, and in 1640 he entered into See also:correspondence with the Scots, to whom he sent a promise of support to which he forged the signatures of six peers. He was appointed See also:lord See also:president of the See also:council of the See also:north in See also:succession to Strafford, but after the fall of the latter he went over to the Royalist party, in whose See also:interest he exerted his See also:influence in Yorkshire in a manner that brought upon him the displeasure of the See also:parliament in 1642. His efforts to exonerate himself led to his being suspected by the Royalists, and to his See also:arrest, while his residence, Howley See also:Hall, was sacked by See also:Newcastle, the Royalist See also:general. Having been pardoned by See also:Charles, whom Savile attended at See also:Oxford, he was created earl of Sussex in 1644; but his efforts to promote See also:peace on terms distasteful to the king brought him again into disfavour, and in 1645 he was imprisoned and accused of high treason. Escaping from this See also:charge on the ground of his See also:privilege as a peer, he went to See also:London and again ingratiated himself with the popular party. Intriguing simultaneously with both parties, he continued to See also:play a See also:double See also:game with considerable skill, although he suffered imprisonment in 1645 for accusing See also:Holles and See also:Whitelocke of treachery in negotiations with the king, and was heavily fined. After this he retired into private See also:life at Howley Hall, where he died about 1659. He was succeeded in the earldom of Sussex by his son See also:James, on whose death without issue in 1671 the title became extinct. It was revived in 1684 in favour of Thomas Lennard, 15th Baron Dacre, whose wife See also:Ann (d. 1722) was a daughter of the famous duchess of See also:Cleveland by King Charles II., and again became extinct at this nobleman's death in 1715.

The title was next conferred in 1717 on See also:

Talbot Yelverton, and Viscount de See also:Longueville and 16th Baron See also:Grey de Ruthyn (c. 1692-1731), from whom it descended to his two sons successively, becoming once more extinct on the death of the younger of these, Henry, 3rd earl of Sussex of this creation, in 1799. In 18o, See also:Prince See also:Augustus See also:Frederick (1773-1843) the See also:sixth son of See also:George III., was created duke of Sussex. Spending his early years abroad, the prince was married in See also:Rome in 1793 to See also:Lady See also:Augusta (d. 183o) daughter of John See also:Murray, 4th earl of See also:Dunmore. The ceremony was repeated in London and two See also:children were See also:born, but under the Royal See also:Marriage See also:Act of 1772 the Court of See also:Arches declared the See also:union illegal. The children took the name of d'See also:Este. The son, Sir Augustus Frederick d'Este (1794-1848), became a See also:colonel in the See also:British See also:army. In 1843 he claimed his father's honours, but the House of Lords decided against him. He died unmarried. The daughter, Augusta Emma (1801-1866) married Sir Thomas See also:Wilde, afterwards Lord See also:Truro. Unlike his See also:brothers the duke of Sussex was a See also:man of liberal ideas; he favoured the abolition of the slave See also:trade, the See also:repeal of the See also:corn See also:laws, and the removal of the See also:civil disabilities of See also:Roman Catholics, Dissenters and See also:Jews.

His second wife, See also:

Cecilia, widow of Sir George Buggin, was created duchess of See also:Inverness in 184o. He died at See also:Kensington See also:Palace on the 21st of See also:April 1843. The older title of earl of Sussex was revived in 1874 when it was conferred upon Prince See also:Albert, the third son of See also:Queen See also:Victoria, who at the same time was created duke of See also:Connaught and Strathearn. See G. E. C., Complete Peerage, s.v. " Sussex," " Surrey," " Arun-del," vols. i. and vii. (London, 1887-1896) ; Sir William Dugdale, The Baronage of England (London, 1675). For the earls of the Radcliffe family see also John See also:Strype, Memorials of Thomas See also:Cranmer (London, 1694), See also:Annals of the See also:Reformation (London, 1725), and Ecclesiastical Memorials (3 vols., London, 1721); P. F. See also:Tytler, England under the Reigns of Edward VI. and See also:Mary (2 vols., London, 1839) ; Calendars of See also:State Papers: Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII. For the 1st earl of the Savile line see S.

R. See also:

Gardiner, Hist. of England, 1693-1642 (10 vols., London, 1883-1884), and Hist. of the Great Civil See also:War (3 vols., London, 1886-1891); and John See also:Rushworth, See also:Historical Collections (8 vols., London, 1659-1701).

End of Article: SUSSEX, EARLS OF

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