EARL. The title of count or earl, in Latin comes, is the most ancient and widely spread of the subordinate or sub ject titles. This dignity exists under various names in almost every country in Europe. By the English it is called earl, a name derived to us from the ealder man of the Anglo-Saxons and the eorle of the Danes. By the French it is called comte, by the Spaniards conde, and by the Germans graf, under which title are in cluded several distinct degrees of rank landgraves or counts of provinces, pals graves, or counts palatine, markgraves, or counts of marches or frontiers (whence marchio or marquess), bnrggraves, or counts of cities, counts of the empire, counts of territories, and several others. [Comm; BARON.] After the battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror recompensed his followers with grants of the lands of the Saxon nobles who had fallen in the battle, to be held of himself as strict feuds; and having annexed the feudal title of earl to the counties of the Saxon earls (with whom the title was only official), he granted them to his principal captains.
These earldoms were of three kinds, all of which were by tenure. The first and highest was where the dignity was annexed to the seisin or possession of a whole county, with "juts regalia." In this case the county became a county palatine, or principality, and the person created earl of it acquired royal jurisdic tion and seigniory. In short, a county palatine was a perfect feudal kingdom in itself, but held of a superior lord. The counties of Chester, Pembroke, Hexham, and Lancaster, and the bishopric of Dur ham, have at different times been made counties palatine ; but it does not appear that the title of earl palatine was given to the most ancient and distinguished of them, the earl of Chester, before the time of Henry II., surnamed Fitz-Empress, when the title of palatine was probably introduced from the Germanic Empire. The earls of Chester created barons and held parliaments, and had their justi ciaries, chancellors, and barons of their exchequer. This county palatine reverted to the crown in the reign of Henry III. The second kind of earls were those whom the king created earls of a county, with civil and criminal jurisdiction, with a grant of the third part of the profits of the county court, but without giving them actual seisin of the county. The titird
kind was where the king erected a large tract of land into a county, and granted it with civil and criminal jurisdiction to be held per servitium unius cornitatim • Under the early Norman kings, all earls, as well as barons, held their titles by the tenure of their counties and ba ronies ; and the grant, or even purchase, with the licence of the king, of an earldom or a barony, would confer the title on the grantee or purchaser ; but with the soli tary exception of the earldom of Arundel, earldoms by tenure have long since dis appeared, and in late times the title has been conferred by letters patent under the great seal. Earls have now no local jurisdiction, power or revenue, as a con sequence of their title, which is no longer confined to the names of counties or even of places; several earls, as Earl Spencer, Earl Grey, and others, have chosen their own names, instead of local titles.
The coronet of an English earl is of gold surmounted with pearls, which are placed at the extremity of raised points or rays, placed alternately with foliage. The form of their creation, which has latterly been superseded by the creation by letters patent, was by the king's gird ing on the sword of the intended earl, and placing his cap and coronet on his head and his mantle on his shoulders. The king styles all earls, as well as the other ranks of the higher nobility or peerage, his cousins. An earl is entitled right honourable, and takes precedence next after marquesses, and before all vis counts and barons. When a marquess has an earldom, his eldest son is called earl by courtesy ; but notwithstanding this titular rank, he is only a commoner, unless he be summoned to the House of Lords by such title. So the eldest sons of dukes are called earls where their fathers have an earldom but no marquis ate, as the duke of Norfolk.
The number of earls in the House of Lords is at present 11G.