Earl of East Anglia

The Earls of East Anglia were governors of East Anglia during the 11th century. The post was established by Cnut in 1017 and disappeared following Ralph Guader's participation in the failed Revolt of the Earls in 1075.

Ealdormen of East Anglia

Until 917 East Anglia was a kingdom, which from 870 was under Danish control. In that year the East Anglian Danes submitted to King Edward the Elder and East Anglia became part of the expanding Kingdom of England. It is not clear who was placed in charge there, but it is probable that the Ealdorman Æthelfrith of south east Mercia may have been granted authority over the newly restored area by Edward.^[1] He died in c.927^[2] and was succeeded by his son, Æthelstan Half-King, a very powerful aristocrat who ruled an extensive territory and witnessed numerous charters from 932, and whose family remained powerful in the area.^[3]

Danish, English and Norman Earls

Following Cnut's conquest of England in 1016, in the following year he divided the kingdom into a few large administrative regions governed by earls, which followed the territorial outlines of the former kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia, roughly as they had existed in the mid-9th century. However, the exact outlines of these earldoms varied over the decades, while other, more transitory earldoms were created for particular individuals. The core of the earldom of East Anglia comprised Norfolk and Suffolk, while other shires such as Essex, Middlesex and Cambridgeshire were also included within it at various times. The first Earl of East Anglia was Thorkell the Tall, appointed in 1017. Thorkell and his family were outlawed by Canute in 1021, only to be pardoned again in 1023. His immediate successors are unknown.

The native English dynasty was restored with the accession of King Edward the Confessor in 1042. During his reign East Anglia, smaller than the other three original earldoms and not containing the power-base of any of the tiny handful of families which then dominated English politics, became a posting held by younger members of two of these great families. By 1045 the earldom was in the hands of Harold, the second son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex. In 1051 Godwin and his sons were driven into exile and their earldoms assigned to others; East Anglia went to Ælfgar, son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. However, in 1052 Godwin and his sons returned in force to England and regained their former positions. When Godwin died in 1053 Harold was appointed Earl of Wessex in his place, and he was again replaced in East Anglia by Ælfgar. In 1055 Ælfgar was outlawed and driven into exile, but within the year he had regained his former position. He too went on to greater things in 1057, when his father Leofric died and Ælfgar was appointed Earl of Mercia in his stead. The earldom of East Anglia was then assigned to Gyrth, one of Harold's younger brothers, who held it until his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Following the Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror appointed Ralph the Staller, an aristocrat of Breton ancestry born in Norfolk, to the earldom. On his death he was replaced by his son Ralph Guader, who was one of the leaders of a rebellion against William, known as the Revolt of the Earls, in 1075. With the failure of this uprising Ralph fled to his lands in Brittany and no successor was appointed (though many of Ralph's possessions passed to the great Breton magnate Alan Rufus). Later earldoms created in the region were on a smaller scale. This was in keeping with developments elsewhere in the country. Whereas in the mid-eleventh century England had been administered through a handful of large earldoms covering the entire country, under the Norman kings earldoms were soon reduced to units covering only a single shire, found only in some parts of the kingdom, and before long they had become essentially honorific titles rather than positions of real governmental power.

List of ealdormen and earls

English ealdormen of East Anglia
From	Until	Incumbent	Citation(s)	Notes
930	931	Ælfred	^[4]
932	956	Æthelstan Half-King	^[4]
957	962	Æthelwald	^[4]
962	992	Æthelwine	^[4]
993	1002	Leofsige	^[4]

Danish earls of East Anglia
From	Until	Incumbent	Citation(s)	Notes
1017	1021	Thorkell the Tall	^[4]
? c. 1026	1044 or 1045	Osgod Clapa *	^[4]	* Uncertain^[4]

English earls of East Anglia
From	Until	Incumbent	Citation(s)	Notes
1044 or 1045	1051	Harold Godwinson	^[4]
1051	1052	Ælfgar	^[4]
1052	1053	Harold Godwinson	^[4]
1053	1057	Ælfgar	^[4]
1057		Gyrth Godwinson	^[4]

Norman earls of East Anglia
From	Until	Incumbent	Citation(s)	Notes
1067	1069	Radulf the Staller	^[4]
c. 1069	1075	Radulf de Gael	^[4]

Family tree

Family tree of the Dukes of Norfolk; Earls of Arundel, East Anglia, Norfolk, Norwich, Nottingham, and Surrey; and Barons Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton

Earl of East Anglia
(Earls of Norfolk and Suffolk)
(1st creation), before 1069

Ralph the Staller
(c. 1011–1068)
1st Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk, or of the East Angles c. 1066/67–1068

Ralph de Gael
(c. 1040 – c. 1096)
2nd Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk, or of the East Angles until 1074

Earldom forfeit, 1074

Earl of Norfolk (2nd creation), 1141

Hugh Bigod
(1095–1177)
1st Earl of Norfolk 1141–1177

Roger Bigod
(c. 1144/1150–1221)
2nd Earl of Norfolk 1189–1221 (disputed 1177–1189)

Hugh Bigod
(1186–1225)
3rd Earl of Norfolk 1221–1225

Baron Segrave of Se(a)grave, 1283

Nicholas Segrave
(c. 1238–bef. 1295)
1st Baron Segrave

Roger Bigod
(c. 1209–1270)
4th Earl of Norfolk 1233–1270

Hugh Bigod
(c. 1211–1266)

Baron Mowbray, 1283

John Segrave
(c. 1256–1325)
2nd Baron Segrave

King Edward I
(1239–1307)

Roger de Mowbray
(1254–1297)
1st Baron Mowbray

Roger Bigod
(c. 1245–1306)
5th Earl of Norfolk 1270–1306

Earldom extinct, 1270

Earl of Norfolk (3rd creation), 1312

Stephen Segrave
(d. 1325)
3rd Baron Segrave

Thomas of Brotherton
(1300–1338)
1st Earl of Norfolk 1312–1338

John Mowbray
(1286–1322)
2nd Baron Mowbray

John Segrave
(1315–1353)
4th Baron Segrave

Margaret of Brotherton
(1320–1399)
2nd Countess of Norfolk 1338–1399, Duchess of Norfolk "for life" 1397–1399

John Mowbray
(1310–1361)
3rd Baron Mowbray

Elizabeth de Segrave
(1338–1368)
5th Baroness Segrave

John de Mowbray
(1340–1368)
4th Baron Mowbray

Earl of Nottingham (1st creation), 1377

Earl of Nottingham (2nd creation), 1383
Duke of Norfolk (1st creation), 1397

John de Mowbray
(1365–1383)
1st Earl of Nottingham, 6th Baron Segrave, 5th Baron Mowbray

Thomas de Mowbray
(1366–1399)
1st Duke of Norfolk 1397–1399, 3rd Earl of Norfolk 1399, 7th Baron Segrave, 6th Baron Mowbray

Earldom of Nottingham extinct, 1383

Titles forfeit, 1399

Baron Stourton, 1448

Duke of Norfolk (1st creation restored), 1425

John Stourton
(1400–1462)
1st Baron Stourton, 1448–1462

Thomas de Mowbray
(1385–1405)
4th Earl of Norfolk, 8th Baron Segrave, 7th Baron Mowbray 1399–1405

John de Mowbray
(1392–1432)
2nd Duke of Norfolk 1425–1432, 5th Earl of Norfolk, 9th Baron Segrave, 8th Baron Mowbray 1405–1432

Margaret de Mowbray
(c. 1388–1459)

Robert Howard
(1385–1436)

Isabel de Mowbray
(c. 1400–1452)

James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
(c. 1394–1463)

Duke of Norfolk (4th creation), 1483

William Stourton
(before 1426–1478)
2nd Baron Stourton, 1462–1478

John de Mowbray
(1415–1461)
3rd Duke of Norfolk, 6th Earl of Norfolk, 10th Baron Segrave, 9th Baron Mowbray 1432–1461

John Howard
(1425–1485)
1st Duke of Norfolk, 13th Baron Segrave, 12th Baron Mowbray 1483–1485

Titles forfeit, 1485

Earl of Surrey and Warenne (2nd creation), 1451

Duke of Norfolk (4th creation) restored and Earl of Surrey, 1514

John Stourton
(c. 1454–1485)
3rd Baron Stourton, 1479–1485

William Stourton
(c. 1457–1524)
5th Baron Stourton, 1487–1524

John de Mowbray
(1444–1476)
4th Duke of Norfolk, 7th Earl of Norfolk, Earl of Surrey and Warenne, 11th Baron Segrave, 10th Baron Mowbray 1461–1476

King Edward IV
(1442–1483)

Thomas Howard
(1443–1524)
2nd Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Surrey 1514–1524

Dukedom of Norfolk, Earldom of Nottingham, Earldom of Surrey and Warenne extinct, 1476

Duke of Norfolk (3rd creation), Earl of Nottingham (3rd creation), and Earl of Warenne, 1477

Francis Stourton
(1485–1487)
4th Baron Stourton, 1485–1487

Edward Stourton
(1463–1535)
6th Baron Stourton, 1524–1535

Anne de Mowbray
(1472–1481)
8th Countess of Norfolk, 12th Baroness Segrave, 11th Baroness Mowbray 1476–1481

Richard of Shrewsbury
(1473–1483)
Duke of York, Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Nottingham, Earl of Warenne 1477–1483

Anne of York
(1475–1511)

Thomas Howard
(1473–1554)
3rd Duke of Norfolk, 2nd Earl of Surrey 1524–1554

Edmund Howard
(c. 1478–1539)

Elizabeth Boleyn
(c. 1480–1538)

Earldom of Norfolk extinct and Baronies Segrave and Mowbray in abeyance, 1481

Dukedom of Norfolk, Earldom of Nottingham, Earldom of Warenne extinct, 1483

Attainted, 1547
Restored, 1553

William Stourton
(c. 1505–1548)
7th Baron Stourton

Earl of Nottingham (5th creation), 1525

King Henry VIII
(1491–1547)

Anne Boleyn
(c. 1501 or 1507–1536)

Charles Stourton
(c. 1520–1557)
8th Baron Stourton

Henry Howard
(1517–1547)
styled Earl of Surrey

Thomas Howard
(c. 1520–1582)
Viscount Howard of Bindon

Mary FitzRoy
(1519–1557)

Henry FitzRoy
(1519–1536)
Duke of Richmond and Somerset, Earl of Nottingham

Catherine Howard
(c. 1524–1542)

Earldom of Nottingham extinct, 1536

Thomas Howard
(1536–1572)
4th Duke of Norfolk, 3rd Earl of Surrey, 13th Baron Mowbray 1554–1572

Henry Howard
(1540–1614)
Earl of Northampton

Queen Elizabeth I
(1533–1603)

Dukedom (3rd creation) forfeit, 1572

Earl of Arundel (3rd creation), 1580

Earl of Suffolk (4th creation), 1603

John Stourton
(1553–1588)
9th Baron Stourton

Edward Stourton
(c. 1555–1633)
10th Baron Stourton

Philip Howard
(1557–1595)
20th/13th/1st Earl of Arundel, styled Earl of Surrey

Thomas Howard
(1561–1626)
Earl of Suffolk

Lord William Howard
(1563–1640)

Earldom of Arundel and Barony of Mowbray attainted, 1589

see Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Suffolk family tree

Earl of Arundel (3rd creation) and Barony of Mowbray restored, 1604
Earl of Norfolk (5th creation), 1644

William Stourton
(c. 1594–1672)
11th Baron Stourton

Thomas Howard
(1585–1646)
21st/14th/2nd Earl of Arundel, 2nd/4th Earl of Surrey, 1st Earl of Norfolk, 14th Baron Mowbray 1644–1646

see Earls of Shrewsbury family tree

Edward Stourton
(1617–1644)

Henry Frederick Howard
(1608–1652)
22nd/15th/3rd Earl of Arundel, 3rd/5th Earl of Surrey, 2nd Earl of Norfolk, 15th Baron Mowbray 1646–1652

Alethea Howard
1585–1654
17th Baroness Strange of Blackmere, 14th Baroness Talbot, 13th Baroness Furnivall

Duke of Norfolk (4th creation restored), 1660

Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 1669
Earl of Norwich (3rd creation), 1672

William Stourton
(d. 1685)
12th Baron Stourton

Thomas Howard
(1627–1677)
5th Duke of Norfolk, 21st/14th/2nd Earl of Arundel, 4th/6th Earl of Surrey, 16th Baron Mowbray 1660–1677
18th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall 1654–1677

Henry Howard
(1628–1684)
6th Duke of Norfolk, 22nd/15th/3rd Earl of Arundel, 5th/7th Earl of Surrey, 1st Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 18th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 17th Baron Mowbray, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall 1672–1684

Hon. Charles Howard
(1630–1713)

Col. Bernard Howard
(1641–1717)

Edward Stourton
(1665–1720)
13th Baron Stourton

Thomas Stourton
(1667–1744)
14th Baron Stourton

Charles Stourton
(1669–1739)

Henry Howard
(1655–1701)
7th Duke of Norfolk, 22nd/15th/3rd Earl of Arundel, 5th/7th Earl of Surrey, 2nd Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 18th Baron Mowbray, 19th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall, 1684–1701

Lord Thomas Howard
(1662–1689)

Henry Charles Howard
(d. 1720)

Thomas Howard
(1683–1732)
8th Duke of Norfolk, 23rd/16th/4th Earl of Arundel, 6th/8th Earl of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 18th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall, 19th Baron Mowbray 1701–1732

Edward Howard
(1685–1777)
9th Duke of Norfolk, 24th/17th/5th Earl of Arundel, 7th/9th Earl of Surrey, 4th Earl of Norwich and Baron Howard of Castle Rising, 20th Baron Mowbray, 20th Baron Strange of Blackmere, 15th Baron Talbot, 14th Baron Furnivall 1732–1777

Philip Howard
(1688–1750)

Bernard Howard
(1674–1735)

Earldom of Norwich (3rd creation) and Barony of Howard of Castle Rising extinct and Baronies of Furnivall, Mowbray, Segrave, Strange of Blackmere, and Talbot abeyant, 1777

Charles Stourton
(1702–1753)
15th Baron Stourton

William Stourton
(1704–1781)
16th Baron Stourton

Winifred Howard
(1726–1753)

Anne Howard
(1742–1787)

Charles Howard
(1720–1786)
10th Duke of Norfolk, 25th/18th/6th Earl of Arundel, 8th/10th Earl of Surrey 1777–1786

Henry Howard
(1713–1787)

Charles Philip Stourton
(1752–1816)
17th Baron Stourton

Charles Howard
(1746–1815)
11th Duke of Norfolk, 26th/19th/7th Earl of Arundel, 9th/11th Earl of Surrey 1786–1815

William Stourton
(1776–1846)
18th Baron Stourton

Bernard Howard
(1765–1842)
12th Duke of Norfolk, 27th/20th/8th Earl of Arundel, 10th/12th Earl of Surrey 1815–1842

Charles Stourton
(1802–1872)
19th Baron Stourton

Henry Howard
(1791–1856)
13th Duke of Norfolk, 28th/21st/9th Earl of Arundel, 11th/13th Earl of Surrey 1842–1856

Baron Mowbray and Baron Segrave abeayance restored, 1878

Baron Howard of Glossop

Alfred Joseph Stourton
(1829–1893)
24th Baron Segrave, 21st/23rd Baron Mowbray, 20th Baron Stourton

Henry Granville Fitzalan-Howard
(1815–1860)
14th Duke of Norfolk, 29th/22nd/10th Earl of Arundel, 12th/14th Earl of Surrey 1856–1860

Edward George Fitzalan-Howard
(1818–1883)
1st Baron Howard of Glossop

Charles Botolph Joseph Stourton
(1867–1936)
25th Baron Segrave, 22nd/24th Baron Mowbray, 21st Baron Stourton

Henry Fitzalan-Howard
(1847–1917)
15th Duke of Norfolk, 30th/23rd/11th Earl of Arundel, 13th/15th Earl of Surrey, Lord Maltravers, Earl of Arundel and Surrey 1860–1917

Francis Fitzalan-Howard
(1859–1924)
2nd Baron Howard of Glossop

William Marmaduke Stourton
(1895–1965)
26th Baron Segrave, 23rd/25th Baron Mowbray, 22nd Baron Stourton

Bernard Fitzalan-Howard
(1908–1975)
16th Duke of Norfolk, 31st/24th/12th Earl of Arundel, 14th/16th Earl of Surrey 1917–1975

Bernard Fitzalan-Howard
(1885–1972)
3rd Baron Howard of Glossop

Charles Edward Stourton
(1923–2006)
27th Baron Segrave, 24th/26th Baron Mowbray, 23rd Baron Stourton

Miles Fitzalan-Howard
(1915–2002)
17th Duke of Norfolk, 32nd/25th/13th Earl of Arundel, 15th/17th Earl of Surrey, 4th Baron Howard of Glossop 1975–2002

Edward William Stephen Stourton
(1953–2021)
28th Baron Segrave, 25th/27th Baron Mowbray, 24th Baron Stourton

Edward Fitzalan-Howard
(b. 1956)
18th Duke of Norfolk, 33rd/26th/14th Earl of Arundel, 16th/18th Earl of Surrey, 5th Baron Howard of Glossop from 2002

James Charles Peter Stourton
(b. 1991)
29th Baron Segrave, 26th/28th Baron Mowbray, 25th Baron Stourton

Henry Fitzalan-Howard
(b. 1987)
styled Earl of Arundel and Surrey

References

^ Walker, Ian W. Mercia and the making of England Sutton 2000 ISBN 0-7509-2131-5 p130
^ Aemyers Genealogy: Earl Athelfrith Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
^ "Æthelstan 26". Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Cyril Hart, The Danelaw, London (1992), p. 195, table 5.2