Earl of Peterborough

Earl of Peterborough
Name	Earl of Peterborough
Creation date	1628
Monarch	Charles I of England
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough
Last holder	Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough
Extinction date	1814

Earl of Peterborough was a title in the Peerage of England created in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough and notable for holders who engaged in the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, the War of the Spanish Succession, and diplomatic missions involving Spain, Portugal, and the Republic of Venice. Holders intertwined with families such as the Mordaunt family, the Howard family, and connections to Northamptonshire estates, influencing court politics under monarchs including Charles I of England, Charles II of England, James II of England, William III of England, and George I of Great Britain.

Creation and Early History

The title was created by patent of Charles I of England in 1628 for John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough, previously Baron Mordaunt of Drayton, Northamptonshire. Early history involved alliances with figures like Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, Oliver Cromwell, and royalist commanders such as Prince Rupert of the Rhine. The Mordaunt lineage connected to the Baron Mordaunt barony established in the reign of Henry VIII and intersected with households of Anne of Denmark and officials like Sir Robert Cotton. During the English Civil War the family navigated shifting loyalties involving Parliamentary forces, Royalist uprisings, and regional powers in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.

Holders of the Title

Holders included: John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough; Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough; Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough; subsequent heirs and entailments tied to the Mordaunt family and marital alliances with the Howard family, Gore family, and connections to peers such as Earl of Monmouth, Earl of Winchilsea, Baron Ferrers of Chartley, and Viscount Harcourt. Prominent contemporaries and associates included John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Julius Caesar, MP contemporaries like Sir Ralph Hopton, and foreign counterparts such as Eugene of Savoy, Philip V of Spain, and envoys from Venice and the Papal States.

Political and Military Roles

The earls served as military commanders and diplomats: the 3rd Earl, Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, led operations during the War of the Spanish Succession and campaigns in Catalonia and Madrid, coordinating with commanders like Duke of Berwick and negotiating with statesmen such as Harley, Earl of Oxford and James Stanhope. They held offices including Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, sat in the House of Lords, and acted alongside ministers like Robert Walpole and Viscount Bolingbroke. Engagements placed them in theaters alongside armies under Marlborough, intersecting with sieges such as the Siege of Barcelona (1705) and diplomatic events like the Treaty of Utrecht. Their politics involved Jacobite tensions with figures like James II of England and James Francis Edward Stuart, and alignment shifts mirrored those of William III of England and Queen Anne.

Estates and Heraldry

Principal seats included estates in Drayton, Northamptonshire and properties in Wales and Surrey acquired through marriage into families allied with Sir Edward Montagu and the Compton family. Heraldic bearings combined with quarterings of houses like Howard and Fitzalan and were recorded in rolls alongside peers such as Earl of Pembroke and Duke of Norfolk. Architectural patronage linked the family to artisans and architects associated with Inigo Jones-style renovations, and estate management placed them in networks with landowners like Earl of Suffolk and agricultural developments in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.

Extinction and Succession

The earldom became extinct in 1814 following the death of later heirs without surviving male issue, prompting discussions of remainder and succession involving peerage law adjudicated by bodies such as the House of Lords and offices like the College of Arms. Claims and inheritances touched collateral lines connected to families including the Gores, Howards, and European relations with the Spanish Bourbon and Habsburg dynasties. Extinction resonated with contemporary peerage extinctions such as the end of certain lines of the Seymour family and adjustments to titles during the reign of George III of the United Kingdom.

Legacy and Cultural References

The earldom appears in historical studies of the English Civil War, biographies of Marlborough and Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, and in literary references by contemporaries such as Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. Cultural artifacts include portraits by painters like Sir Godfrey Kneller and engravings in collections alongside peers like Duke of Queensberry and Earl of Sunderland. The family's role is noted in regional histories of Northamptonshire, military histories of the War of the Spanish Succession, and diplomatic narratives involving Venice and the Spanish court, informing scholarship at institutions such as the British Museum, the Bodleian Library, and the National Archives.

Category:Earldoms in the Peerage of England Category:Mordaunt family