Earl of Oxford

Woodcut of the Earls of Oxford coat of arms, 1574

Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for more than five and a half centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. The 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. Their primary seat was Castle Hedingham in Essex, but they held lands across England, particularly in eastern England. The 3rd Earl was one of the 25 barons of Magna Carta. The 9th Earl was a favorite of King Richard II and was created Duke of Ireland. The 13th Earl was a Lancastrian during the War of the Roses and Henry Tudor's commander at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The 17th Earl has become the most famous of the line because of his emergence as a popular alternative candidate as the actual author of the works of William Shakespeare (see Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship). The 17th Earl was a ward and later son-in-law of Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth I's Secretary of State. On the death of the 20th Earl, without identifiable heirs male, the title became dormant.

The Earls of Oxford held no subsidiary titles, and so their heirs apparent were styled by invented courtesy titles: initially Lord Vere, and later Viscount Bolebec (sometimes spelled Viscount Bulbeck).

The title Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was created in the Peerage of Great Britain for Robert Harley in 1711. In the 20th century the title Earl of Oxford and Asquith was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom for the former Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, whose descendant still bears that title. These later creations bear the double title because the original earldom is not certainly known to be extinct; the first de 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 extinction of the Earls of Oxford and Earls Mortimer, 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 of Oxford, it seemed a logical choice and had the King's support. The proposal greatly offended the relatives of the dormant Earldom, however, and, in the face of their opposition, another title had to be chosen - the formal title Earl of Oxford and Asquith was finally decided as a compromise, abbreviated to Earl of Oxford in everyday conversation and letters. For information on this creation, see Earl of Oxford and Asquith.

Earls of Oxford (1141)

• Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford (c. 1115–1194)
• Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford (c. 1164–1214)
• Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford (c. 1173–1221)
• Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford (c. 1208–1263)
• Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford (1240–1296) (forfeit 1265, restored soon after)
• Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford (1257–1331)
• John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford (1312–1360)
• Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford (1337–1371)
• Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford (1362–1392) (forfeit 1388)
• Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford (1340–1400) (restored 1393)
• Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford (1385–1417)
• John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (1408–1462)
• John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (1442–1513) (forfeit 1475, restored 1485)
• John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford (1499–1526)
• John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford (1482–1540)
• John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford (1516–1562)
• Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550–1604)
• Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford (1593–1625)
• Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford (1575–1632)
• Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford (1627–1703) (dormant 1703)

Family tree

Aubrey de Vere 2nd Earl (d. 1214)

Alfonso de Vere (d. 1328)

Robert de Vere 9th Earl (1362–1392)

Robert de Vere

George de Vere

John de Vere

John de Vere 14th Earl (1499–1526)

John de Vere 15th Earl (d. 1540)

Aubrey de Vere (b. 1519)

Hugh de Vere

Earls of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1711)

• see Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer

Earls of Oxford and Asquith (1925)

• See Earl of Oxford and Asquith

Further reading

• Anderson, Verily. The De Veres of Castle Hedingham. Lavenham, Suffolk: Terence Dalton, 1993.