Earl of Warwick

Earl of Warwick (/ˈwɒrɪk/ WORR-ik) is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1088, and was held by the Beaumont, and later by the Beauchamp families. The 14th Earl was created Duke of Warwick in 1445, a title which became extinct on his early death the following year. The best-known Earl of this creation was the 16th Earl, who was involved in the deposition of two kings, a fact which later earned him his epithet "Warwick the Kingmaker". This creation became extinct on the death of the 17th Earl in 1499. The title was revived in 1547 for the powerful statesman John Dudley, 1st Viscount Lisle, who was later made Duke of Northumberland. The earldom was passed on during his lifetime to his eldest son, John, but both father and son were attainted in 1554. The title was recreated or restored in 1561 in favour of Ambrose, younger son of the Duke of Northumberland. However, Ambrose was childless and the earldom became extinct on his death in 1590. It was created for a third time in 1618 for Robert Rich, 3rd Baron Rich, in spite of the fact that the Rich family were not in possession of Warwick Castle. From 1673 the Earls also held the title Earl of Holland. All the titles became extinct on the death of the 8th Earl in 1759. The earldom was revived the same year in favour of Francis Greville, 1st Earl Brooke. The Greville family were in possession of Warwick Castle and the title and castle were thereby re-united for the first time in over a century. The 1759 creation is extant and currently held by Guy Greville, 9th Earl of Warwick. However, Warwick Castle was sold by the family in 1978, and they currently live in Australia.