Earl

An Earl is a member of the British peerage ranking below a Marquess and above a Viscount. The Earl is the British equivalent of the continental Count. The wife of an Earl is a Countess[?]. The eldest son of an Earl generally has the courtesy title of Viscount or Lord, younger sons are known as the Honourable [Firstname] [Lastname] and daughters are known as Lady [Firstname] [Lastname] (the most obvious example being Lady Diana Spencer).

The word derives from Middle English "erl" meaning warrior, nobleman, equivalent to the jarl in Old Norse. It's unclear whether there exists connection by ethymology to the Anglo-Saxon term "Ealdorman" which translates literally as "Elder", "Senior", and refers to a chief counselor of the realm. That term survives in modern English as "Alderman[?]", a councilman or representative in local government or a local church governing body.

An Earl presides over an Earldom.

See: Earls of Chesterfield, Earls of Cork, Earls of Derby, Earls of Norfolk, Earls of Pembroke, Earls of Shrewsbury[?], Earls of Warwick[?], Earl of Holland

Common misspelling and questions (FAQ)

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Baxter--(BELINDA _appears in the right to_ BAXTER, _who shakes it_.) BELINDA. How nice of you both to come! BAXTER. Mr. Devenish and I are inseparable--apparently. BELINDA. You haven't told me what you were doing, Mr. Devenish. Was it satin--" DEVENISH. My lady, it was even more romantic than that. I have the (_Dances round imitating the hornpipe_.) BELINDA (_to_ BAXTER). Doesn't he talk nonsense? BAXTER. He'll grow out of it. I did. BELINDA (_moving down_ R. _and then to centre towards old. (_As they both start forward to protest_.) Now which one of hammock, an it please thee, my lord------ (BAXTER _goes to the right of the hammock, saying_ "Allow me." cushion which_ BAXTER _snatches from him and places in hammock better look at the tulips for a moment. BAXTER. Oh--ah--yes. (_Crosses down_ R., _turns his back to the next volume. (_He turns away and examines flowers on_ L. _She that was better than last time. (_They turn round to see her safely in and_ BAXTER _draws the deck-chair from the right side of the table and sits down_.) I wonder if either of you can guess what I've been reading. If you'd come five minutes earlier you'd have found.