Earl of Gloucester
title created several times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear.
Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121)
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1100–1147)
William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (1121–1183)
Isabel, 3rd Countess of Gloucester (d. 1217), her title and lands were held by her husbands jure uxoris:
John of England (1166–1216), married in 1189, on becoming king in 1199 he granted the Earldom to Isabel's nephew Amaury
Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex, Earl of Gloucester (d. 1216), married in 1214
Hubert de Burgh, Chief Justiciar of England (1170–1243), married in 1217
Amaury VI of Montfort-Évreux, (d. 1213), 4th Earl of Gloucester, nephew of the 3rd Countess, on his death the title reverted to her
Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester (1180–1230), nephew of the 3rd Countess
Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester (1222–1262)
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (1243–1295)
Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford, 8th Earl of Gloucester (1291–1314)
Earls of Gloucester, 2nd Creation (1299)
Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer (d. 1325). He acquired Earldoms through marriage to Joan of Acre, the widow of the 7th Earl, and lost them on her death in 1307 by reversion to the 8th Earl.
Earls of Gloucester, 3rd Creation (1337)
Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester (d.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Earl of Gloucester” as title created several times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as title created several times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1277294. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1121, 1100, 1147 and 1183.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Earl of Gloucester”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Earl of Gloucester primary sources, Earl of Gloucester archive and Earl research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Earl of Gloucester”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Earl of Gloucester” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.