CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln

English noble

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ15989912 ↗
Source-derived summary

Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln, KB (1599 – 21 May 1667), styled Lord Clinton until 1619, was an opponent of Charles I during and preceding the English Civil War.

Family

The eldest son of the 3rd Earl of Lincoln and Elizabeth Knyvet, one of the three daughters of Henry Knyvet — whose brother had become the 1st Baron Knyvet following the Gunpowder Plot. Lord Clinton studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

He was appointed a Knight of the Bath at the investiture of Charles, Duke of York as Prince of Wales at Whitehall on 3 November 1616.

After succeeding to the family titles upon the death of his father in 1619, he married firstly, in 1622, the Hon Bridget Fiennes, only daughter of William Fiennes, 7th Baron Saye and Sele (later 1st Viscount); the Earl and Countess of Lincoln had:

Edward Clinton, Baron Clinton (1624–1657), married 1644 Lady Anne Holles (died London, October 1707), eldest daughter of the 2nd Earl of Clare, and had:

Edward Clinton, 5th Earl of Lincoln (1645–1692), KB 1661, de uxoris seigneur de Lavérune, married 1674 Jeanne de Gallières (died Languedoc, 1688).

Lady Catherine Clinton (died 1643), married 1639, as his first wife, George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer, leaving a daughter: The Hon. Vere Booth.

Lady Arabella Clinton (died 1667), married 1643 Robert Rolle, MP, High Sheriff of Devon, from whom descend the present Barons Clinton

Lady Margaret Clinton (died 1688), married 1651 Colonel Hugh Boscawen, PC, JP, MP, whose grandson, Hugh Fortescue, 14th Baron Clinton, became Earl Clinton in 1746.

Lord Lincoln married secondly Elizabeth Gorges (died 1675). On his death in 1667, the family titles devolved upon his grandson.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln” as english noble. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Theophilus, Clinton and Earl.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1599, 1667, 1619, 1616—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1600. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Theophilus, Clinton and Earl providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln”, the useful work is to connect “english noble” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15989912. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1599, 1667, 1619 and 1616.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln primary sources, Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln archive and Theophilus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln” 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.