Earl Cairns is a title in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

. It was created in 1878 for the prominent lawyer and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician Hugh Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns. He was

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880. Cairns had already been created Baron Cairns, of Garmoyle in the

County of Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

, in 1867, and was made Viscount Garmoyle, in the County of Antrim, at the same time he was given the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the second Earl. He died young without male issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Earl. He never married and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl. On his death the titles passed to his second but only surviving son, the fifth Earl. He was a

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. , the titles are held by his son, the sixth Earl, who succeeded in 1989. Sir William Cairns, half-brother of the first Earl, served as

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...

from 1875 to 1877.

Baron Cairns (1867)

* Hugh McCalmont Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns (1819–1885) (created Earl Cairns in 1878)

Earl Cairns (1878)

* Hugh McCalmont Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns (1819–1885) * Arthur William Cairns, 2nd Earl Cairns (1861–1890) * Herbert John Cairns, 3rd Earl Cairns (1863–1905) * Wilfred Dallas Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns (1865–1946) * David Charles Cairns, 5th Earl Cairns (1909–1989) * Simon Dallas Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns (born 1939) The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

is the present holder's eldest son, Hugh Sebastian Frederick Cairns, Viscount Garmoyle (born 1965), whose heir is his son, Hon. Oliver David Andrew Cairns (born 1993).

Male-line family tree

Notes

References

* *Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1878 Peerages created for UK MPs Peerages created for lord high chancellors of Great Britain