Earl of Orford is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

in 1697 when the naval commander

Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

Edward Russell was made Earl of Orford, in the County of Suffolk. He was created Baron of Shingay, in the County of Cambridge, and Viscount Barfleur at the same time, also in the Peerage of England. A member of the influential Russell family, he was the son of the Honourable Edward Russell, a younger son of

Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford PC (1587 – 9 May 1641) was an English nobleman and politician. He built the square of Covent Garden, with the piazza and St Paul's Church, employing Inigo Jones as his architect. He is also known for ...

and younger brother of

William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford (August 1616 – 7 September 1700) was an English nobleman and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage as 5th Earl of Bedford and removed to the House o ...

(see

Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Fran ...

for earlier history of the Russell family). Lord Orford had no children and the titles became extinct on his death in 1727. The title was created again in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

in 1742 for

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...

, ''de facto'' acknowledged to have been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, who at the same time was created Viscount Walpole and

Baron Walpole Baron Walpole of Walpole in the County of Norfolk is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. Since 1797 holders also hold the title of Baron Walpole of Wolterton. Past holders have also held the titles Baron Walpole of Houghton in the County ...

of Houghton. At the time, the family seat was

Houghton Hall Houghton Hall ( ) is a country house in the parish of Houghton in Norfolk, England. It is the residence of the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley. It was commissioned by the '' de facto'' first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, in 1722, ...

, which was owned and commissioned by Robert Walpole. The titles became extinct on the death of the 4th Earl in 1797. It was created a third time 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 ...

in 1806 for Horatio Walpole, 4th Baron Walpole of Walpole, a cousin of the 4th Earl of the 2nd creation. The title became extinct in 1931.

Earls of Orford

First creation, 1697

Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, (1653 – 26 November 1727) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving as a junior officer at the Battle of Solebay during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, he served as a captai ...

(1657–1727)

Second creation, 1742

, 1st Earl of Orford (1676–1745) *

Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford, Knight of the Bath, KB (1701 – 31 March 1751), was a British Peerage, peer and politician, styled Lord Walpole from 1723 to 1745. Origins He was the eldest son of Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), the Ki ...

(1701–1751) *

George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford (2 April 1730 – 5 December 1791), was a British administrator, politician, and peer. Life Lord Orford was the only child of the 2nd Earl of Orford and his wife Margaret Rolle, who was Baroness Clinton in ...

(1730–1791) *

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

, 4th Earl of Orford (1717–1797)

Third creation, 1806

* Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1723–1809) *

Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford (13 ''or'' 24 June 1752 – 15 June 1822), styled The Honourable Horatio Walpole between 1757 and 1806 and Lord Walpole between 1806 and 1809, was a British peer and politician. Background Orford was the son ...

(1752–1822) * Horatio Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford (1783–1858) *

Horatio William Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford Horatio William Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (18 April 1813 – 7 December 1894), styled Lord Walpole between 1822 and 1858, was a British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Background Orford was the son of Horatio Wal ...

(1813–1894) * Robert Horace Walpole, 5th Earl of Orford (1854–1931)

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orford 1697 establishments in England 1727 disestablishments in England 1742 establishments in Great Britain 1797 disestablishments in Great Britain 1806 establishments in the United Kingdom 1931 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1697 Noble titles created in 1742 Noble titles created in 1806

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...