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Earldom of Chester subsidiary of Principality of Wales since 1343
Prince of Wales's feathers
Creation date	1067(first creation) 1071(second creation) 1254(third creation) 1264(fourth creation) 1301(fifth creation) 1312(sixth creation) seePrince of Wales for further creations
Created by	William the Conqueror(first creation) William the Conqueror(second creation) Henry III(third creation) Henry III(fourth creation) Edward I(fifth creation) Edward II(sixth creation)
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Gerbod the Fleming, 1st Earl of Chester
Present holder	William, Prince of Wales[1]
Heir apparent	Non-Hereditary
Extinction date	1070(first creation) 1237(second creation) 1272(third creation) 1265(fourth creation) 1307(fifth creation) 1327(sixth creation)
Former seat	Chester Castle
Motto	Ich dien (I serve)

TheEarldom of Chester (Welsh:Iarllaeth Caer) was one of the most powerful earldoms inmedieval England, extending principally over the counties ofCheshire andFlintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted toheirs apparent to the English throne, and after1707 the British throne. From the late 14th century, it has been given only in conjunction with that ofPrince of Wales.

TheCounty of Cheshire was held by the powerful Earls (or "Counts" from the Norman-French) ofChester from the late eleventh century, and they held land all over England, comprising "thehonour of Chester". By the late twelfth century (if not earlier) the earls had established a position of power asquasi-princely rulers of Cheshire that led to the later establishment of theCounty Palatine of Chester andFlint. Such was their power thatMagna Carta set down byKing John did not apply to Cheshire and thesixth earl was compelled to issue his ownversion.^[3]

The earldom passed to the Crown byescheat in 1237 on the death ofJohn the Scot, Earl of Huntingdon, seventh and last of the Earls.William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle, claimed the earldom as husband of Christina, the senior co-heir, but the king persuaded them toquitclaim their rights in 1241 in exchange for modest lands elsewhere. The other co-heiresses did likewise.^[5] It was annexed to the Crown in 1246. KingHenry III then passed the Lordship of Chester, but not the title of Earl, to his son, the Lord Edward, in 1254; as KingEdward I, this son in turn conferred the title and lands of the Earldom on his son, Edward, the first EnglishPrince of Wales. By that time, the Earldom of Chester consisted of two counties:Cheshire andFlintshire.

The establishment of royal control of the Earldom of Chester made possible King Edward I's conquest ofnorth Wales, andChester played a vital part as a supply base during theWelsh Wars (1275–84), so the separate organisation of a county palatine was preserved. This continued until the time of KingHenry VIII. Since 1301, the Earldom of Chester has always been conferred on the Princes of Wales.

Briefly promoted to aprincipality in 1398 by KingRichard II, whotitled himself "Prince of Chester",^[6] it was reduced to an earldom again in 1399 by KingHenry IV. Whereas the Sovereign's eldest son is automaticallyDuke of Cornwall, he must be made or created Earl of Chester as well as Prince of Wales.

The independent palatinate jurisdiction of Chester survived until the time of King Henry VIII (1536), when the earldom was brought more directly under the control of the Crown. The palatinate courts of Great Sessions and Exchequer survived until the reforms of 1830.

The importance of the County Palatinate of Chester is shown by the survival ofChester Herald in theCollege of Arms for some six hundred years. The office has anciently been nominally under the jurisdiction ofNorroy King of Arms.

In the year 1377, the revenues of the Earldom were recorded as follows:^[7]

Fee-Farm of city of Chester – £22 2 4 1/2,

Escheated lands of said city – £0 7 0,

Rents of the Manor of Dracklow andRudeheath – £26 2 6,

Farm of Medywick – £21 6 0,

Profits ofMara and Modren – £34 0 9,

Profits ofShotwick Manor and Park – £23 19 0,

Mills uponRiver Dee – £11 0 0,

Annual profits ofFordham Manor – £48 0 0,

Profits ofMacklefield Hundred – £6 1 8,

Farm of Macklefield Borough – £16 1 3,

Profits of the forest of Macklefield £85 12 11 3/4,

Profits of escheater of Chester – £24 19 0,

Profits of the sheriff of said county – £43 12 3,

Profits of the Chamberlain of county – £55 14 0.

Yearly value ofEllow – £20 8 0,

Farm of the town ofFlint – £33 19 4,

Farm ofCayrouse – £7 2 4,

Castle ofRuthlam – £5 12 10,

Rents and profits ofMosten – £7 0 0,

Rents and profits of Colshil – £54 16 0,

Rents of Ruthlam town – £44 17 6,

Lands ofEnglefield (yearly) – £23 10 0,

Profits of Vayvol – £5 9 0,

Profits of the office of escheator – £6 11 9,

Mines of Cole and Wood within Manor of Mosten – £0 10 0,

Office of the sheriff in rents and casualties – £120 0 0,

Mines and profits of the Fairs ofNorthope – £3 9 2,

Casualties was lastly – £37 0 8.

Total income was £418 1 2 3/4 from Cheshire and £181 6 0 from Flintshire.

• 1070–1071Gerbod the Fleming, 1st Earl of Chester

• 1071–1101Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester (c. 1047–1101)^[8][9]
• 1101–1120Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (1094–1120)
• 1120–1129Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (1070–1129)
• 1129–1153Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153)
• 1153–1181Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester (1147–1181)
• 1181–1232Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester (1170–1232)
• 1232–1232Matilda of Chester, Countess of Chestersuo jure (1171–1233) (inherited October 1232 inter vivos gift to son November 1232)
• 1232–1237John of Scotland, 7th Earl of Chester (c. 1207–1237)

• Edward, Lord of Chester, but without the title of Earl (1239–1307) (became King Edward I in 1272)

• Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester (1208–1265) (forfeit 1265)

(There is no evidence thatAlphonso, elder son of Edward I, was created Earl of Chester, although he was styled as such.)

• Edward of Caernarvon, Earl of Chester (1284–1327) (became King Edward II in 1307)

• Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Chester (1312–1377) (became King Edward III in 1327)

Thereafter, the Earldom of Chester was created in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. SeePrince of Wales for further earls of Chester.

• Earl of Chester was one of theGWR 3031 Class locomotives that were built for and ran on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915.

• History of Cheshire
• Constable of Chester
• Countess of Chester, a subsidiary title of the Princess of Wales

• Harris, BE (1979). "Administrative History". In Elrington, CR (ed.).The Victoria County History of Chester. Vol. II. University of London Institute of Historical Research. pp. 1–97.

• Earls of Chester
• Norman conquest of England
• Succession to the British crown
• Earldoms in the Peerage of England
• British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown
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