| Earldom of the Isle of Thanet | |
|---|---|
  Blazon
| |
| Creation date | 5 Aug 1628 |
| Creation | First |
| Created by | Charles I |
| Peerage | Peerage of England |
| First holder | Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet |
| Last holder | Henry Tufton, 11th Earl of Thanet |
| Status | Extinct |
| Extinction date | 12 Jun 1849 |
| Former seats | Skipton Castle Appleby Castle Hothfield Place |
| Motto | ALES VOLAT PROPRIIS The bird flies to its own |
Earl of the Isle of Thanet, in practice shortened toEarl of Thanet, was a title in thePeerage of England. It was created in 1628 forNicholas Tufton, 1st Baron Tufton. He had already succeeded as second Baronet of Hothfield in 1631 and been createdBaron Tufton, of Tufton in the County of Sussex, in 1626, also in the Peerage of England. TheBaronetcy, of Hothfield in the County of Kent, was created in theBaronetage of England in 1611 for his father, John Tufton.[1] Lord Thanet was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He married Lady Margaret Sackville, daughter ofRichard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset andLady Anne Clifford. Their son, the third Earl, successfully claimed thebarony of de Clifford through his maternal grandmother Lady Anne (which had been inabeyance since the death of his great-grandfatherGeorge Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland).
The third Earl was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl. He representedSteyning in Parliament. The latter was succeeded by his younger brother, the fifth Earl. He sat asMember of Parliament forAppleby. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the sixth Earl. He also represented Appleby in Parliament and served asLord-Lieutenant of Cumberland andWestmorland. He had no surviving male issue and on his death in 1729 the barony of de Clifford fell into abeyance between his daughters (seeBaron de Clifford for further history of the barony). The remaining titles were passed on to the late Earl's nephew, the seventh Earl. He was the son of the HonourableSackville Tufton, fifth son of the second Earl. He represented Appleby in Parliament from 1722 to 1729. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, the eighth Earl. His three sons, the ninth, tenth and eleventh Earls, all succeeded in the titles. The latter served asLord-Lieutenant of Kent. He never married and the titles became extinct on his death in 1849.
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Their former seats includedSkipton Castle,Appleby Castle, and Hothfield Place, Kent.
The last Earl of Thanet devised his estates on his reputed natural son by a French woman, Richard Tufton, who was created a Baronet in 1851. Richard's son, the second Baronet, was createdBaron Hothfield in 1881.
