Earl of Kerry

Earldom of Kerry
Creation date	1723
Created by	George I of Great Britain
Peerage	Peerage of Ireland
First holder	Thomas Fitzmaurice, 21st Baron Kerry
Present holder	Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, 9th Marquess of Lansdowne, 10th Earl of Kerry
Heir apparent	Simon Petty-Fitzmaurice
Former seat(s)	Convamore House
Arms

Baron Kerry is an ancient title in the Peerage of Ireland, named after County Kerry. It was created circa 1223 for Thomas FitzMaurice, Lord OConnello, son of Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan.

In 1325, Maurice FitzMaurice, 4th Baron Kerry, murdered Diarmaid Óg MacCarthy (son of Cormac Mór MacCarthy) in the courtroom at Tralee. For this act, Maurice was tried and attainted by the parliament in Dublin and his lands forfeited, but after his death they were restored to his brother John FitzMaurice, 5th Baron of Kerry.

The title was sometimes given as Baron Lixnaw (after Lixnaw) or Baron Kerry and Lixnaw. In a 1615 dispute with Baron Slane over precedence, it was claimed the title "Baron Lixnaw" was promoted by the rival Earl of Desmond, who wanted "Baron Kerry" to be a a courtesy title for his heir. The Privy Council of Ireland's ruling in the dispute referred to Baron Kerry as both "Lo[rd] of Kierry" and "Baron of Kierry and Licksnawe" [sic].

In 1537, the eleventh Baron was created Baron Odorney and Viscount Kilmaule in the Peerage of Ireland. However, these titles became extinct on his death in 1541 while he was succeeded in the Barony of Kerry by his younger brother.

The twenty-first Baron was created Earl of Kerry in the Peerage of Ireland in 1723. His younger son John Petty Fitzmaurice was created the 1st Earl of Shelbourne in the Peerage of Ireland in 1753 and his son William Petty FitzMaurice, the 2nd Earl of Shelburne, who served as British prime minister from 1782 to 1783, was created Marquess of Lansdowne in 1784. In 1818 the latter's son, the third Marquess, succeeded his cousin as 4th Earl of Kerry and 24th Baron Kerry. Earl of Kerry has subsequently been used as a courtesy title by heirs of the Marquess.

Barons Kerry (1223)

• Thomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Kerry (died c. 1260) According to John O'Hart, his father was Maurice FitzRaymond, the fourth son of Raymond FitzGerald le Gros and Basilia de Clare
• Maurice Fitzthomas Fitzmaurice, 2nd Baron Kerry (died 1303)
• Nicholas Fitzmaurice, 3rd Baron Kerry (died 1324)
• Maurice Fitzmaurice, 4th Baron Kerry (died 1339)
• John Fitzmaurice, 5th Baron Kerry (died 1348)
• Maurice Fitzmaurice, 6th Baron Kerry (died 1398)
• Patrick Fitzmaurice, 7th Baron Kerry (died c. 1410)
• Thomas Fitzmaurice, 8th Baron Kerry (died 1469)
• Edmond Fitzmaurice, 9th Baron Kerry (died 1498)
• Edmond Fitzmaurice, 10th Baron Kerry (died 1543) resigned his estates to become a lay brother in Ardfert Abbey
• Edmond Fitzmaurice, 11th Baron Kerry (died 1541) (created Viscount Kilmaule in 1537)

Viscounts Kilmaule (1537)

• Edmond Fitzmaurice, 1st Viscount Kilmaule (died 1541) (extinct)

Barons Kerry (1223; Reverted)

• Patrick Fitzmaurice, 12th Baron Kerry (died 1547)
• Thomas Fitzmaurice, 13th Baron Kerry (died 1549)
• Edmond Fitzmaurice, 14th Baron Kerry (died 1549)
• Gerard Fitzmaurice, 15th Baron Kerry (died 1550)
• Thomas Fitzmaurice, 16th Baron Kerry (c. 1502–1590)
• Patrick Fitzmaurice, 17th Baron Kerry (c. 1541–1600)
• Thomas Fitzmaurice, 18th Baron Kerry (1574–1630)
• Patrick Fitzmaurice, 19th Baron Kerry (1595–1661)
• William FitzMaurice, 20th Baron Kerry (1633–1697)
• Thomas Fitzmaurice, 21st Baron Kerry (1668–1741) (created Earl of Kerry in 1723)

Earls of Kerry (1723)

• Thomas FitzMaurice, 1st Earl of Kerry (1668–1741)
• William FitzMaurice, 2nd Earl of Kerry (1694–1747)
• Francis Thomas-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Earl of Kerry (1740–1818)
• Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, 4th Earl of Kerry (1780–1863)

See Marquess of Lansdowne for further Earls of Kerry.

Family tree

Lansdowne Family Tree

Baron Kerry, 1223 Earl of Kerry, 1753 Thomas FitzMaurice 1668–1741 1st Earl of Kerry, 21st Baron Kerry Viscount FitzMaurice and Baron Dunkeron, 1751 Earl of Shelburne (2nd creation), 1753 Baron Wycombe, 1760 William FitzMaurice 1694–1747 2nd Earl of Kerry, 22nd Baron Kerry John Petty-Fitzmaurice 1706–1761 1st Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 1784 Francis Thomas-Fitzmaurice 1740–1818 3rd Earl of Kerry, 23rd Baron Kerry William Petty-Fitzmaurice 1737–1805 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe Baron Nairne Baron Keith (1st creation: Ireland), 1797 Baron Keith (2nd creation: UK), 1801 Baron Keith (3rd creation: UK), 1803 Viscount Keith (UK), 1814 John Henry Petty 1765–1809 2nd Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 3rd Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe George Keith Elphinstone 1746–1823 Viscount Keith, Baron Keith (Ire, UK, UK) Jane Mercer Viscountcy Keith and Barony Keith (1st creation) extinct, 1801 Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 1780–1863 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 4th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe 4th Earl of Kerry, 24th Baron Kerry Margaret Mercer Elphinstone 1788–1867 Comtesse de Flahaut, 2nd Baroness Keith (Ire, UK), 7th Lady Nairne Baronies Keith (2nd & 3rd creations) extinct, 1867 Henry Thomas Petty-Fitzmaurice 1816–1866 4th Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 5th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe 5th Earl of Kerry, 24th Baron Kerry Emily Jane Petty-FitzMaurice 1819–1895 8th Lady Nairne Baron Mersey, 1910 Viscount Mersey, 1916 Baron Fitzmaurice, 1906 John Charles Bigham 1840–1929 1st Viscount Mersey Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice 1845–1927 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 6th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe, 6th Earl of Kerry, 24th Baron Kerry, 9th Lord Nairne Edmond Fitzmaurice 1846–1935 Baron Fitzmaurice Barony Fitzmaurice extinct, 1935 Charles Clive Bigham 1872–1956 2nd Viscount Mersey Henry William Edmund Petty-Fitzmaurice 1872–1936 6th Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 7th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe, 7th Earl of Kerry, 25th Baron Kerry, 10th Lord Nairne Charles Fitzmaurice 1874–1914 Edward Clive Bigham 1906–1979 3rd Viscount Mersey Katherine Bigham 1912–1995 12th Lady Nairne Charles Hope Petty-Fitzmaurice 1917–1944 7th Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 8th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe, 8th Earl of Kerry, 26th Baron Kerry, 11th Lord Nairne George John Charles Mercer Nairne Petty-Fitzmaurice 1912–1999 8th Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 9th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe, 9th Earl of Kerry, 27th Baron Kerry Richard Maurice Clive Bigham 1934–2006 4th Viscount Mersey, 13th Lord Nairne David Edward Hugh Bigham b. 1938 Heir apparent to the Viscountcy Mersey Charles Maurice Petty-Fitzmaurice b. 1941 9th Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl of Wycombe, and Viscount Calne and Calston, 10th Earl of Shelburne, Viscount FitzMaurice, Baron Dunkeron, and Baron Wycombe, 10th Earl of Kerry, 28th Baron Kerry Edward John Hallam Bigham b. 1966 5th Viscount Mersey, 14th Lord Nairne Charles Richard Petty Bigham b. 1967 Heir apparent in the heir presumptive to the Viscountcy Mersey Simon Henry George Petty-Fitzmaurice b. 1970 styled Earl of Kerry Flora Bigham, Mistress of Nairne b. 2003 styled Mistress of Nairne George Henry Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice b. 2020 styled Viscount Calne and Calston

Sources

• Brownhill, J. (1929). "Kerry, and Kerry and Lixnaw". In Cokayne, George Edward; Doubleday, H. A.; Howard de Walden, Lord (eds.). The Complete Peerage. Vol. VII (revised ed.). London: St Catherine's Press. pp. 201–216.