Earl of Desmond

Earldom of Desmond held with Earldom of Denbigh
Arms of the Fitzgerald Earls of Desmond (for arms of the current Earl, see Earl of Denbigh)
Creation date	1329 (1st creation) 1600 (2nd creation) 1619 (3rd creation) 1622/1628 (4th creation)
Created by	Edward III (1st creation) Elizabeth I (2nd creation) James VI and I (3rd creation and 4th creation (right on reversion)) Charles I (4th creation - confirmation of possession)
Peerage	Peerage of Ireland
First holder	Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond
Present holder	Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh, 11th Earl of Desmond (4th creation)
Heir apparent	Peregrine Feilding, Viscount Feilding
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Feilding Viscount Callan Baron Feilding of Newnham Paddox Baron St Liz Baron Fielding of Lecaghe
Extinction date	1582 (first creation) 1601 (second creation) 1628 (third creation)
Seat(s)	Newnham Paddox House
Motto	Crescit sub pondere virtus (Virtue increaseth under oppression)

Earl of Desmond (Irish: Iarla Dheasumhan meaning Earl of South Munster) is a title of nobility created by the English monarch in the peerage of Ireland.^[1] The title has been created four times. It was first awarded in 1329 to Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron Desmond, a Hiberno-Norman lord in Southwest Ireland, and it was held by his descendants until 1583 when they rose against the English crown in the Desmond Rebellions. Following two short-lived recreations of the title in the early 1600s, the title has been held since 1628 by the Feilding family of Warwickshire, England. The current holder is Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh and 11th Earl of Desmond (4th creation).