| Earl of Tyrone | |
|---|---|
  Arms: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Argent crusilly fitchce, three Fleurs- de-lis within a bordure engrailed Sable (Beresford); 2nd and 3rd, Argent a Chief indented Sable, (La Poer). Crest: A Dragon's Head erased Azure, pierced through the neck with a broken Spear Or, the broken point Argent, thrust through he upper jaw. Supporters: On either side an Angel proper, vested Argent, crined and winged Or, holding in the exterior hand a Sword erect proper. | |
| Creation date | 1 July 1746 (third creation) |
| Created by | George II |
| Peerage | Peerage of Ireland |
| First holder | Marcus Beresford, 1st Viscount Tyrone |
| Present holder | Richard de la Poer Beresford, Earl of Tyrone |
| Remainder to | The 1st Earls' heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Viscount Tyrone Viscount Decies Baron La Poer Baron Beresford Baron Tyrone of Haverfordwest Baronet 'of Coleraine' |
| Status | Extant |
| Seat(s) | Curraghmore Glenbride Lodge |
| Former seat(s) | Tyrone House |
| Motto | NIL NISI CRUCE "(Nothing unless by the Cross)" |
The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created for the final time in 1746 for Marcus Beresford, 1st Viscount Tyrone, son-in-law of the last de Poer earls. His son was created Marquess of Waterford in 1789, and the title has since been a subsidiary title of the Waterford title.[1]
It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of the Kingdom of Ireland. Under brehon law, clans were effectively independent, and chose their chiefs from the members of a bloodline – normally, but not always, a close relative of the previous chief; the clan as a whole generally had a voice in the chief's decisions. Also, acknowledged sons of a clan member were members of the bloodline, even when not begotten in lawful marriage. The holder of a title, on the other hand, was subject to the Crown, but held his lands by hereditary right, which the Crown would help to enforce; the rest of the clan were usually now his tenants. Illegitimate sons had no right of succession under the new system unless expressly granted.
The title in the Peerage of Ireland was created again in 1673 for Richard Power, 6th Baron Power, the Anglo-Norman peer and Restoration politician, along with a large grant of land in County Waterford, at the other end of Ireland. He was also given the subordinate title of Viscount Decies; both titles became extinct upon the death of his younger son, the third earl, in 1704; he left an only daughter, Lady Katherine Power, but both titles descended by patent to male heirs only.
- ^ Complete Peerage, Vol. XII, Part II, "Tyrone".