| Earldom of Westmeath | |
|---|---|
  Arms: Ermine, two Bars Gules. Crest: A Cockatrice, wings elevated, tail nowed Vert, combed and wattled Gules. Supporters: On either side a Cockatrice, wings elevated and addorsed, tail nowed Vert, combed and wattled Gules. | |
| Creation date | 4 September 1621 |
| Creation | First |
| Created by | James VI and I |
| Peerage | Peerage of Ireland |
| First holder | Richard Nugent, 7th Baron Delvin |
| Present holder | William Anthony Nugent, 13th Earl of Westmeath |
| Heir apparent | Sean Charles Weston Nugent, Lord Delvin |
| Remainder to | the 1st Earl’s heirs male forever |
| Subsidiary titles | Baron Delvin |
| Status | Extant |
| Motto | DECREVI (I have resolved) |
Earl of Westmeath is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1621 for Richard Nugent, Baron Delvin. During the Tudor era the loyalty of the Nugent family was often in question, and Richard's father, the sixth Baron, died in prison while awaiting trial for treason, a crime for which other members of the family had already been condemned. Richard himself when young was suspected of plotting rebellion and was imprisoned, but in later life, he was a staunch supporter of the Crown, which rewarded him richly for his loyalty. The fifth Earl was a Major-General in the British Army. The sixth Earl was sworn of the Irish Privy Council in 1758. His son by his first wife, Richard Nugent, Lord Delvin, was killed in a duel at an early age. Lord Westmeath was succeeded by his second son by his second wife, the seventh Earl. He sat in the House of Lords as one of the original 28 Irish representative peers; he was also involved in a much-publicised divorce following an action for criminal conversation against his wife and her lover. He was succeeded by his son, the eighth Earl. He was created Marquess of Westmeath in the Peerage of Ireland in 1822. He had no surviving male issue and the marquessate became extinct on his death in 1871. He was succeeded in the barony and earldom by his kinsman, Anthony Francis Nugent, the ninth Earl, who was a claimant to the title Baron Nugent of Riverston. The eleventh Earl was an Irish Representative Peer from 1901 to 1933.