Earl Erne
Encyclopedia
Earl Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland
. It was created in 1789 for John Creighton, 2nd Baron Erne
, who had earlier represented Lifford
(Parliament of Ireland constituency) in the Irish House of Commons
. He had already been made Viscount Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh, in 1781, also in the Peerage of Ireland, and sat from 1800 to 1828 as an Irish Representative Peer
in the British House of Lords
. The title of Baron Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh, was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1768 for his father Abraham Creighton
. The Earl was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. On his death the titles passed to his nephew, the third Earl. He was an Irish Representative Peer from 1845 to 1885 and also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh during the same period. In 1876 he was created Baron Fermanagh, of Lisnaskea
in the County of Fermanagh, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. This was to allow the Earls to sit in the House of Lords by right, rather than having to stand for election as Representative Peers. An earlier title of Baroness Fermanagh in the Peerage of Ireland was created for Mary Verney on 13 June 1792, but became extinct on her death on 15 November 1810.
Lord Erne also changed the spelling of the family surname from Creighton to Crichton. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He was a Conservative
politician and served as a Lord of the Treasury
in the second Conservative administration
of Benjamin Disraeli. Like his father he was also Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh. His grandson, the fifth Earl, held minor office from 1936 to 1939 in the National Government
led by Stanley Baldwin
and later Neville Chamberlain
. Lord Erne was killed in the Second World War. As of 2009, the titles are held by his only son, the 6th Earl (often known as Harry Erne), who succeeded in 1940. He has been the Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh since 1986.
John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne
, is also remembered as the employer of the hapless Captain Charles Boycott
, whose crass mishandling of relations with agricultural workers on Lord Erne's estate in County Mayo
caused a political and public order crisis and provoked the strategy that gave the English language the term to boycott
.
The heir apparent
uses the invented courtesy title
Viscount Crichton.
The family seat is Crom Castle on the Crom Estate
, near Newtownbutler
in the south of County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
.
The heir apparent
is the present holder's only son John Henry Michael Ninian Crichton, Viscount Crichton (b. 1971)
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
. It was created in 1789 for John Creighton, 2nd Baron Erne
John Creighton, 1st Earl Erne
John Creighton, 1st Earl Erne PC , known as The Lord Erne between 1772 and 1781 and as The Viscount Erne between 1781 and 1789, was an Irish peer and politician....
, who had earlier represented Lifford
Lifford
Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the administrative capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken for fulfilling this role...
(Parliament of Ireland constituency) in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
. He had already been made Viscount Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh, in 1781, also in the Peerage of Ireland, and sat from 1800 to 1828 as an Irish Representative Peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
in the British House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. The title of Baron Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh, was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1768 for his father Abraham Creighton
Abraham Creighton, 1st Baron Erne
Abraham Creighton, 1st Baron Erne was an Irish peer and politician.Erne was a major landowner in County Fermanagh. He represented Lifford in the Irish House of Commons from 1727 until 1768, when he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh...
. The Earl was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. On his death the titles passed to his nephew, the third Earl. He was an Irish Representative Peer from 1845 to 1885 and also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh during the same period. In 1876 he was created Baron Fermanagh, of Lisnaskea
Lisnaskea
Lisnaskea is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 2,739 people in the 2001 Census. The town is built around the long main street, which bends at almost 90 degrees along its course.- History :...
in the County of Fermanagh, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. This was to allow the Earls to sit in the House of Lords by right, rather than having to stand for election as Representative Peers. An earlier title of Baroness Fermanagh in the Peerage of Ireland was created for Mary Verney on 13 June 1792, but became extinct on her death on 15 November 1810.
Lord Erne also changed the spelling of the family surname from Creighton to Crichton. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl. He was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and served as a Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
in the second Conservative administration
Conservative Government 1874-1880
Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the second time after Mr Gladstone's government was defeated in the General Election of 1874. Disraeli's foreign policy was seen as immoral by Gladstone, and following the latter's Midlothian Campaign, the government was heavily...
of Benjamin Disraeli. Like his father he was also Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh. His grandson, the fifth Earl, held minor office from 1936 to 1939 in the National Government
National Government 1935-1940
Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.-Source:*D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000....
led by Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
and later Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
. Lord Erne was killed in the Second World War. As of 2009, the titles are held by his only son, the 6th Earl (often known as Harry Erne), who succeeded in 1940. He has been the Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh since 1986.
John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne
John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne
John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne KP was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician.Erne succeeded his uncle as third Earl Erne in 1842. In 1845 he was elected an Irish Representative Peer in the House of Lords, which he remained until his death. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh from 1845...
, is also remembered as the employer of the hapless Captain Charles Boycott
Charles Boycott
Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was a British land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland as part of a campaign for agrarian tenants' rights in 1880 gave the English language the verb to boycott, meaning "to ostracise"...
, whose crass mishandling of relations with agricultural workers on Lord Erne's estate in County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
caused a political and public order crisis and provoked the strategy that gave the English language the term to boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
.
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
uses the invented courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
Viscount Crichton.
The family seat is Crom Castle on the Crom Estate
Crom Estate
The Crom Estate is a nature reserve located in the south of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, along the shores of Upper Lough Erne. It is one of three estates owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and Castle Coole mansions. The estate...
, near Newtownbutler
Newtownbutler
Newtownbutler or Newtown Butler is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the southeast corner of the County, close to the border with County Monaghan and the town of Clones. It is surrounded by small lakes and bogland and close to Lough Erne...
in the south of County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Barons Erne (1768)
- Abraham Creighton, 1st Baron ErneAbraham Creighton, 1st Baron ErneAbraham Creighton, 1st Baron Erne was an Irish peer and politician.Erne was a major landowner in County Fermanagh. He represented Lifford in the Irish House of Commons from 1727 until 1768, when he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Erne, of Crom Castle in the County of Fermanagh...
(c. 1700–1772) - John Creighton, 2nd Baron ErneJohn Creighton, 1st Earl ErneJohn Creighton, 1st Earl Erne PC , known as The Lord Erne between 1772 and 1781 and as The Viscount Erne between 1781 and 1789, was an Irish peer and politician....
(1731–1828) (created Viscount Erne in 1781 and Earl Erne in 1789)
Earls Erne (1789)
- John Creighton, 1st Earl ErneJohn Creighton, 1st Earl ErneJohn Creighton, 1st Earl Erne PC , known as The Lord Erne between 1772 and 1781 and as The Viscount Erne between 1781 and 1789, was an Irish peer and politician....
(1731–1828) - Abraham Creighton, 2nd Earl ErneAbraham Creighton, 2nd Earl ErneAbraham Creighton, 2nd Earl Erne was an Irish peer and politician.He was the elder son of the 1st Earl Erne, by his first wife, Catherine Howard. Between 1790 and 1798, he represented Lifford in the Irish House of Commons. In Dublin, he was a member of the Kildare Street Club.In November 1798...
(1765–1842) - John Crichton, 3rd Earl ErneJohn Crichton, 3rd Earl ErneJohn Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne KP was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician.Erne succeeded his uncle as third Earl Erne in 1842. In 1845 he was elected an Irish Representative Peer in the House of Lords, which he remained until his death. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh from 1845...
(1802–1885) - John Henry Crichton, 4th Earl ErneJohn Crichton, 4th Earl ErneJohn Henry Crichton, 4th Earl Erne KP, PC , known as Viscount Crichton from 1842 to 1885, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Conservative politician....
(1839–1914)- Henry William Crichton, Viscount Crichton (1872–1914)
- Hon. George David Hugh Crichton (1904–1904)
- Henry William Crichton, Viscount Crichton (1872–1914)
- John Henry George Crichton, 5th Earl ErneJohn Crichton, 5th Earl ErneJohn Henry George Crichton, 5th Earl Erne , briefly known as Viscount Crichton in 1914, was an Anglo-Irish peer, soldier and politician.-Biography:...
(1907–1940) - Henry George Victor John Crichton, 6th Earl ErneHenry Crichton, 6th Earl ErneHenry George Victor John Crichton, 6th Earl Erne , is an Irish peer and the current Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh. He often styles himself simply as Harry Erne....
(b. 1937)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's only son John Henry Michael Ninian Crichton, Viscount Crichton (b. 1971)