County LINCOLNSHIRE - Earle Surname Notes

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Lincolnshire, England
Surname/tag: Earle, Erle

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County Lincolnshire -
Earle Surname Notes

This page is a collection of Earle surname people and events in Lincolnshire England.

Lincolnshire References quoted From the Book:
History and genealogy of the Earles of Secaucus ^[1]

“FromtheErlesofDevonaredescendedtheErlesofHants(Ham- shire), Lincolnshire, London, Berkshire and Essex.”

This main stream, beginning in Somerset and branching off in different directions, we believe to be that from which all the Earies of England and America are descended. There are other im¬ portant branches of the family in England, but all, we believe, have had their rise from this main stream. We may not be able to show' the precise connection, or prove that there was any connection at all, but this is not to be wondered at. The genealogy is not given in full, the records were not always carefully kept, and sometimes not kept at all. As a rule, little attention was paid to younger sons. The estate descended to the eldest son, and the younger were obliged to go out and make their own fortunes. So that there must have been a number of side branches, starting out from the main stem, through younger sons, and reaching into all parts of England. It was precisely in this way that the Devonshire branch began. One of the younger sons of “The White Knight”—just which one is not known-—was grandfather of John Erie (L 2), of Ashburton, Devon. It is known that the Earles of Winchester, Southampton and Nottinghamshire, had their origin in the same way. It is almost certain that the Lincolnshire branch sprang from Somerset, and when it is remembered that Lincoln touches York, and that York touches Lancaster, it is easy to believe that there was some relationship among the Earles of those counties.

CHAPTER SEVEN. THE EARLES OF LINCOLNSHIRE. Among the more prominent branches of the Earle family in Eng¬ land is that of Lincolnshire. In all probability the ancestor of this branch was Richard, son of John de Erleigh, (H 9) of the Somerset line.This John de Erleigh was the father of Sir John, “TheWhite Knight,” but he also left a younger son, Richard, of whom we have no further account. Sir Henry Earle, Bart., on one of his charts, makes this brother of Sir John de Erleigh the ancestor of Lincolnshire Earles. In a letter he says: “Lincolnshire certainly traces back to Richard de Erleigh, 6th degree from Sir Henry de Erleigh.” I do not know that the line of descent is definitely made out, but there is a strong probability.

The Lincolnshire family emerges into the clear light with Sir Richard Earle of Stragglethorpe, who was created Baronet in 1629. Dr. Pliny Earle, in his “Genealogy of the Descendants of Ralph Earle/’ gives “Craglethorpe” as the residence of Sir Richard, but Burke in his account of the creation of the baronetcy says “Stragglethorpe,” and Sir Henry writes, “Stragglethorpe, not Craglethorpe.” We do not know the distinction between the two names, but believe it best to follow the authorities.

“I spent some time reading over your correspondence with Sir Henry (he has carefully kept it, as well as the letters of Richard H. Earle, of Marietta, Georgia) and I noted some of your questions, which I will try here to answer:

“You have the Lincolnshire Earles as complete as Sir Henry, from Sir Richard 1629 to 4th Sir Richard. He knows of no others. The line has not been made out fully, nor has any connection been established between it and the Lancashire branch. Neither is the connection between Lincolnshire and Somerset known, nor Lincolnshire or the other branches with Norfolk. They all seem to stand apart.

Sir Plenry Earle, Bart., the highest authority on the history and genealogy of the English Earles, says: “It is certain that the Earles of Stragglethorpe (Lincolnshire) went to Ireland.” There is a Rev. Wm. Earle, Curate of St. Clements’ Danes, Strand, W. C., London, son of the late George Earle, of Ballynahow, in Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland, who claims the Stragglethorpe baronetcy, as great-great-great grandson of Robert Earle, of Coolroe ,Co. Wexford, Ireland, said to be descended from a younger son (William) of 1st Baronet.

Strangely enough, the Maryland family claims descent from the Earles of Lincolnshire. A member of that family writes me: “We have a copy of the Coat of Arms on parchment, marked on the back ‘Michael Earle’s Arms,’ probably referring to a Michael Earle in England. The Arms are three escallop shells on a shield—Crest a Nag’s head, corresponding exactly with the arms of the family in Topsfield, Essex, and Craglethorpe, Lincolnshire.” It seems to us much more likely that the Michael Earle just re¬ ferred to was of Ireland and that he was the father of James Earle, “late of Ireland,” who named a son Michael. And it is highly prob¬ able that the family was connected with the settlement of Earles in CountyWexford,Ireland,whohademigratedfromLincolnshire,Eng¬ land. This seems the natural interpretation to put upon the facts as known to us. The Maryland Earles come nearer to linking up with the main English lines than any other xAmerican branch, and is the only one with documentary proof of its right to wear a coat of arms.

But what is the relationship of the Yorkshire Earles to the other English families? On this point we have no definite light. We know that the Lincolnshire family descended from the Somerset De Erleighs. Lincolnshire and Yorkshire are contiguous counties. There were younger sons of the Stragglethorpe line who could easily have over¬ flowed into Yorkshire. Moreover the ancestor of the Lancashire Earles “descended from the north of England.” This family made their home in Chester County before they emigrated to Lancashire. It is not at all improbable that the stream that flowed northward from Somerset to Lincoln continued into Yorkshire, and that some branch of it turned southward into Chester. If this surmise should prove correct it would connect the three families of Lincoln, York and Lancaster, and would derive them all from the De Erleighs of Somerset.