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Stuart, John, 4th earl of Atholl

(Encyclopedia)Stuart or Stewart, John, 4th earl of Atholl ăthˈəl [key], d. 1579, Scottish nobleman. He succeeded his father to the earldom in 1542. A supporter of Mary of Guise, in 1559 he voted in Parliament ag...

Walpole, Horace, 4th earl of Orford

(Encyclopedia)Walpole, Horace or Horatio, 4th earl of Orford, 1717–97, English author; youngest son of Sir Robert Walpole. Educated at Eton and Cambridge, he toured the Continent with his friend Thomas Gray from ...

Walpole, Robert, 1st earl of Orford

(Encyclopedia)Walpole, Robert, 1st earl of Orford, 1676–1745, English statesman. Walpole is usually described as the first prime minister of Great Britain, but he was not a prime minister in the modern sense. A...

Westmorland, Ralph Neville, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Westmorland, Ralph Neville, 1st earl of, 1364–1425, English nobleman. His family was one of the most powerful in England and shared domination of the northern counties with the Percy family, with wh...

Sackville, Charles, 6th earl of Dorset

(Encyclopedia)Sackville, Charles, 6th earl of Dorset, 1638–1706, English poet and courtier. After the restoration, he became a member of the intimate circle of young rakes and wits at the court of Charles II, wri...

Bigod, Hugh, 1st earl of Norfolk

(Encyclopedia)Bigod, Hugh, 1st earl of Norfolk bīˈgŏd, nôrˈfək [key], d. 1177, English nobleman. He was instrumental in securing the throne for Stephen in 1135, but he subsequently switched his allegiance bac...

Bristol, John Digby, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Bristol, John Digby, 1st earl of, 1580–1653, English diplomat. He spent most of the years 1611–24 at the Spanish court, where as ambassador he conducted the prolonged negotiations for the marriage...

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