Edit links

Earldom of Castlemaine
Arms of Palmer, Earl of Castlemaine: Or, two bars Gules, each charged with three trefoils Argent[1]
Creation date7 December 1661
Created byCharles II
PeeragePeerage of Ireland
First holderRoger Palmer
Remainder tothe 1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.
Subsidiary titlesBaron Limerick
Former seat(s)Dorney Court
MottoPalma Virtuti (Latin: "The palm is for virtue")[1]

The Earldom of Castlemaine was a title created in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created for Roger Palmer, the son of Sir James Palmer, a Gentleman of the Bedchamber under King Charles I, and Catherine Herbert, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis. Roger Palmer was also the husband of Barbara Palmer (née Villiers), mistress to King Charles II.[2] The Earl was also given the title Baron Limerick. The earldom was named after Castle Maine in County Kerry.

The title was limited to his male heirs by Barbara (i.e. as opposed, that is, to any later wife he might have), making it clear that the earldom was for his wife's services to the King, and not his own. As the only child officially fathered by the 1st Earl (which probably was not actually his) was female, the title became extinct on his death.

The seat of the Palmer family is Dorney Court, Dorney, Buckinghamshire.

Earls of Castlemaine, First Creation (1661)

Full arms of Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine

Coat of arms of Earl of Castlemaine
Coronet
A Coronet of an Earl
Crest
A demi-panther rampant issuing flames out of its mouth and ears, holding in its paws a holly branch, with leaves and berries all proper.[1]
Escutcheon
Or, two bars Gules, each charged with three trefoils Argent.[1]
Supporters
Two lions guardant Argent.
Motto
Palma Virtuti (Latin: "The palm is for virtue")[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Burke, Bernard (1884–1969). The general armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: comprising a registry of armorial bearings from the earliest to the present time. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0806349480.
  2. ^ Edmund Lodge (1859). The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage and Baronetage: Containing the Family Histories of the Nobility. With the Arms of the Peers. Hurst and Blackett. p. 242.