Hervey le Breton, the first holder of the Earldom of Wiltshire, forfeited his title within two years of receiving it, proving that in the 12th century, an earl was nothing without land to support the dignity. Created in 1139, Hervey was a man of Leon in Spain who married Sybilla, an illegitimate daughter of King Stephen, hoping to secure a foothold in English politics. The marriage alliance was intended to bridge the gap between the Spanish nobility and the English crown, but the political landscape shifted violently during the Anarchy, a civil war between Stephen and the Empress Matilda. Hervey lost his English lands during this conflict, and the title lapsed immediately because the legal framework of the time required an earl to possess the territory to maintain the rank. Without the land, the earldom ceased to exist, leaving Hervey as a historical footnote rather than a powerful magnate. This early failure set a precedent for the volatile nature of the title, which would be created and extinguished multiple times over the next four centuries.
The Shadow Of The Empress
Patrick of Salisbury, the second earl, was a man who held the title of Earl of Wiltshire but was universally known as the Earl of Salisbury, a distinction that highlights the fluidity of noble titles during the reign of the Empress Matilda. Created probably after July 1143, Patrick was the second but eldest surviving son of William of Salisbury and the grandson of Walter of Salisbury, the founder of Bradenstoke Priory. His life was defined by his service to the Empress, yet he was also Sheriff of Wiltshire in October 1152, where he was addressed in a writ of Stephen as Earl Patrick, sheriff, a title that acknowledged his authority despite the ongoing civil war. Patrick passed the title to his great-granddaughter Margaret Longespée, who married Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln. Their daughter became the suo jure Countess of Lincoln and Wiltshire, but the earldom reverted to the Crown with her death in October 1348. The complexity of these inheritances reveals how the title was often a secondary honor, overshadowed by more significant family holdings and political alliances.The Execution Of A Nobleman
William le Scrope, the first earl of the second creation in 1397, met a grim end when he was executed during the events leading to the deposition of Richard II by Henry IV. His charter granted the earldom with a limitation to heirs male, but it lacked the usual additional limitation of his body, a legal technicality that allowed a collateral descendant to attempt a claim in 1859. The House of Lords rejected this claim, confirming that the title had truly died with William. The execution of William le Scrope was not merely a political maneuver but a stark reminder of the dangers faced by nobles who opposed the shifting tides of power. The events surrounding his death were part of a larger struggle for control of the English throne, and his fate served as a warning to other potential claimants. The legal ambiguity of his charter left a legacy of uncertainty that would haunt the title for centuries, as descendants tried to revive a title that had been extinguished by the crown.