Earl of Rochford was a title in the
Peerage of England. It was created in 1695 and became extinct in 1830.
History
The title of Earl of Rochford was created in 1695 for
William Nassau de Zuylestein, one of the most trusted companions of his kinsman,
William of Orange. He was made Viscount Tunbridge at the same time, also in the Peerage of England. He was the son of
Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein, natural son of
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. Zuylestein was sent to
England in 1687 and again in 1688 to report on the condition of affairs. In 1688 he sailed with the prince on his famous expedition. After the Revolution he was naturalized and served the king in the field, being raised to the English peerage in 1695. He was succeeded by his son William, the second Earl, who was killed at the
Battle of Almenar, and then by another son, Frederick, the third Earl. Frederick's son,
William Henry, the 4th Earl, was a diplomat and a statesman. Having gained experience as
envoy at
Turin from 1749 to 1753, he was
Ambassador to Madrid from 1763 to 1766 and to
Paris from 1766 to 1768. From 1768 to 1775 he was one of the secretaries of state. He left no legitimate children when he died on 28 September 1781, and was succeeded by his nephew, William Henry, the 5th Earl.[1] The titles became extinct on the latter's death in September 1830. The estates of the Earls of Rochford were in
Suffolk and
Essex, their principal residence being
St Osyth Priory in the latter county.[2]
Henry FitzJames, illegitimate son of James II, created
Duke of Albemarle, together with the subsidiary titles of Earl of Rochford and
Baron Romney, by his father on 13 January 1696.
^Rietstap, Johannes Baptist (1861). Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason. G.B. van Goor. p. 746.