Wife of an earl

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:11 am Post subject: Wife of an earl

Hey, what would the wife of an earl be called ('cos earless sounds wrong..........)
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:03 am Post subject:

... a countess. Don't ask me why (though there might be someone here, who can explain it), but the equivalent of a count in British aristocracy is an earl while his wife is still called a countess.
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I have the honour to be etc.
Wellies

"Next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained." -- The Duke of Wellington

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:35 am Post subject:

Countess comes from the European equivalent of earl being count.
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Medieval & Regency Writer
keirasoleore.blogspot.com

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:53 pm Post subject:

Thank you for the answer. When I read this post I began racking my brain for an answer and for the life of me could not remember the answer. Interesting in the reference: a count and countess, then an earl and countess. Does any one know why countess remains the same?

I am always interested in the etymology of words and their usage. I will see if I can by chance find an answer to this question.
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Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.

Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100

It's just one of the quirks of English being a mongrel language. The Germanic “jarl” was already established when the French got to England and its usage won out (though they adopted “countess” as the wifely equivalent, showing that the “earl” was reduced from it’s former status, which was more akin to that of a price or duke).
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-Kalen
w/a Isobel Carr
Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011
Book 1: The League of Second Sons
www.isobelcarr.com

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 1:49 pm Post subject:

I thought we did have counts, 'cos I've read a Thackery (yes, not regency, terribly sorry.....)with a count in it, so....... And also, would an earl be earl of somewhere????
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Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100

If he's a "count" he's a foreigner.

Earls can be earls "of", such as the Earl of Burlington, or they can be simply Earl Surname, like Earl Spencer. It depends on how the letters patent are written up.
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-Kalen
w/a Isobel Carr
Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011
Book 1: The League of Second Sons
www.isobelcarr.com

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:40 am Post subject:

Letters Patent????? What are they????
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Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100

A man becomes a lord by either letters patent or writ of summons.
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-Kalen
w/a Isobel Carr
Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011
Book 1: The League of Second Sons
www.isobelcarr.com

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 10:49 pm Post subject:

Ella, may I suggest you make yourself familiar with this excellent site on titles and forms of address: http://laura.chinet.com//html/titles02.html

If you're going to write about the English aristocracy, you MUST learn this stuff. It's my biggest pet peeve in books with Regency or other English settings when the titles are incorrect because it is SO easy to look it up and get it right. Don't rely on copy editors to correct any errors because most don't. It's up to you as the author to get this stuff right. Don't assume it's right because it sounds right. It may not be, so LOOK IT UP!!!!

Sorry. This is one of my hot buttons.
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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:54 pm Post subject:

Wow Candice!!!!!! Thanks!!!! So much to learn....
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