Earl of Carrick
The Earldom of Carrick has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of Ireland.In Scotland, the first creation came circa 1186, with the creation of Duncan of Galloway as Earl of Carrick. The principal lands of the Earldom lay in Ayrshire.
Duncan's granddaughter Margaret, who later held the title in her own right, married Robert de Bruce. Their son, also named Robert and known as "Robert the Bruce", would later rule Scotland as King Robert I, causing the earldom to merge into the Crown. Thereafter, successive Kings of Scots re-created the Earldom several times, but made it non-heritable, specifying that the earldom would revert to the Crown upon the death of the holder. Thus, several creations ended with a reversion to the crown or with the holder becoming King.
In 1469, the Scottish Parliament passed an Act declaring that the eldest son of the King and heir to the throne would hold the Earldom, along with the Dukedom of Rothesay. After the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England, the Dukedom and Earldom have been held by the eldest son and heir of the Kings of England and Scotland, later the Kings of Great Britain, and finally the Kings of the United Kingdom.Compare the Duchy of Cornwall.
In 1628, the Earldom of "Carrick in Orkney" was created for John Stuart, but the title became extinct at his death.
King George II set up the Irish Earldom in 1748 for Somerset Butler. The Earl also holds the Irish subsidiary title of Viscount Ikerrin (created 1629) and Baron Butler of Mount Juliet (1748).
Earls of Carrick, First Creation (c. 1186)
Earls of Carrick, Second Creation (c. 1314)
Earls of Carrick, Third Creation (1328)
Earls of Carrick, Fourth Creation (c. 1330)
Earls of Carrick, Fifth Creation (c. 1361)
Earls of Carrick, Sixth Creation (1368)
Earls of Carrick, Seventh Creation (1390)
Earls of Carrick, Eighth Creation (1406)
See Duke of Rothesay for further Earls of Carrick.Earls of Carrick, Ninth Creation (1628)
Earls of Carrick, Tenth Creation (1748)