Earl of Derby

Earl of Derby ( DAR-bee) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end of the reign of Henry III and died in 1279. Most of the Ferrers property and (by a creation in 1337) the Derby title were then held by the family of Henry III. The title merged in the Crown upon Henry IV's accession to the throne in 1399. The title was created again, this time for the Stanley family, in 1485. Lord Derby's subsidiary titles are Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster (created 1832), and Baron Stanley of Preston in the County Palatine of Lancaster (1886). The courtesy title of the heir apparent is Lord Stanley. The 1st to 5th Earls also held an earlier Barony of Stanley, created for the 1st Earl's father in 1456 and currently abeyant; the 2nd to 5th Earls held the Barony of Strange created in 1299, currently held by the Viscounts St Davids; and the 7th to 9th Earls held another Barony of Strange, created in error in 1628 and currently held independently of other peerages. Several successive generations of the Stanley Earls, along with other members of the family, have been prominent members of the Conservative Party, and at least one historian has suggested that this family rivals the Cecils (Marquesses of Salisbury) as the single most important family in the party's history. They were at times one of the richest landowning families in England. The Earls of Derby have given their name to a number of sporting events: the Epsom Derby (usually known simply as the Derby) in horse racing, named for the 12th Earl; the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the National Hockey League, presented to the Dominion of Canada in 1892 by the 16th Earl, during his tenure as Governor General of Canada; and the Lord Derby Cup, contested by French rugby league clubs, donated by the 17th Earl, a former British ambassador to Paris. The term "local derby" in sport, referring to a contest between rivals in the same sport with geographically proximate home grounds, may also derive from the family's title and interest in sport. The family seat is Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool, Merseyside.