Earl Fortescue

Earldom of Fortescue
Arms of Fortescue: Azure, a bend engrailed argent plain cotised or
Creation date	1789
Monarch	George III
Peerage	Peerage of Great Britain
First holder	Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue
Present holder	Charles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue
Heir presumptive	John Fortescue
Remainder to	Heirs male of the body
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Ebrington Baron Fortescue of Castle Hill
Seat(s)	Ebrington Manor
Former seat(s)	Castle Hill
Armorial motto	Forte Scutum Salus Ducum ("A Strong Shield is the Salvation of Leaders")

Earl Fortescue is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created in 1789 for Hugh Fortescue, 3rd Baron Fortescue.

The Fortescue family descends from Sir Hugh Fortescue of Filleigh, Devon, who died in 1719. His first wife's first cousin had been 13th Baron Clinton and 5th Earl of Lincoln. In 1721, the abeyance of the ancient barony of Clinton was terminated in favour of their son Hugh Fortescue (1696–1751), and he became the 14th Baron Clinton. On 5 July 1746, he was created Earl Clinton, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body and Baron Fortescue, of Castle Hill in the County of Devon, with remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to his half-brother Matthew Fortescue. Both titles were in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Hugh, Earl Clinton (1696–1751), had no legitimate children and on his death, the barony of Clinton fell into abeyance (see the Baron Clinton for later history of this title) while the earldom became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of Fortescue according to the special remainder by his half-brother, Matthew, the second Baron.

Matthew's son Hugh, the third Baron, sat as Member of Parliament for Beaumaris and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Devon. In 1789, he was created Viscount Ebrington, of Ebrington in the County of Gloucester, and Earl Fortescue, in the Peerage of Great Britain. Lord Fortescue married Hester, daughter of Prime Minister George Grenville.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl, who was a prominent Whig politician. After representing several constituencies in the House of Commons he was in 1839 summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue. Lord Fortescue then served under Lord Melbourne as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1839 to 1841 and under Lord John Russell as Lord Steward of the Household from 1846 to 1850. His son, the third Earl, was also a Whig politician and held minor office from 1846 to 1851 in the same government as his father. In 1859 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue. His eldest son, the fourth Earl, sat as Liberal Member of Parliament for Tiverton and . He also held the honorary position of Lord-Lieutenant of Devon. On his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the fifth Earl. He was a Conservative politician and served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (Chief Government Whip in the House of Lords) in 1945 and from 1951 to 1958. He died without surviving male issue and was succeeded by his third and youngest brother, the sixth Earl. As of 2015^[update] the titles are held by the latter's grandson, the eighth Earl, who succeeded his father in 1993.