The title is an ancient one. In 1042,
Godwin, Earl of Wessex severed the territory of Herefordshire and its Welsh dependencies from the Kingdom of
Mercia. He immediately granted it to his eldest son
Sweyn Godwinson. The earldom included the counties of
Gloucestershire, Herefordshire,
Oxfordshire,
Berkshire and
Somerset. In 1047, Sweyn attempted to take
Eadgifu,
Abbess of Leominster, from her nunnery by force with the intention of marrying her. However, the
Archbishop of Canterbury and King
Edward the Confessor intervened and stopped him. As punishment, King Edward banished Sweyn from England. In 1049, Sweyn returned to England seeking forgiveness, supported by his cousin
Beorn Estrithson. However, a disagreement arose and Sweyn murdered his cousin, resulting in his exile once more. He was deemed "a man of no honour". In 1050, Sweyn was pardoned for his crimes and had the earldom restored to him, despite his violent acts. In 1051, Sweyn was exiled again together with his father and brothers and forfeited the earldom. In 1052, King Edward granted the earldom to
Ralph the Timid. In 1055,
Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia and
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn invaded Herefordshire and Ralph met the Welsh army at Hereford. Fearing defeat, Ralph fled with the French and Norman soldiers, causing the surrounding area to fall under Welsh control. Between 1055 and 1057,
Harold Godwinson retook the county with another force. Ralph died in 1057, leaving his young son Harold as heir. In 1066,
William FitzOsbern supported the
Norman conquest of England. As reward, he was granted the
Isle of Wight. In 1067, William was also granted the earldom of Hereford, and took on roles as chief administrator of
Northern England. He oversaw the building of numerous castles. Between 1070 and 1071, William FitzOsbern was delegated to govern England while
William the Conqueror was away for
Normandy. The widowed
Richilde, Countess of Hainaut, offered her hand in marriage to FitzOsbern for assistance against challenges to her power. However, FitzOsbern sought to gain control of the wealthy Flanders territory near Normandy. He rushed there with his army but was killed in the
Battle of Cassel, leaving his son
Roger de Breteuil as the new earl. In 1075, Roger conspired with his brother-in-law
Ralph Guader, Earl of Norfolk while the Conqueror was again absent in Normandy. They raised an army but were prevented from crossing the
River Severn by local bishops and defeated at Fagadune. When the Conqueror returned, Roger was tried for treason before the
Magnum Concilium and sentenced to perpetual imprisonment, while his soldiers had their right foot amputated. All his lands were also forfeited. Roger died in prison in 1087, leaving two sons Reynold and Roger. Neither inherited the earldom, though they later fought successfully for King
Henry I. After 1135, in the absence of an earl, King
Stephen granted the earldom to
Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester and grandson of the previous earl, Roger. As part of this grant, Robert was instructed to use the city and castle of Hereford as another stronghold in the
Midlands region. In 1141, the
Empress Maud granted the earldom to
Miles FitzWalter, hereditary
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, for his faithful service during her claim to the crown. He rebuilt
Gloucester Castle, while Empress Maud lived at his expense in England. She granted him
Abergavenny Castle as well in 1142. In 1143, Miles FitzWalter demanded large sums from the Church while desperately short of money to pay his troops. The
Bishop of Hereford resisted Miles' demands, so when Miles invaded church lands he was excommunicated. Miles died in a hunting accident at Christmas, leaving his son
Roger FitzMiles as the new earl. Roger inherited his father's roles as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, Castellan of Gloucester Castle, and
Constable of England. He was troubled by his father's death as an excommunicate and continued pressing the Bishop, eventually receiving excommunication himself. In 1151, the devout Roger founded the Abbey of Flaxley in Gloucester and supported other monasteries. However, in 1155 a dispute arose with King
Henry II over Gloucester Castle, which Roger surrendered along with his earldom. King Henry regranted the earldom to Roger, who then took monastic vows at
Gloucester Abbey. Roger died without heirs, leaving his brother
Walter of Hereford to inherit. But before Walter could assume his titles, he joined a rebellion against King Henry. As punishment, the king stripped Gloucester city and the earldom of Hereford from Walter's inheritance. Walter then died childless, followed by his brothers Henry and
Mahel of Hereford in border conflicts and an accident respectively. With no male heirs, their estates passed to their three sisters:
Margaret of Hereford,
Bertha of Hereford and Lucy. The eldest sister Margeret was married to
Humphrey II de Bohun. In recognition of this marriage, King Henry granted Humphrey the earldom of Hereford. He also inherited two-thirds of the family estates and the prestigious hereditary office of Constable of England. Humphrey held the high position of
Lord High Steward, above the
Lord Chancellor. Upon Humphrey's death in 1165, their son
Humphrey III de Bohun succeeded him. Before 1172, he successfully claimed the title of Constable of England from the Gloucester family, consolidating his inherited powers. Between 1171 and 1175, Humphrey married
Margaret of Huntingdon, widow of
Conan IV, Duke of Brittany and granddaughter of King
David I of Scotland. Between 1181 and 1187, Humphrey accompanied King Henry, leading an army against the count of Flanders in support of King
Philip II of France. However, he died abroad, leaving his son
Henry de Bohun to inherit. In 1200, King
John elevated Henry's status by conferring the now-extinct title of
Earl of Hereford, in the
Peerage of England, upon him at
Porchester. However, the king retained the revenue and feudal control of the earldom. Henry was instead granted an annuity, and all future earls were peers rather than holding the feudal title. ==Earls of Hereford, First Creation (1043)==