Earl of Lincoln - Earls of Lincoln, Eighth Creation (1572)

Earls of Lincoln, Eighth Creation (1572)

This creation of the Earldom was maded for the eighth time in 1572 for the naval commander Edward Clinton, 9th Baron Clinton (see the Baron Clinton for earlier history of the family). He served as Lord High Admiral under Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. He was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He represented Launceston and Lancashire in the House of Commons. His son, the third Earl, sat as Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby and Lincolnshire. In 1610 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Clinton.

His great-grandson, the fifth Earl, died without surviving issue in 1692 when the earldom and barony separated. The barony fell into abeyance between his aunts (see the Baron Clinton for further history of this title). He was succeeded in the earldom by his second cousin once removed, the sixth Earl. He was the grandson of Sir Edward Clinton, second son of the second Earl. His son, the seventh Earl, served as Paymaster of the Forces, as Constable of the Tower and as Cofferer of the Household. Lord Lincoln married Lucy Sydney (d. 1736), daughter of Robert Sydney, 2nd Earl of Leicester (see the Earl of Chichester for earlier history of the Pelham family).

His eldest son, the eighth Earl, died as a child and was succeeded by his younger brother, the ninth Earl. He was Cofferer of the Household and Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire. He married his first cousin Catherine Pelham (d. 1760), daughter and heiress of Henry Pelham. In 1756 his uncle the Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was created Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, with remainder to his nephew Lord Lincoln, and on the Duke's death in 1768 Lincoln succeeded as second Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne according to the special remainder. He assumed by Royal Licence the additional surname of Pelham the same year.

The Duke's two elder sons, George Pelham-Clinton, Lord Clinton, and Henry Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln, both predeceased him. He was therefore succeeded by his third son, the third Duke. He was a Major-General in the Army. On his early death the titles passed to his son, the fourth Duke. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire from 1809 to 1839. He was succeeded by his son, the fifth Duke. He was a prominent politician and held office as Chief Secretary for Ireland, as Secretary of State for the Colonies and as Secretary of State for War. His eldest son, the sixth Duke, briefly represented Newark in the House of Commons. The Duke married Henrietta Adele, the wealthy heiress and daughter of Henry Thomas Hope.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, the seventh Duke, who died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother. In 1881 the eighth Duke assumed by Royal Licence the additional surname of Hope on inheriting the substantial Hope estates through his paternal grandmother. On his death the titles passed to his only son, the ninth Duke. He had two daughters but no sons and was succeeded by his third cousin, the tenth Duke. He was the great-grandson of Lord Charles Pelham-Clinton, second son of the fourth Duke. He died unmarried in December 1988, having held the titles for only a month. On his death the dukedom became extinct while he was succeeded in the earldom by his distant relative, the eighteenth Earl, a descendant in the tenth-generation of The Hon Sir Henry Fynes-Clinton, third son of the second Earl. Lord Lincoln lived all his life in Australia, and reportedly learned of his succession from a British newspaper. He wrote a book: Memoirs of an Embryo Earl. The eighteenth Earl died in 2001 and was succeeded by his grandson, whose father had died in 1999. The nineteenth Earl is a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, and still lives in Australia.

Several other members of the Clinton family have also gained distinction. Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton, son of the fourth Earl, was Member of Parliament for Callington. The Honourable George Clinton, youngest son of the sixth Earl, was a Naval Commander, politician and Colonial administrator. His son General Sir Henry Clinton was Commander-in-Chief of the British in North America from 1778 to 1782. His sons General Sir William Henry Clinton and Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton were also successful military commanders. Lord Edward Pelham-Clinton GCVO, second son of the fifth Duke, was a soldier and courtier.

The seat of the Dukes of Newcastle was Clumber House near Worksop, Nottinghamshire. However, the house was demolished in 1938. The surrounding estate was sold to the National Trust in 1946 and is now a country park open to the public.

An extensive collection of papers of the Pelham-Clinton Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne has been deposited at the department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham.

• Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln (1512–1585)
• Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln (1539–1616)
• Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln (1568–1619)
• Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln (1600–1667)
  • Edward Clinton, Baron Clinton (1624–1657)
• Edward Clinton, 5th Earl of Lincoln (died 1692)
• Francis Clinton, 6th Earl of Lincoln (1635–1693)
• Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln (1684–1728)
• George Clinton, 8th Earl of Lincoln (1718–1730)
• Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, 9th Earl of Lincoln (1720–1794), succeeded as 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne
  • George Pelham-Clinton, Lord Clinton (1745–1752)
  • Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln (1750–1778)
    • Henry Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln (1777–1779)
• Thomas Pelham-Clinton, 3rd Duke of Newcastle, 10th Earl of Lincoln (1752–1795)
• Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle, 11th Earl of Lincoln (1785–1851)
• Henry Pelham Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, 12th Earl of Lincoln (1811–1864)
• Henry Pelham Alexander Pelham-Clinton, 6th Duke of Newcastle, 13th Earl of Lincoln (1834–1879)
• Henry Pelham Archibald Douglas Pelham-Clinton, 7th Duke of Newcastle, 14th Earl of Lincoln (1864–1928)
• Henry Francis Hope Pelham-Clinton-Hope, 8th Duke of Newcastle, 15th Earl of Lincoln (1866–1941)
• Henry Edward Hugh Pelham-Clinton-Hope, 9th Duke of Newcastle, 16th Earl of Lincoln (1907–1988)
• Edward Charles Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle, 17th Earl of Lincoln (1920–1988)
• Edward Horace Fiennes-Clinton, 18th Earl of Lincoln (1913–2001)
  • Edward Gordon Fiennes-Clinton, Lord Fiennes (1943–1999)
• Robert Edward Fiennes-Clinton, 19th Earl of Lincoln FZS (born 19 June 1972). Lincoln is the son of Edward Gordon Fiennes-Clinton, Lord Fiennes, and Julia Howson. He succeeded his grandfather in 2001. Educated at Pinjarra High School, he currently lives in Parmelia, Western Australia. Lord Lincoln is a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London

The heir presumptive is the present holder's younger brother the Honourable William Roy Howson (b. 1980). He assumed by Government Licence in 1996 the surname of Howson in lieu of Fiennes-Clinton.

The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son Jordan Ryder Howson (b. 2004).