Earl of Cork

Earl of the County of Cork, usually shortened to Earl of Cork, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for the Anglo-Irish politician Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County of Cork, in 1616, and was made Viscount of Dungarvan, in the County of Waterford, at the same time he was given the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of Ireland. Known as the "Great Earl", he was born in Canterbury, England, but settled in Ireland in 1588, where he married an Irish heiress and bought large estates in County Cork. From 1631 to 1643 he served as Lord Treasurer of Ireland. His third son the Hon. Sir Roger Boyle was created Earl of Orrery in 1660. The first Earl of Cork was remarkable for having four of his sons created peers; his remaining son was Robert Boyle, the physicist, discoverer of Boyle's Law, whose fame may outlast all his brothers' together.