Earl Scots or , Cornish . An earl has the title "Earl of [X]" when the title originates from a placename, or "Earl [X]" when the title comes from a surname. In either case, he is referred to as "Lord [X]", and his wife as "Lady [X]". A countess who holds an earldom in her own right also uses "Lady [X]", but her husband does not have a title (unless he has one in his own right). The eldest son of an earl, though not himself a peer, is entitled to use a courtesy title, usually the highest of his father's
Earl of Ossory Earl of Ossory Earl of Ossory is a subsidiary title held by the Earl of Ormond that was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1528. During King Henry VIII of England's pursuit of Anne Boleyn, who would be his second wife, he arranged for the main claimant to the earldom of Ormond, Piers Butler, to renounce all his claims to the titles in favour of Anne's father, Thomas Boleyn. Butler was rewarded for his compliance by being created Earl of Ossory on 22 February 1528. In 1662, the eldest son of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde was called