Derived from the early Anglo-Saxon, the office of Earl was to administer a
shire . Over time, the number of these administrators was reduced, but the holdings by each earldom increased, such that by the time of Edward I the title was the highest ranking nobility in England next to the
princes , until Edward III supplanted the title by creating a duchy for his son the Black Prince in Cornwall. Equivalent to the county on the continent, English earls were often styled as such when they went abroad, in reality carrying similar duties and prestige. Within the
SCA the title is reserved for those gentles who have served once as king of an
SCA kingdom . See also
count .
