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Title in the Peerage of England

The now extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was initially held by various Breton nobles; sometimes the holder was the Breton duke himself, including one member of the cadet branch of the French Capetian dynasty. The historical ties between the Duchy of Brittany and this English earldom were maintained ceremonially by the Breton dukes even after England ceased to recognize the Breton dukes as earls of England and those dukes rendered homage to the King of France, rather than the English crown. It was then held either by members of the English royal families of Plantagenet and Tudor, or English nobles closely associated with the English crown. It was eventually merged into the English crown during the reign of Henry VII of England and has been recreated as a Dukedom.

The title Earl of Richmond is associated with the now extinct earldom, the earlier lords of Richmond who held the Honour of Richmond, one of the most important fiefs in England, and eventually the dukes of Richmond. The title of earl predates the French Breton Norman title of count (comte), but the two became interchangeable in the time of William the Conqueror. From their first creation, the lords and earls of Richmond were leading members of the ruling class of post Conquest England, as defined by Keats Rohan as "[those holding fiefs, (the right to collect fees)] held in some relationship in the feudal chain from the king of England, whether the holder be Norman, Breton, Manceau, Poitevin, Fleming or Anglo Saxon." " In William I's Conquest of England in fact "the regional origin of [the Conquerors] was not exclusively Norman, and the size of the Breton contingent is generally agreed to be the most significant." Until the late 12th century, all the earls of Richmond were Breton noblemen. The Earldom of Richmond was frequently associated with the accumulation of great wealth within England. The earl was frequently known in the courts of the kings of France and the dukes of Brittany as comte de Richemont or other spelling variations, where in the courts of England and Brittany, French was frequently used.

The Honour of Richmond preceded the Earldom of Richmond. The Honour conveyed, among other things, economic rights to the holder. The Honour of Richmond was reputed to be among the wealthiest in England. It appears to have been in existence in England from 1071 shortly after the Harrying of the North, a military campaign which followed the Battle of Hastings (1066). This was before the title Earl of Richmond was held in accordance with any strict legal principle. It was initially awarded to Breton nobles from the ducal family of Brittany by the king of England. It represented, among other things, the close association of England and Brittany. Early holders of the honour of Richmond were sometimes known as lords of Richmond rather than as earls. The Honour of Richmond and the title Earl of Richmond, were held principally by Breton nobles, and often by the duke of Brittany, except for two periods from 1241 to 1268 and from 1286 to 1372. In 1435 the title was granted to the House of Plantagenet, before the Duchy of Brittany was permanently annexed to the crown of France. The title was definitively returned to crown during the reign of the Tudor kings. It was first granted to Alan Rufus in 1071 by William the Conqueror. The honour, which was assessed for the service of 60 knights, was one of the most important fiefs in Norman England.

The 1st Earl of Richmond was the Breton warrior Alan Rufus (c. 1040–1093). He was related to both the duke of Normandy and the duke of Brittany. He was a grandson of Duke Geoffrey I of Brittany and Hawise of Normandy and the second son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre. He most probably took part in William the Conqueror's invasion of England, after which he obtained grants of land in various parts of England, including manors formerly held by Earl Edwin in Yorkshire. As a result of his marriage to Alix, Pierre was styled Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, but the latter title was only officially proclaimed in 1218, during the reign of Henry III, while Eleanor was apparently deprived of her last title. Peter Mauclerc was the founder of the Breton House of Dreux. The title would continue in the House of Dreux for some time, although from time to time, it was forfeited, or it reverted to the crown. About 1235 Peter Mauclerc renounced his allegiance to England, and consequently suffered forfeiture of his English estates. Despite some better treatments including the grant of the Swaffham manor, the title was however not restored to Eleanor, who remained confined until her death in 1241; William of Savoy was granted Honour of Richmond in 1236. In 1241 Henry III granted the estates of Richmond to Peter of Savoy (1203–1268), uncle of his queen consort, Eleanor of Provence. Peter was thereafter described as Earl of Richmond by contemporary chroniclers. By his will, Savoy left Richmond to his niece, Eleanor, who transferred it to the crown. That year, 1268, Henry III granted the earldom to John I, Duke of Brittany (1217–1286), son of Pierre Mauclerc.

The Earldom of Richmond was replaced by the Dukedom of Richmond which was named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families. The current dukedom of Richmond initially maintained the historic ties of Richmond to Brittany when it was created in 1675 for Charles Lennox: he was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and a noble bretonne, Louise de Penancoët de Kérouaille.

Alan Rufus (d. 1093) – built Richmond Castle, ally of William the Conqueror
Alan the Black (d. 1098) 1186). Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester – Earl of Richmond jure uxoris (1189–1198). Guy of Thouars – Earl of Richmond jure uxoris (1199–1201). Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1196–1203) – son of Geoffrey and Constance; succeeded his mother in her lifetime. Imprisoned by his uncle King John of England (Jean sans Terres) since 1202, disappeared in 1203 and viewed as having died in 1208. The circumstances of Arthur's death were a factor in the rebellions that culminated in French royal intervention and King John's consequent loss of the continental empire that had been assiduously constructed by his father King Henry II. Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany – Titular Hereditary Countess of Richmond. She was Constance's daughter and Arthur's sister. She was considered by some to have succeeded to the Earldom as the 5th Countess of Richmond. Imprisoned initially by King John of England (Jean sans Terres) and then his successor King Henry III. She died 1241 after a lifetime of imprisonment since 1202. During her life imprisonment, John I had offered the Earldom to Peter Mauclerc, who declined the offer but was still recognized as Earl of Richmond in 1218 under William Marshal regent of Henry III, by which time Eleanor ceased to be styled as countess. Meanwhile, Henry III had a law passed in England that prevented Eleanor from any English inheritances to the crown. She never regained Richmond even after Peter later forfeited it in 1235. Alix, Duchess of Brittany (1203–1221) – daughter of Constance and Guy of Thouars. She succeeded her half brother. Although her half sister Eleanor used the title Countess of Richmond in the same time, Alix made charters about this estate and used the title from 1203 to her death in 1221. Peter I, Duke of Brittany (1213–1218) – Earl of Richmond jure uxoris. Alix was Countess of Richmond from 1203 to 1221.

Peter I of Brittany (1190–1250), forfeit 1235 – the husband of Alix of Thouars, the heiress of Constance of Brittany; Peter also ruled as Duke of Brittany jure uxoris, and later as regent of Brittany. He was a member of the House of Dreux and was known at various times in his life as Pierre de Dreux, Pierre Mauclerc and Pierre de Braine. King John offered him the earldom in his own right, but Peter declined because of his links to the King of France. However, in 1218 he was still recognized as Earl of Richmond by William Marshal regent of John I's son, Henry III. He forfeited any rights to the Earldom during the reign of Henry III.

Peter II, Count of Savoy (1203–1268) – in 1240 was granted the Honour of Richmond by Henry III, but he never assumed the title of Earl; under his will, he left the Honour of Richmond to his niece the queen, Eleanor of Provence, who transferred it to the crown.

John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford (1389–1435) – created earl by his brother Henry V in 1414. John died without legitimate issue in 1435, and his title and honours as Earl of Richmond reverted to the crown during the reign of Henry VI.

Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond (1430–1456) – created earl by Henry VI in 1452. Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond (1456–1509) – posthumous son of Edmund Tudor; the title was deemed forfeit in 1461 by the Yorkists, but claimed by Henry nonetheless; George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, was then given the title, 1st Earl of Richmond, by King Edward IV, the title passed on to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester (Richard III) after Clarence's execution; despite the Yorkists, Henry was recognised as indisputable heir by Francis II, Duke of Brittany, who surrendered his rights to him and aided his side in the Battle of Bosworth Field, after which Henry became King Henry VII of England. The Honour of Richmond became a personal fief of the Tudor dynasty. The title was merged into the crown.