Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the
Peerage of England, first created for
Edgar the Atheling and held by him from 1066 to 1068, then recreated and held for more than five and a half centuries by the
De Vere family from 1141 until the death of the
20th Earl in 1703. The Earls of Oxford were also hereditary holders of the office of
Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the
18th Earl in 1625. Their primary seat was
Castle Hedingham in Essex, but they held lands across England, particularly in eastern England. The actual name was 'Oxenford' until at least the end of the 17th century. Medieval sources thus refer to 'my lord of Oxenford' when speaking of the earl.