Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

earl.

A title of nobility, formerly the highest in hfngland but now the third highest, ranking between a marquis and a viscount. ( This title corresponds with the French comte and the German graf. Originating with the Saxons, this title is the most ancient of the English peerage. William the Conqueror first made the title hereditary, giving it in fee to his nobles. No territorial, private, or judicial rights now accompany the title; it merely confers nobility and a hereditary seat in the House of Lords.