George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond
George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond (c. 1614 – 31 January 1665) was an English aristocrat, awarded the title of Earl of Desmond in the Peerage of Ireland by Charles I under the terms of a letter patent issued by James I. George Feilding was the second son of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh, and his wife, the former Susan Villiers. Susan was the sister of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, confidant and lover of James I, and her family were showered with titles and preferment as a result of George Villiers' immense  influence. In 1622, when George Feilding was around 8 years old, James I created him Baron Fielding, of Lecaghe in the County of Tipperary, and Viscount Callan, of Callan in the County of Kilkennyand. At the same time George was given the right to the title Earl of Desmond as and when the previous holder of that title, Richard Preston, died without a male heir. Preston had also been a favourite and probably lover of James I; he had a daughter who, the plan was, George Feilding would marry, but this did not happen. In 1628 Preston died and George  inherited the title in 1628. All three titles were in the Peerage of Ireland. Earl of Desmond is an ancient Irish title, the 1622 creation was its 4th, and current, creation. George married Bridget Stanhope, who was the daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope and Elizabeth Read and a sister-in-law of George Berkeley, 8th Baron Berkeley. The couple had several children: