Earl of Bandon was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Francis Bernard, 1st Viscount Bandon, son of politician James Bernard.[1] Francis Bernard had already been created Baron Bandon, of Bandon Bridge in the County of Cork, in 1793,[2] Viscount Bandon, of Bandon Bridge in the County of Cork, in 1795,[3] and was made Viscount Bernard at the same time as he was granted the earldom. These titles were also in the Peerage of Ireland.[1]


Creation date29 August 1800
Created byGeorge III
PeeragePeerage of Ireland
First holderFrancis Bernard, 1st Earl of Bandon
Last holderPercy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon
Remainder to1st Earl's heirs of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesViscount Bernard
Viscount Bandon
Baron Bandon
StatusExtinct
Former seat(s)Castle Bernard
MottoVirtus probata florescit (Tried virtue flourishes)
ArmsArgent, on a bend azure, three escallops of the field
Air Chief Marshal Percy Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon.

The titles descended from father to son until the death of his great-grandson, James, the fourth Earl, in 1924. The late Earl was succeeded by his first cousin twice removed, Percy Bernard, the fifth Earl. The latter was the great-grandson of the Right Reverend Charles Bernard, Bishop of Tuam, younger son of the second Earl. The fifth Earl was an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force. He had two daughters but no sons and on his death in 1979 the titles became extinct.[4]

Francis Bernard, great-grandfather of the first Earl, was a lawyer and politician while Francis' younger brother Arthur is the 7th-great-grandfather of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.[5][6]

The family seat of the Earls of Bandon was Castle Bernard, County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland. Castle Bernard itself was destroyed as a result of an IRA attack in 1921, when the 4th earl was abducted for 10 days, and now stands as a ruin.[7] The family later built a new home on the estate, which remained in the ownership of Lady Jennifer Bernard (1935–2010), the elder daughter of the late 5th and last Earl of Bandon by his first wife, until her death. The Castle Bernard estate is owned by Lady Frances Carter (b. 1943), the younger sister of the late Lady Jennifer Bernard.[8]

Earls of Bandon (1800)

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References

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  1. ^ a b Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of peerage, baronetage and knightage. London: Burke's Peerage Limited. 1914. pp. 172–173. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  2. ^ "No. 13599". The London Gazette. 3 December 1793. p. 1082.
  3. ^ "No. 13821". The London Gazette. 10 October 1795. p. 1052.
  4. ^ "Obituary: Earl of Bandon". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 9 February 1979. p. 16.
  5. ^ Gartland, Fiona (4 July 2017). "Rebel roots: Justin Trudeau's Irish ancestry from Co Cork revealed". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  6. ^ O'Mahony, Kieran (10 July 2017). "Bandon claims Trudeau Just-In time". The Southern Star. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Seal of approval as historic items come home to Cork 100 years after 1921 IRA kidnapping". Irish Independent. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Heiress managed ancient Cork estate and became a community activist". The Irish Times. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2024.