It was created in 1919 for the prominent naval commander Admiral of the Fleet Sir David Beatty.

[1] He was created Baron Beatty, of the North Sea and of Brooksby in the County of Leicester, and Viscount Borodale, of Wexford in the County of Wexford, at the same time, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

He represented Peckham in the House of Commons as a Conservative from 1931 to 1936 and briefly served as Under-Secretary of State for Air in Winston Churchill's 1945 caretaker government.

As of 2014[update] the titles are held by his eldest son, the third Earl, who succeeded in 1972.

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Sean David Beatty, Viscount Borodale (born 1973), who works as a poet and artist, making scriptive and documentary poems written on location.