It was created first in the Peerage of Ireland in 1692 by King William III for General Baron van Reede, Lord of Ginkel, a Dutch nobleman, to honour him for his successful battles in Ireland including the Siege of Athlone.

The Earls also bore the Dutch nobility title Baron van Reede (hereditary in male line; still extant in the Netherlands).

The second creation was in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, as a subsidiary title of the Dukedom of Clarence and Avondale, and was conferred in 1890 upon Prince Albert Victor of Wales, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.

The third creation was in 1917, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, for the former Prince Alexander of Teck, younger brother of Queen Mary and great‑uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Trematon.

Alexander had two sons who predeceased him, and the titles became extinct after his death.