The Earl of Shrewsbury is the senior Earl on the Roll in the Peerage of England (the more senior Earldom of Arundel being held by the Duke of Norfolk). The title was created in 1442 for John Talbot, an English general in the Hundred Years War.

An earlier creation occurred in 1074. These earls were sometimes styled Earl of Shropshire.

In 1856 the Earldoms of Shrewsbury and Waterford passed to a branch of the family who also hold the titles of Earl Talbot and Viscount Ingestre, both created 1784, and Baron Talbot of Hensol, created 1733, in the Peerage of Great Britain. The 1st Earl of Shrewsbury was created Earl of Waterford, in the Peerage of Ireland, and Hereditary Lord High Steward of Ireland, in 1446, and the two earldoms have been united since. The Earldom of Waterford is sometimes called the "Premier Earldom of Ireland on the Roll", as the oldest Irish Earldom, that of Kildare, has been a subsidiary title of the Duke of Leinster for centuries and the Earl held the oldest Irish earldom held by anyone ranked as an earl. If Viscount Mountgarret proves his presumed claim to the 1328 Earldom of Ormonde, the Earls of Shrewsbury would lose this distinction, but they derive higher precedence from their English earldom in any event.

The seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury was once Alton Towers until it was sold to The Tussauds Group. Their seat is now at Wanfield Hall in Staffordshire.

Earls of Shrewsbury, First Creation (1074)

• Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (d. 1094)
• Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury (d. 1098)
• Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury (1052–1113) (forfeit 1102)

Earls of Shrewsbury, Second Creation (1442)

• John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (1390-1453)
• John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury (1413-1460)
• John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury (1448-1473)
• George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury (1468-1538)
• Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury (1500-1560)
• George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (1522-1590)
• Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury (1552-1616)
• Edward Talbot, 8th Earl of Shrewsbury (1561-1617)
• George Talbot, 9th Earl of Shrewsbury (1567-1630)
• John Talbot, 10th Earl of Shrewsbury (1601-1654)
• Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury (1623-1667)
• Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, 12th Earl of Shrewsbury (1660-1718)
• Gilbert Talbot, 13th Earl of Shrewsbury (1673-1743)
• George Talbot, 14th Earl of Shrewsbury (1719-1787)
• Charles Talbot, 15th Earl of Shrewsbury (1753-1827)
• John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury (1791-1852)
• Bertram Arthur Talbot, 17th Earl of Shrewsbury (1832-1856)
• Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 18th Earl of Shrewsbury, 3rd Earl Talbot (1803-1868)
• Charles John Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl Talbot (1830-1877)
• Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 5th Earl Talbot (1860-1921)
• John George Charles Henry Alton Alexander Chetwynd-Talbot, 21st Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl Talbot (1914-1980)
• Charles Henry John Benedict Crofton Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl Talbot (b. 1952)