leading English soldier and statesman during the reign of Edward III of England.

The 1st Earl's father, Robert (1279–1316), who was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1309, was the son of Robert de Ufford, twice justiciar of Ireland in Edward I's reign. The young Robert took part in the arrest of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, at Nottingham Castle in October 1330 and thereafter became one of Edward III's most trusted commanders and councillors; he was one of six new earls created by Edward III in 1337.

Suffolk fought at Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356) and served in almost every campaign in France between 1340 and 1360. His son and heir, William de Ufford (1339–82), the 2nd earl, died without surviving issue, and the earldom became extinct.