Charles Fane, 3rd Earl of Westmorland (6 January 1635 – 18 September 1691), styled Lord le Despenser between 1626 and 1666, of

Apethorpe Hall Apethorpe Palace (pronounced ''Ap-thorp'', formerly known as "Apethorpe Hall", "Apethorpe House", "Apthorp Park" or "Apthorp Palace" ) in the parish of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, England, is a Grade I listed country house dating back to the ...

, Northamptonshire was a British peer and twice

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Life

Fane was the eldest son of

Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland (24 January 1602 – 12 February 1666), styled Lord le Despenser between 1624 and 1628, was an English nobleman, politician and writer. Life One of seven sons of Francis Fane by his wife Mary Mildmay, g ...

and his first wife Grace Thornhurst, daughter of Sir William Thornhurst of Agnes Court, Kent. He was a student at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

in 1649, and travelled abroad from 1652 to 1654 to France and the Netherlands. In 1660 he was elected

for

in the Convention Parliament. He appears to have been rather inactive in his period as Member of Parliament, having been a member of a total of five committees concerned with, amongst others, the drainage of the fens. He was re-elected MP for Peterborough in 1661 for the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

, but was again inactive. When his father died on 12 February 1666, Charles Fane inherited the earldom of Westmorland, as well as his father's further titles Baron Burghersh and

Baron le Despencer Baron le Despencer is a title that has been created several times by Hereditary peer#Writs of summons, writ in the Peerage of England. Creation Hugh le Despenser (sheriff), Sir Hugh le Despenser I was a large landowner in Leicestershire, ...

. Due to his status as peer, he had to give up his seat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

and instead entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. Though apparently an opponent of James II in 1684, he refused to take up arms against the King the year after. He died at the age of 56 and was buried at

Family

Fane married twice: first, to Elizabeth Nodes, daughter of Charles Nodes of Shephalbury, Hertfordshire on 15 June 1665. When she died, he remarried, this time to Lady Dorothy Brudenell, daughter to

Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan, 2nd Baron Brudenell (5 March 1607 – 16 July 1703) was an English nobleman. Origins He was born on 5 March 1607, the son of Thomas Brudenell, 1st Earl of Cardigan (c. 1593–1663) by his wife Mary Tresha ...

and his wife Lady Frances Savile. As he had no children by either wife, he was succeeded by his younger half-brother,

Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland (13 February 1645 – 29 December 1693), styled The Honourable Vere Fane from 1644 to 1661 and Sir Vere Fane from 1661 to 1691, was a British peerage, peer and Member of Parliament for Peterborough (UK Parli ...

References

Literature

* * * * * 1635 births 1691 deaths 17th-century English nobility

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 Earls of Westmorland Barons le Despencer Barons Burghersh {{17thC-England-MP-stub