Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was an Irish and English politician.

Early life

He was the only child and heir of

Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, (28 September 16639 October 1690) was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and his mistress Barbara Villiers. A military commander, Henry FitzRoy was appointed colonel of the Grenadier Guards i ...

(1663–1690) (an illegitimate son of King Charles II by his mistress

Barbara Villiers Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine (née Barbara Villiers, – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of Eng ...

) by his wife Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington, a great-granddaughter of

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

. He succeeded to his father's titles on 9 October 1690.

Career

Grafton was one of the members of the Hanoverian-supporting

Kit-Cat Club The Kit-Cat Club (sometimes Kit Kat Club) was an early 18th-century English club in London with strong political and literary associations. Members of the club were committed Whigs (British political party), Whigs. They met at the Trumpet tavern ...

portrayed by

Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to Kingdom of England, English and Br ...

. He served as

Lord High Steward The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...

at King

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

, becoming a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

in 1715 and a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

in 1721. He also served as

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdo ...

from 1720 to 1724 and

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...

from 1724 until his death. In 1719 he was one of the main subscribers to the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, a corporation that produced

baroque opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

on the stage. In 1739 he supported the creation of what was to become one of London's most notable charities, the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital in London, England, was founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" w ...

. He sat on that charity's original Court of Governors with such fellow Governors as

John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, (30 September 17105 January 1771) was an 18th-century British statesman.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peer ...

Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere of Hanworth Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere (14 July 1699 – 21 October 1781), known as Lord Vere Beauclerk until 1750, was a Royal Navy officer, British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 24 years from 1726 to 1750. After ser ...

, and Micajah Perry, a

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

. He was affectionately known to the Royal court as 'Booby Grafton'. For a number of years he and Princess Emily, one of

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

's daughters, enjoyed a semi-flirtatious relationship.

Marriage and children

On 30 April 1713, he married Lady Henrietta Somerset (27 August 1690 – 7 August 1726), daughter of

Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (25 December 1660 – 13 July 1698) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort and Mary Capell, and was styled Lord Herbert of Raglan ...

and Rebecca Child. They had seven children: *Charles Henry FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (13 April 1714 – 18 December 1715) *

George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1715–1747) was an English aristocrat and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1737 to 1747. He was disowned by his father for his brutal treatment of his wife and tenants. Early life and education Fit ...

(24 August 1715 – 7 July 1747). He was married on 10 October 1741 to Lady Dorothy Boyle (14 May 1724 – 2 May 1742) elder daughter of Richard Boyle, 4th Earl of Cork, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and his wife Lady Dorothy Savile, daughter of

William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax (1665 – 31 August 1700) was the son of George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax and Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax (née Spencer). He was educated in Geneva in 1677 and matriculated at Christ Church, O ...

. The Earl was notorious for mistreating his wife—who died seven months after their marriage—and died childless.Leo van der Pas. from Brigitte Gastel-Lloyd's Worldroots website. Retrieved in cached version on 7 October 2009. * Lord Augustus FitzRoy (16 October 1716 – 24 May 1741). He was married to Elizabeth Cosby, daughter of Colonel William Cosby, who served as a colonial

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

. They were parents to two sons, who founded branches of the family that still continue today: ** Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton **

Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton General Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton (25 June 1737 – 21 March 1797) was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War and a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1759 to 1780. The second son of Lord Augustus F ...

*Lord Charles FitzRoy (23 April 1718 – 29 July 1739) * Lady Caroline FitzRoy (8 April 1722 – 26 June 1784). She married

William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington General William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington (18 December 1719 – 1 April 1779) was a British politician and soldier. The son of William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, he took up a military career and joined the Foot Guards in 1741, and ...

. They were parents to Isabella Molyneux, Countess of Sefton,

Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington (17 March 17535 September 1829), styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1779 when he succeeded to the pe ...

and five other children. *Lady Harriet FitzRoy (8 June 1723 – August 1735) * Lady Isabella FitzRoy (1726 – 10 November 1782). She married

Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, KG, PC, PC (Ire) (5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) of Ragley Hall, Arrow, in Warwickshire, was a British courtier and politician who, briefly, was Viceroy of Ireland where he had substantial es ...

. They were parents to

Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford, Order of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (12 February 1743 – 17 June 1822), styled The Honourable Francis Seymour-Conway unti ...

and eleven other children. The Duke also fathered an illegitimate son,

Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore (c. 1713 – 22 August 1782) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for 49 years from 1733 to 1782. Born Charles FitzRoy, he was the illegitimate son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton and educate ...

Legacy

Grafton Street Grafton Street () is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre (the other being Henry Street). It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) to College Green in the north (the lowest p ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

is named after him. He owned property in the area.

Grafton, Massachusetts Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,664 at the 2020 census. The town consists of the North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton geographic areas, each with a separate ZIP Code. Incorporated in ...

, is named after him.

Winchester, New Hampshire Winchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,150 at the 2020 census. The primary community in the town, where 1,606 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Win ...

was originally named "Arlington" in his honour (as in, the

Earl of Arlington Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

References

Sources

*R.H. Nichols and F.A. Wray, ''The History of the Foundling Hospital'' (London: Oxford University Press, 1935) , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Grafton, Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of

102 102 may refer to: * 102 (number), the number * AD 102, a year in the 2nd century AD * 102 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 102 (ambulance service), an emergency medical transport service in Uttar Pradesh, India * 102 (Clyde) Field Squadron, Royal ...

Earls of Arlington Knights of the Garter Lord High Stewards Lord-Lieutenants of Suffolk Lords Lieutenant of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain 1683 births 1757 deaths C Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Kit-Kat Club