Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, (''né'' Lennox; 3 August 179121 October 1860), styled the Earl of March from 1806–19, was a Scottish peer, soldier and prominent

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. Upon the death of his uncle in 1836, he inherited the

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

estates and per the terms of the bequest, adopted thus additional surname. His near-complete correspondence is now held at the West Sussex Archives.

Early life

Gordon-Lennox was born in 1791, the son and heir of Charles Lennox (1764–1819) by his wife, Lady Charlotte Gordon, the eldest child of

Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, (18 June 1743 – 17 June 1827), styled Marquess of Huntly until 1752, was a Scottish peer who was described by Lord Kames as the "greatest subject in Britain". He was also known as the "Cock o' the North", ...

. In 1806, his father inherited the Dukedom of Richmond from his uncle the third duke. From then until his father's death in 1819, Gordon-Lennox was styled

Earl of March Earl of March is a title that has been created several times, respectively, in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derives from the "marches" or borderlands between England and either Wales (Welsh Marches) or Scotland (S ...

, a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

, being one of his father's subsidiary titles. Gordon-Lennox was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in London and

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

. Mosley, Charles (ed.) ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition.'' (volume 3) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.:

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. p. 3335. In 1836, on inheriting the estates of his childless maternal uncle

George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon General George Duncan Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon, (2 February 1770 – 28 May 1836), styled Marquess of Huntly until 1827, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician and the last of his line. Early life George was born at Edinburgh on 2 ...

, he was required by the terms of the bequest to assume the surname of Gordon before that of Lennox; he duly took the surname Gordon-Lennox for himself and his issue, by royal licence dated 9 August 1836.

Career

As Earl of March, he served on

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

's staff in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, during which time he volunteered to join the

52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot The 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India dur ...

's advance storming party on the fortress of

Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo () is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca (province), Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896. It is also the seat of a judicial district. The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky r ...

.Moorsom, W.S. ''Historical Record of the Fifty-Second Regiment (Oxfordshire Light Infantry)'', London: Richard Bentley, 1860, p. 443 He formally joined the 52nd Foot in 1813 and took command of a company of soldiers at the

Battle of Orthez The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France. The outnumbered F ...

in 1814, where he was severely wounded; the musket-ball in his chest was never removed. During the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

(1815) he was aide-de-camp to the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

, and following the latter's wounding, served as aide-de-camp to Wellington. He was chiefly responsible for the institution in 1847 of the

Military General Service Medal __NOTOC__ The Military General Service Medal (MGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847 and issued to officers and men of the British Army in 1848.Including officers and men of the King's German Legion, Brunswick Oels and Chasseurs Britanniqu ...

for all survivors of the campaigns between 1793 and 1814, considered by many belated as hitherto there had only been a

Waterloo Medal The Waterloo Medal is a military decoration that was conferred upon every officer, non-commissioned officer and soldier of the British Army (including members of the King's German Legion) who took part in one or more of the following battles: Li ...

. He campaigned in Parliament and also enlisted the interest of Queen Victoria. Richmond himself received the medal with eight clasps. On 19 October 1817, he reformed the

Goodwood Troop of Yeomanry Artillery The Sussex Yeomanry is a yeomanry regiment of the British Army dating from 1794. It was initially formed when there was a threat of French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. After being reformed in the Second Boer War, it served in the First Wo ...

, originally raised by the 3rd Duke in 1797. The unit supported the cavalry of the

Sussex Yeomanry The Sussex Yeomanry is a yeomanry regiment of the British Army dating from 1794. It was initially formed when there was a threat of French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. After being reformed in the Second Boer War, it served in the World Wa ...

but was disbanded in December 1827. Richmond was appointed

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the

Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia The Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia, later the 3rd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, was an auxiliary regiment raised in Sussex on the South Coast of England. From its formal creation in 1778 the regiment served in home defence in all of Brita ...

on 4 December 1819, and

Colonel-in-Chief Colonel-in-Chief is a ceremonial position in an army regiment. It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies, where it is held by the regiment's patron, usually a member of the royal family. Some armed forces take a light-hearted approach to ...

of its offshoot the

Royal Sussex Militia Artillery The Royal Sussex Militia Artillery was a part-time reserve unit of Britain's Royal Artillery from the County of Sussex, which served from 1853 to 1909. Background The long-standing national Militia of the United Kingdom was revived by the Mili ...

, on its formation in April 1853.

Political career

Richmond sat as a Member of Parliament for

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

between 1812 and 1819. The latter year he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

where he was a vehement opponent of Roman Catholic emancipation, and later was a leader of the opposition to

Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Pee ...

's free trade policy, as he was the president of the Central Agricultural Protection Society, which campaigned for the preservation of the

Corn Laws The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word ''corn'' in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley. The la ...

. Although a vigorous Conservative and

Ultra-Tory The Ultra-Tories were an Anglican faction of British and Irish politics that appeared in the 1820s in opposition to Catholic emancipation. The faction was, in the twenty-first century, called the " extreme right-wing" of British and Irish polit ...

for most of his career, Richmond's anger with Wellington over Catholic Emancipation prompted him to lead the Ultras into joining Earl Grey's reforming Whig government in 1830 (Lang, 1999). He served under Grey as

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

between 1830 and 1834. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1830, and in 1831 was appointed to serve on the

Government Commission upon Emigration The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establishe ...

, which was wound up in 1832. Richmond was

Lord Lieutenant of Sussex This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Sussex. From 1677 until 1974, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Sussex. Lord Lieutenants of Sussex to 1974 *Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel 1551–? ''jointly with'' ...

between 1835 and 1860 and was appointed 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. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

in 1829.

Personal life

On 10 April 1817 he married Lady Caroline Paget (1797–1874), a daughter of

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768 – 29 April 1854), styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as the Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving as a member ...

by his wife Lady Caroline Villiers. Together, they were the parents of five sons and five daughters, including: *

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Gordon, (27 February 1818 – 27 September 1903), styled the Earl of March until 1860, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Backgroun ...

(1818–1903), who married Frances Harriett Greville, daughter of

Algernon Greville Algernon Frederick Greville (29 December 1798 – 15 December 1864) was an English soldier, cricketer, and officer of arms who served as private secretary to the Duke of Wellington. Early life Greville was born on 29 December 1798. He was t ...

(the private secretary to the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

) and the former Charlotte Maria Cox, in 1843. * Lady Caroline Amelia Gordon-Lennox (1819–1890), who married

John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough John George Brabazon Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough (14 October 1809 – 28 January 1880), styled Viscount Duncannon from 1844 until 1847, was a British cricketer, courtier and Liberal politician. Background Born in London, Ponsonby was th ...

, the eldest son of

John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (31 August 1781 – 16 May 1847), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1793 to 1844, was a British Whig (British political party), Whig politician. He w ...

, and Lady Maria Fane (a daughter of the 10th Earl of Westmorland). * Lord Fitzroy George Charles Gordon-Lennox (1820–1841), lost at sea aboard . * Rt. Hon. Lord Henry Charles George Gordon-Lennox (1821–1886), MP for

who served as

First Secretary of the Admiralty The Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty also known as the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Board of Admiralty was a position on the Board of Admiralty and a civil officer of the British Royal Navy. It was usually ...

and

First Commissioner of Works The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and subsequent to 1922, within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irel ...

; he married Amelia Susannah (née Smith, then Brooman), widow of John White, in 1883; he left no children. * Captain Lord Alexander Francis Charles Gordon-Lennox (1825–1892), who married Emily Frances Towneley, daughter of Col.

Charles Towneley Charles Townley Royal Society, FRS (1 October 1737 – 3 January 1805) was a wealthy English country gentleman, antiquary and collector, a member of the Towneley family. He travelled on three Grand Tours to Italy, buying antique sculpture, vase ...

, MP for Sligo Borough, and Lady Caroline Molyneux (a daughter of the 2nd Earl of Sefton), in 1863; he left children. * Lady Augusta Catherine Gordon-Lennox (1827–1904), who married

Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar Prince William Augustus Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, , PC(Ire) (11 October 1823 – 16 November 1902) was a British military officer of German descent. After a career in the Grenadier Guards, he became Major General commanding the Brigade o ...

, a son of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and

Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen Princess Ida Caroline of Saxe-Meiningen (25 June 1794 – 4 April 1852), was a German princess, a member of the House of Wettin, and by marriage Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Biography Ida was born on 13 August 1794 at Meiningen, Thuringia, G ...

(sister to Queen

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, wife of King

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

).''The Times'' (14 October 1823): 3. * Lord George Charles Gordon-Lennox (1829–1877), MP for

Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England. The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...

; he married Minnie ( Palmer) Cook, a daughter of William Henry Palmer and widow of Edwin Adolphus Cook, in 1875; he left no children. * Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox (1838–1910), who married

Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan, KP (8 May 1830 – 5 June 1914), styled Lord Bingham from 1839 to 1888, was an Irish peer and soldier. Early life He was the eldest son of George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan and Lady Anne Brudenell. His ...

, the eldest son of

George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, (16 April 1800 – 10 November 1888), styled Lord Bingham before 1839, was an Anglo-Irish peer and military officer. He was one of three men, along with Louis Nolan and Lord Raglan, responsible for t ...

and Lady Anne Brudenell (a daughter of the 6th Earl of Cardigan). The Duke died at

Portland Place Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Named after the 3rd Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to the BBC's headquarters Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Insti ...

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, in October 1860, aged 69 and was succeeded in the dukedom by his eldest son

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 ''* ...

Descendants

Through his youngest surviving daughter Cecilia, he is a direct ancestor of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, and of her sons, Princes William, the Prince of Wales, and

Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to t ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke Of 1791 births 1860 deaths

305 Year 305 ( CCCV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1058 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 305 for thi ...

205 Year 205 ( CCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 958 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 205 for this year h ...

52nd Regiment of Foot officers Sussex Yeomanry officers Sussex Militia officers Knights of the Garter Lord-lieutenants of Sussex March, Charles Lennox, Earl of Postmasters general of the United Kingdom March, Charles Lennox, Earl of March, Charles Lennox, Earl of Richmond, D5 Fellows of the Royal Society Ultra-Tory peers Burials at Chichester Cathedral Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom March, Charles Lennox, Earl of Dukes of Aubigny