Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath ( bapt. 31 August 1661 – 4 September 1701) was an English soldier, politician, diplomat,

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

and peer. Born with the

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

of Lord Lansdown in 1661, he was the eldest son of

John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath PC, 29 August 1628 – 22 August 1701, was an English landowner who served in the Royalist army during the First English Civil War and was rewarded for his services after the 1660 Stuart Restoration with a title ...

and his wife, the former Jane Wyche. On 19 November 1680, Granville was elected as Member of Parliament for Launceston following the by-election caused by the death of Sir John Coryton, Bt. but was defeated by William Harbord in the following general election of February 1681. In 1683, he fought in the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna; pl, odsiecz wiedeńska, lit=Relief of Vienna or ''bitwa pod Wiedniem''; ota, Beç Ḳalʿası Muḥāṣarası, lit=siege of Beç; tr, İkinci Viyana Kuşatması, lit=second siege of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mou ...

on the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

side and was created a Count of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

for his services, on 27 January 1684. Granville returned to Parliament after being elected MP for

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

in 1685 and was also appointed ambassador to Spain that year. After his defeat to Hugh Boscawen and

Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet (6 November 1635 – 1 August 1692) of Antony, Cornwall, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1660 and 1692. Origins Carew was the third but eldest surviving son of Sir Alexand ...

, he was called to the House of Lords in his father's barony of Granville in 1689, appointed Joint

Lord Lieutenant of Devon The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547), taking over the military duties of the Sheriffs and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569 there was provision for the appointment of Depu ...

and

alongside his father in 1691 and a

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

in 1692. Granville inherited his father's earldom of Bath on 22 August 1701. On 4 September 1701, he was found dead in a chair in his bedroom, wounded in the head, with two pistols, one of which had been fired. It was noted that he had been melancholy. On 22 September, both father and son were buried at Kilkhampton.Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath
brigittegastelancestry.com, citing Leo van der Pas, accessed 11 September 2022

Personal life

On 22 May 1678, aged seventeen, Granville married Lady Martha Osborne, a daughter of

Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, (20 February 1632 – 26 July 1712), was a prominent English politician. Under King Charles II (and known at the time as Lord Danby), he was the leading figure in the government for around five years i ...

, who was herself about fourteen. His first wife died on 11 September 1689 and was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

as 'the Lady Lansdown'. 10 May 1691 (New Style), he married Isabella, the sister of

Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. They had one son, William Henry (1691–1711), to whom Bath's peerages and estates passed on his death. The third Earl died unmarried at the age of 19, and the earldom became extinct.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bath, Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of 1661 births 1701 deaths Lord-Lieutenants of Cornwall Lord-Lieutenants of Devon Diplomatic peers 2 Ambassadors of England to Spain Lansdown, Charles Granville, Lord Suicides by firearm in England People from Kilkhampton

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 1685–1687 17th-century English diplomats

Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath ( bapt. 31 August 1661 – 4 September 1701) was an English soldier, politician, diplomat, courtier and peer. Born with the courtesy title of Lord Lansdown in 1661, he was the eldest son of John Granville, 1st E ...

British politicians who committed suicide British military personnel who committed suicide Lansdown, Charles Granville, Lord