Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (19 January 1628 – 21 December 1672) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of

James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, KG (31 January 160715 October 1651) was an English nobleman, politician, and supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Before inheriting the title in 1642 he was known as Lord Strange. He was ...

and Charlotte de La Trémouille.

Life

As Lord Strange, he took little part in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

at the time of his father's condemnation in 1651, he petitioned unsuccessfully for the latter's life. After succeeding to the Earldom, he lived quietly at Bidston Hall, Cheshire, emerging to support

Booth Booth may refer to: People * Booth (surname) * Booth (given name) Fictional characters * August Wayne Booth, from the television series ''Once Upon A Time'' *Cliff Booth, a supporting character of the 2019 film ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' ...

's unsuccessful rising in 1659. Attainted for so doing, he was restored the following year and the family's lands in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

were returned to him. He served as mayor of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, between 1666 and 1667.

Marriage and children

St Paul's Church, Witherslack, Cumbria - Window detail - geograph

In 1650, he married Dorothea Helena Kirkhoven (died 1674), daughter of Jehan, Lord of Heenvliet of Holland; he was one of the diplomats involved in negotiating the marriage between

William II, Prince of Orange William II (27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650) was sovereign Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel and Groningen in the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three year ...

and Mary, Princess Royal, daughter of King Charles I, future parents of King William III of England. Dorothea's mother was Katherine Wotton, widow of

Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope KB (died 29 November 1634), known as Sir Henry Stanhope until 1628, was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second and next surviving son of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield and his first wife C ...

(d. 1634), 2nd surviving son of

Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield (1584 – 12 September 1656) was an English nobleman, aristocrat and royalist, who was created the first Earl of Chesterfield by King Charles I in 1628. Biography Stanhope was the only son of Sir John Sta ...

and the elder daughter of

Thomas Wotton, 2nd Baron Wotton Thomas Wotton, 2nd Baron Wotton (1587 – 2 April 1630) was an English peer. Wotton was the eldest son and heir of Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton, and inherited his father's title in 1626. In 1608, he married Mary Throckmorton and they had three ...

by his wife Mary Throckmorton, a daughter of

Sir Arthur Throckmorton Sir Arthur Throckmorton (ca. 1557 – 21 July 1626) was an English courtier and politician. He was the second son of the diplomat Sir Nicholas Throckmorton of Beddington, Surrey and was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. His sister Elizabe ...

Paulerspury Paulerspury is a civil parish and small village in West Northamptonshire, England. It is approximately south of Towcester and north of Milton Keynes along the A5 road (which follows the course of the Roman Road of Watling Street). The p ...

, Northamptonshire. They had two sons: *

William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby (c. 1655 – 5 November 1702), styled Lord Strange from 1655 to 1672, was an English peer and politician. Derby was the eldest son of Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby, and Dorotha Helena Kirk ...

(c. 1655–1702), elder son and heir, who married Lady Elizabeth Butler and had two daughters but no sons *

James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby (3 July 16641 February 1736), styled The Honourable until 1702, was a British peer, soldier and politician. Early life Derby was the second son of Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby, and Dorothea Helena Kirkho ...

(1664–1736), younger son, who married Mary Morley and had one child, who died in infancy; James succeeded his elder brother in the earldom. In 1660, Dorothea, who had her father's Netherlands nationality, was naturalised as English by Act of Parliament.

Wife's royal affair

Dorothea reportedly had an extramarital tryst with King Charles II which resulted in a child: *George "Swan" (born 1658), who was raised by the wife of a gunner at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

named Swan, and himself adopted the surname Swan.''The Life of Mrs Robertson, Grand-Daughter of Charles 11. Written by Herself''. Derby, 1792

References

External links

Images at the National Portrait Gallery
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Derby, Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of 1628 births 1672 deaths Lord-Lieutenants of Cheshire Lord-Lieutenants of Lancashire Charles Mayors of Liverpool 17th-century English nobility People of Byzantine descent 8 Monarchs of the Isle of Man Barons Strange