Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, PC (19 August 171021 August 1763), of

Orchard Wyndham Orchard Wyndham is a historic manor near Williton in Somerset, centred on the synonymous grade I listed manor house of Orchard Wyndham that was situated historically in the parish of Watchet and about two miles south of the parish church of ...

in Somerset,

Petworth House Petworth House in the parish of Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century Grade I listed country house, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s to the design of the architect Anthony Sa ...

in Sussex, and of Egremont House in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London, was a British

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

who served as

Secretary of State for the Southern Department The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782, when the Southern Department became the Home Office. History Before 1782, the responsibilities of ...

from 1761–63.

Origins

He was the eldest son and heir of

Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet (c. 168817 June 1740), of Orchard Wyndham in Somerset, was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1710 to 1740. He served as Secretary at War in 1712 and Chancellor of the Exchequer in ...

(c. 16881740) of Orchard Wyndham,

Secretary at War The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. Afte ...

in 1712,

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

in 1713 and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

leader in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

during the reign of 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 ...

(1714–1727) and during the early years of King

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) * ...

(1727–1760). His mother was Catherine Seymour, daughter of

Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (13 August 16622 December 1748), known by the epithet "The Proud Duke", was an English peer. He rebuilt Petworth House in Sussex, the ancient Percy seat inherited from his wife, in the palatial form which s ...

(1662–1748), KG, and sister of

Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (11 November 16847 February 1750), styled Earl of Hertford until 1748, of Petworth House in Sussex, was a British Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 172 ...

(1684–1750), created in 1749

Earl of Egremont Earl of Egremont was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1749, along with the subsidiary title Baron of Cockermouth, in Cumberland, for Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, with remainder to his nephews Sir Charles Wy ...

and Baron Cockermouth, with special remainder to his nephew Charles Wyndham, subject of this article.

Inheritance

He succeeded to the Orchard Wyndham estates and as 4th baronet on his father's death in 1740 and in 1750 succeeded by

special remainder In property law of the United Kingdom and the United States and other common law countries, a remainder is a future interest given to a person (who is referred to as the transferee or remainderman) that is capable of becoming possessory upon the n ...

as 2nd

, on the death of his uncle Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Egremont, and received as his share of the Seymour inheritance the former Percy estates including

Egremont Castle Egremont Castle is located in the town of Egremont, Cumbria (). History The original castle was built on a mound above the River Ehen on the site of a Danish fort following the conquest of Cumberland in 1092 by William II of England. The pres ...

in Cumbria, Leconfield Castle in Yorkshire and the palatial

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

(rebuilt by the 6th Duke). These were formerly owned by the

Percy family The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

, and had been inherited by the 7th Duke of Somerset from his mother Lady Elizabeth Percy (died 1722), daughter and heiress of

Joceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland Josceline (or Joceline) Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland, 5th Baron Percy (4 July 1644 – 31 May 1670), of Alnwick Castle, Northumberland and Petworth House, Sussex, was an English peer. Origins Percy was the eldest son of Algernon Percy, 1 ...

. His younger brother was

Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond (c. 1713–1774) was a British Member of Parliament and an Irish peer. Origins He was the younger of the two sons of Tory statesman Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet (c.1688–1740) of Orchard Wyndham ...

, created

Earl of Thomond Earl of Thomond was an hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the O'Brien dynasty which is an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster. History and background First creation Under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, Ki ...

, having become the chosen heir of his mother's sister's childless husband Henry O'Brien, 8th Earl of Thomond (1688–1741).

Career

Wyndham served as

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

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

(Somerset) in 1734–1741, Appleby (Cumberland) in 1741–1747, and for

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

(Somerset) in 1747–1750.

Seven Years War

In October 1761 he was appointed

in succession to

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

. His term of office, during which he acted in concert with his brother-in-law

George Grenville George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an ...

, was mainly occupied with the declaration of war on Spain and with the negotiations for peace with France and Spain, the terms of which Wyndham seems to have disliked. He was also involved with the proceedings against

John Wilkes John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fo ...

. He was

Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland. From 1765 to 1974, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Cumberland. *Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon 20 August 1586 – 14 December 1595 *''vacant ...

1751-1763 and

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'' ...

1762–1763.

Marriage and progeny

On 12 March 1750/51 Wyndham married Hon. Alicia Maria Carpenter, a daughter of

George Carpenter, 2nd Baron Carpenter Lieutenant-Colonel George Carpenter, 2nd Baron Carpenter FRS (c. 1695 – 12 July 1749) of the Homme, Dilwyn, Herefordshire was an English landowner and Member of Parliament at different periods between 1717 and 1747. Personal details George ...

of Killaghy, by his wife Elizabeth Petty. He had progeny including: *

George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

(18 December 1751 – 11 November 1837). * Elizabeth Alicia Maria Wyndham (1752 – 10 February 1826), who married

Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Carnarvon 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, ...

, and had children. * Frances Wyndham (9 July 1755 – 15 January 1795), who married Charles Marsham, later Earl of Romney, and had children. *Charlotte Catherine Wyndham (5 September 1756April 1757). *

Percy Charles Wyndham Percy Charles Wyndham (27 September 1757 – 5 August 1833)''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760''. 2 November 1757. was an English politician. He was the second son ...

(27 September 17575 August 1833).''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760''. 2 November 1757. *

Charles William Wyndham Charles William Wyndham (8 October 1760 – 1 July 1828) was an English politician. He was the third son of Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont and Alicia Maria, daughter of the 2nd Baron Carpenter, and brother of Hon. Percy Charles Wyndh ...

(8 October 17601 July 1828). *

William Frederick Wyndham The Hon. William Frederick Wyndham (6 April 1763 – 11 February 1828) was an English aristocrat and diplomat. William Frederick Wyndham was the son of Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont and Hon. Alicia Maria Carpenter, daughter of George Car ...

(6 April 1763 – 11 February 1828), who married Frances Mary Harford, daughter of

Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore (6 February 1731 – 4 September 1771), styled The Hon. Frederick Calvert until 1751, was an English nobleman and last in line of the Barons Baltimore. Although he exercised almost feudal power in the Pr ...

, and had children; his second wife was Julia de Smorzewska, Countess de Spyterki, by whom he also had children.

Death

He died on 21 August 1763.

Assessment

According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition,

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

perhaps rated Egremont's talents too low when he said he had neither knowledge of

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

, nor the smallest share of parliamentary abilities.

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Egremont, Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl Of 1710 births 1763 deaths British Secretaries of State Wyndham, Charles Earls of Egremont Lord-Lieutenants of Cumberland Lord-Lieutenants of Sussex Wyndham, Charles Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754

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 ...

Leaders of the House of Lords