Charlotte Lennox, Duchess of Richmond (née Lady Charlotte Gordon; 20 September 1768 – 5 May 1842), cites was a British aristocrat and peeress best known as the hostess of the

Duchess of Richmond's ball The Duchess of Richmond's ball was a ball hosted by Charlotte, Duchess of Richmond in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras. Charlotte's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, was in command of a reserve ...

Biography

Born at

Gordon Castle Gordon Castle is located near Fochabers in Moray, Scotland. Historically known as the Bog-of-Gight or Bog o'Gight, it was the principal seat of the dukes of Gordon. Following 18th-century redevelopment, it became one of the largest country hous ...

, Lady Charlotte Gordon was the eldest child of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, and his wife, Jane Maxwell. On 9 September 1789, she married

Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond General Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Aubigny, (9 December 176428 August 1819) was a Scottish peer, soldier, politician, and Governor-general of British North America. Background Richmond was born to Ge ...

, 4th Duke of Lennox and 4th Duke of Aubigny. In 1814, the family moved to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, where the Duchess gave the ball at which the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

received confirmation that the

Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fre ...

under the command of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

had entered the territory of the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

near

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

(in what is now the Kingdom of Belgium). The Duchess and her family continued to live in Brussels until 1818, when her husband was appointed

Governor General of British North America A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

. The Duchess was widowed in 1819, and in 1836, she inherited the vast Gordon estates on the death of her brother,

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 British nobleman, soldier and politician and the last of his line. Early life George was born at Edinburgh on 2 F ...

, who had left no legitimate children. She died at the age of 73 in London on 5 May 1842.

Family

The Duke and Duchess had seven sons and seven daughters: *

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, (3 August 179121 October 1860), of Goodwood House near Chichester in West Sussex, was a British peer, soldier and prominent Conservative politician. Origins He was born "Charles Lennox", the son and ...

(1791–1860).

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 King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

(1961–1997) descended from him through his daughter Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox and her daughter

Rosalind Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, (26 February 1869 – 18 January 1958; ''née'' Lady Rosalind Bingham) was a British aristocrat and the Duchess of Abercorn by marriage. She was a great-grandmother of Diana, Princess o ...

. *Lady Mary Lennox cites (c. 1792 – 7 December 1847), married Sir Charles Fitzroy and had issue. * Lieutenant-Colonel Lord John George Lennox (3 October 1793 – 10 November 1873), married Louisa Rodney and had issue. *Lady Sarah Lennox (c. 1794 – 8 September 1873), married

Peregrine Maitland General Sir Peregrine Maitland, GCB (6 July 1777 – 30 May 1854) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. He also was a first-class cricketer from 1798 to 1808 and an early advocate for the establishment of what would become the Canad ...

. *Lady Georgiana Lennox (30 September 1795 – 15 December 1891), married

William FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros William Lennox Lascelles FitzGerald-de Ros, 22nd Baron de Ros of Helmsley, PC, DL (1 September 1797 – 6 January 1874), was a British soldier and Conservative politician. A general in the Army, he also held political office as Captain of the ...

, and had issue. *Lord Henry Adam Lennox (6 September 1797 – 25 February 1812), fell overboard from HMS ''Blake'' and drowned. *

Lord William Pitt Lennox Lord William Pitt Lennox (20 September 1799 – 18 February 1881) was a British Army officer and writer. Biography Lennox, fourth son of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, and the former Lady Charlotte Gordon, was born at Winestead Hall, York ...

(20 September 1799 – 18 February 1881), married first Mary Ann Paton and second Ellen Smith; had issue by the latter. *Lady Jane Lennox (c. 1800 – 27 March 1861), married

Laurence Peel Laurence Peel (28 June 1801 – 10 December 1888) was a British Tory politician and the younger brother of Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Laurence was described by one historian as "the youngest and least ...

and had issue. *Captain Lord Frederick Lennox (24 January 1801 – 25 October 1829). *

Lord Sussex Lennox Lord Sussex Lennox (11 June 1802 – 12 April 1874) was an English cricketer. He was associated with Marylebone Cricket Club and was recorded in one first-class match in 1826, totalling 5 runs with a highest score of 3 and holding no catches. ...

(11 June 1802 – 12 April 1874), married Hon. Mary Lawless and had issue. *Lady Louisa Maddelena Lennox (2 October 1803 – 2 March 1900), married Rt. Hon. William Tighe, died without issue. *Lady Charlotte Lennox (c. 1804 – 20 August 1833), married Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge of Bristol, and had issue. *Lieutenant-Colonel

Lord Arthur Lennox Lord Arthur Lennox (2 October 1806 – 15 January 1864) was a British politician. He was the youngest son of the 4th Duke of Richmond and the uncle of Lord Henry Lennox. Lennox was commissioned into the 71st Foot. He was promoted lieutenant ...

(2 October 1806 – 15 January 1864), married Adelaide Campbell and had issue. *Lady Sophia Georgiana Lennox (21 July 1809 – 17 January 1902), married

Lord Thomas Cecil Lord Thomas Cecil (1797–1873) was a British peer and member of Parliament for Stamford from 1818 to 1832. Cecil was the youngest of the three sons of Henry Cecil, 1st Marquess of Exeter, by his second wife Sarah.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burk ...

, died without issue.

Notes

References

* Endnotes: ** ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Charlotte, Duchess of 1768 births 1842 deaths People from Aberdeenshire English duchesses by marriage Daughters of British dukes Wives of knights Burials at Chichester Cathedral