Catherine Pegge, born about 1635, was a long term
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
of
Charles II. She had two children by him,
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth (1657 – 17 October 1680) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, by Catherine Pegge. He had a sister called Catherine FitzCharles who is believed to have become a nun. His mother went o ...
, and
Catherine FitzCharles
Catherine FitzCharles (born 1658) was the illegitimate daughter of Charles II of England and his mistress Catherine Pegge. Her older brother by one year, Charles FitzCharles, was made the 1st Earl of Plymouth by his father. Little is known abou ...
.
Background
Catherine was the daughter of Thomas Pegge of
Yeldersley,
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a market town in the Derbyshire Dales district in Derbyshire, England. Its population was measured at 8,377 in the 2011 census and was estimated to have grown to 9,163 by 2019. It has many historical buildings and independent sho ...
, and his wife, Catherine Kniveton, daughter of Sir Gilbert Kniveton, Baronet, and wife. Thomas and his family were exiled to Bruges during 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 r ...
following his capture serving under the
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...
Colonel General
Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough
Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough, 28 September 1610 to 10 January 1667, was the younger son of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon, one of the most powerful landowners in Leicestershire. He fought with the Royalist army in the Wars of t ...
.
The Yeldersley branch descended from Thomas Pegge.
Royal mistress
It was during her family's exile in
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
that Catherine's liaison with
Charles II began, resulting in the birth of her son in 1657. Catherine had two children by Charles II:
*
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth (1657 – 17 October 1680) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, by Catherine Pegge. He had a sister called Catherine FitzCharles who is believed to have become a nun. His mother went o ...
*
Catherine FitzCharles
Catherine FitzCharles (born 1658) was the illegitimate daughter of Charles II of England and his mistress Catherine Pegge. Her older brother by one year, Charles FitzCharles, was made the 1st Earl of Plymouth by his father. Little is known abou ...
There are allegedly two portraits of Catherine Pegge by Sir Peter Lely, the whereabouts of which are unknown. She was said to have great beauty.
Marriage
Catherine married Sir Edward Greene of
Sampford in
Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
,
Baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...
, on 26 July 1660. The couple had a daughter, Justinia Greene (1667–1717), one of the English Ladies of the
Pontoise
Pontoise () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.
Administration
Pontoise is the official ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-d'Oise ''dép ...
.
Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century
By John Nichols 1812 Sir Edward Greene died at Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
in 1676 and was interred at Sampford, Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pegge, Catherine
1635 births
Year of death missing
People from Derbyshire Dales (district)
Mistresses of Charles II of England