Charles Rich, 4th Earl of Warwick (abt 1623 – 24 Aug 1673), styled The Honourable Charles Rich until 1658, was an English peer and politician. Rich was the second son of

Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick (5 June 158719 April 1658), Lord of the Manor of Hunningham,Hunningham, in A History of the County of Warwick: Vol. 6, Knightlow Hundred, ed. L F Salzman (London, 1951), pp. 117–120. was an English colonial ad ...

and Frances Hatton. As a young man, he was noted for being handsome, charming, cheerful and penniless. His wife was Lady Mary Boyle, daughter of

Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (13 October 1566 – 15 September 1643), also known as the Great Earl of Cork, was an English politician who served as Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom of Ireland. Lord Cork was an important figure in the continuing ...

, and his second wife Catherine Fenton. He became intimate with Lady Mary when he helped to nurse her through an attack of

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

. It was a love marriage: Mary to her father's intense displeasure, had refused to enter the marriage arranged by him with James Hamilton, later

Earl of Clanbrassil Earl of Clanbrassil was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, both times for members of the Hamilton family. Clanbrassil was the name of an old Gaelic territory (''Clann Bhreasail'') in what is now the barony of Oneilland ...

, on the grounds that she found him repulsive, and chose Charles instead. Her father who was genuinely fond of her despite their differences eventually gave his consent, as well as a generous

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

, but the couple do not seem to have been happy. Mary in her diaries refers to "violent and passionate disputes". There may have been faults on both sides, since Mary was exceptionally stubborn and strong-minded (as shown by her defiance of her formidable father), and in later years became almost fanatically devout, but it was generally agreed that the greater blame lay with Rich, whose chronic ill-health made him bad-tempered and tyrannical. Mary Countess of Warwick - Rich

In public life, Rich represented

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in Parliament from 1645 to 1648. He was also

Custos Rotulorum of Essex This is a list of people who have served as custos rotulorum of Essex. * Sir William Petre bef. 1544–1572 * Sir Anthony Cooke c. 1573–1576 * Sir Thomas Mildmay c. 1577–1608 * Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk bef. 1621–16 ...

. He succeeded his brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

in the earldom in 1658. Lord Warwick died in 1673, after "twenty years of

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

". His only son had predeceased him and had no children by his wife Anne Cavendish, so the title passed to his cousin, Charles Rich, 2nd Earl of Holland. His only other child Elizabeth had died in infancy. Despite their quarrels, he left all his property to his widow for her life, an unusual step at the time. The love of his life died five years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warwick, Charles Rich, 4th Earl Of 1620s births 1673 deaths 17th-century English nobility Earls of Warwick (1618 creation)

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 1640–1648