General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Lord Charles FitzRoy (17 July 1764 – 20 December 1829) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

Early life

FitzRoy was born on 17 July 1764. He was the third, but second surviving, son of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton and, his first wife, Anne Liddell, a daughter of

Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (1708 – 30 January 1784) succeeded to the Baronetcy of Ravensworth Castle, and to the family estates and mining interests, at the age of fifteen, on the death of his grandfather in 1723. He was created 1s ...

. After education at Harrow School and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, he entered the army in 1782 as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

Career

In 1787, he was appointed a captain in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

and an equerry in 1788, to

Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by profes ...

, under whom he served in

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 ...

from 1793 to 1794. In 1795, FitzRoy was appointed an aide-de-camp to

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and promoted to

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1798. From 1798 to 1799, he served in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

then in England until 1809, commanding a battalion of the

60th Regiment of Foot 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

from 1804 to 1805. He was appointed colonel of the

48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. History Early ...

and lieutenant-general in 1805 and

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in 1814. From 1787 to 1796 and again from 1802 to 1818, FitzRoy was

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 o ...

for Bury St Edmunds (though never actually spoke in the house). He supported Pitt and favoured abolitionism and

Catholic Emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

Personal life

On 20 June 1795, FitzRoy married Frances Mundy, the daughter of Edward Miller Mundy, MP. Before her death in 1797, they had one son: * Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy (1796–1858), who served as the governor of New South Wales,

governor of Prince Edward Island The following is a list of the governors and lieutenant governors of Prince Edward Island, known as ''St. John's Island'' until 1799. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Prince Edward Island came into being only upon the ...

and

governor of Antigua This is a list of viceroys of Antigua and Barbuda, from its initial colonisation in 1632 until its independence in 1981. Between 1671 and 1816, Antigua was part of the British Leeward Islands and its viceroy was the Governor of the Leeward Island ...

; he married Lady Mary Lennox, eldest child of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, in 1820. After her death in 1847, he married Margaret Gordon in 1855. After his wife's death, he married Lady Frances Stewart on 10 March 1799. Lady Frances was the eldest daughter of

Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry PC (Ire) (1739–1821), was a County Down landowner, Irish Volunteer, and member of the parliament who, exceptionally for an Ulster Scot and Presbyterian, rose within the ranks of Ireland's "Angl ...

and Frances Pratt (the daughter of the Whig politician

Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, PC (baptised 21 March 1714 – 18 April 1794) was an English lawyer, judge and Whig politician who was first to hold the title of Earl Camden. As a lawyer and judge he was a leading proponent of civil liberti ...

).. Before her death in 1810, they had three children: * George FitzRoy (1800–1882), British Army officer; he married, Louisa Harris, daughter of John Harris, in 1830. After her death, he married Hon. Charlotte Frances Bona Spencer, daughter of Lt.-Col. Hon. George Augustus Spencer (son of Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill), in 1873. * Frances FitzRoy (–1878), who married

George Rice-Trevor, 4th Baron Dynevor George Rice-Trevor, 4th Baron Dynevor (5 August 1795 – 7 October 1869) was a British politician and peer. Early life He was the son of George Talbot Rice, 3rd Baron Dynevor. Dynevor matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford 13 October 1812; he ...

. *

Robert FitzRoy Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...

(1805–1865), a hydrographer who married Mary Henrietta O'Brien, daughter of Maj.-Gen. Edward James O'Brien, in 1836.Mosley, Charles (ed): ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed.''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

, Ltd, 2003, p. 1617. After her death he married Maria Isabella, daughter of

John Henry Smyth John Henry Smyth MP (20 March 1780 – 20 October 1822) was a Whig member of Parliament for Cambridge University from 9 June 1812 until his death. Personal life and education Smyth was educated at Eton College and then Trinity College, Cambri ...

, of Heath Hall, in 1854.Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1617 FitzRoy died at his house in

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1829 and was buried at Wicken, Northamptonshire.J. M. Rigg
‘FitzRoy, Lord Charles (1764–1829)’
rev. S. Kinross, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004; online edn, Oct 2008, accessed 11 Jan 2009.

Descendants

Through his son Robert, he was a grandfather of five: Emily-Unah FitzRoy, Frances "Fanny" FitzRoy, Katherine FitzRoy, Robert O'Brien FitzRoy, and Laura Maria Elizabeth FitzRoy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzroy, Lord Charles 1764 births 1829 deaths British Army generals Younger sons of dukes People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Scots Guards officers British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars People of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 Fitzroy, Charles C Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Royal American Regiment officers