Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan, 2nd Baron Brudenell (5 March 1607 – 16 July 1703) was an English nobleman.

Origins

He was born on 5 March 1607, the son of

Thomas Brudenell, 1st Earl of Cardigan Thomas Brudenell, 1st Earl of Cardigan (c. 1583 – 16 September 1663), known as Sir Thomas Brudenell, Bt, between 1611 and 1628 and as The Lord Brudenell between 1628 and 1661, was an English peer and Royalist soldier. Brudenell was the son of R ...

(c. 1593–1663) by his wife Mary Tresham, a daughter of Sir Thomas Tresham. Between 1661 and 1663 he was styled by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

''Lord Brudenell'', his father's subsidiary title.

Career

He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1663. Like most of his family, both Brudenells and Treshams, he was an adherent of

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. His father's devotion to that faith was so open that he was prosecuted regularly for

recusancy Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

. In 1613 the local

justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

remarked that only their personal regard for the Brudenell family had saved fourteen of them, including Robert's parents, from prison. His mother's family were deeply implicated in the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...

. Robert himself and his eldest son Francis, as two of the most influential members of the Catholic nobility, inevitably became the target of informers, particularly

William Bedloe William Bedloe (20 April 165020 August 1680) was an English fraudster and Popish Plot informer. Life He was born at Chepstow in Monmouthshire. He was probably the son of Isaac Bedloe, himself the son of an Irish Army officer, and a cousin of Wi ...

, during the

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the Kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate C ...

: Robert retired to France for a time, while his son spent a year in prison.

Marriages and children

He married twice: *Firstly to Mary Constable, daughter of Henry Constable, 1st Viscount of Dunbar, by whom he had one daughter, name unknown. *Secondly he married Anna Savage (d. June 1696), a daughter of

Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage, 2nd Baronet ( 1586 – 20 November 1635), was an English peer and courtier in the reign of Charles I of England, Charles I. Early life Savage was the eldest son of Sir John Savage (1554 – 1615), 1st Baronet, ...

of Rocksavage and Elizabeth Savage, Countess Rivers, by whom he had issue: **Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell (d. 1698), eldest son and

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

, who predeceased his father, having married Frances Savile, a daughter of

James Savile, 2nd Earl of Sussex James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, by whom he had two sons and three daughters: ***

George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan (29 September 1685 – 5 July 1732), styled Lord Brudenell between 1698 and 1703, was a British peer. Origins He was the son of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell, by his wife Lady Frances Savile, grand-daugh ...

, 2nd Baron Brudenell, (1685-1732), who succeeded his grandfather in the earldom; ***James Brudenell (died 1746); ***Lady Mary Brudenell, who married

Richard Molyneux, 5th Viscount Molyneux Earl of Sefton was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1771 for the 8th Viscount Molyneux. The Earls of Sefton held the subsidiary titles Viscount Molyneux, of Maryborough in the Queen's County (created 1628), in the Peerage of Ire ...

; ***Lady Anne Brudenell, who married firstly

Henry Belasyse, 2nd Baron Belasyse Baron Belasyse was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came on 27 January 1645 when the Honourable John Belasyse was made Baron Belasyse of Worlaby in the County of Lincoln. He was the second son of Thoma ...

, and secondly

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, (29 July 167227 May 1723), of Goodwood House near Chichester in Sussex, was the youngest of the seven illegitimate sons of King Charles II, and was that king's only son by his French-b ...

; ***

Lady Frances Brudenell Lady Frances Brudenell (before 1677 – 23 February 1735/36), Countess of Newburgh, was an Irish aristocrat known as the subject of a satire in which she was portrayed as the leader of a society of lesbians. She was the daughter of Francis ...

, who married firstly

Charles Livingston, 2nd Earl of Newburgh The title Earl of Newburgh (pronounced "''New''-bruh") was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1660 for James Livingston, 1st Viscount of Newburgh, along with the subsidiary titles Viscount of Kynnaird and Lord Levingston. The viscountcy of N ...

, and secondly, Richard Bellew, 3rd Baron Bellew.

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company, publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John Deb ...

''Peerage of England, Scotland and Ireland'', volume I (1790
page 108
/ref> **Lady Mary Brudenell, who married William Hay, 4th Earl of Kinnoull; **Lady Anna Brudenell, who married

Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury, 11th Earl of Waterford (1623 – 16 March 1668), was an English peer who was a Royalist officer in the English Civil War. He survived the war only to be mortally wounded in a duel with the Duke of Buckingh ...

. **Lady Catherine Brudenell, who married

Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton, Jacobite 1st Earl of Monmouth, PC (1649/1650 – 9 August 1719) was a Scottish and English politician who held several offices under Charles II and James II & VII. He served as Secretary of State ...

Death

He died in July 1703, aged 96, and was succeeded in the earldom by his grandson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardigan, Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl Of 1607 births 1703 deaths

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 ...

Earls of Cardigan