Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl Cornwallis (29 March 170023 June 1762), styled The Honourable Charles Cornwallis until 1722 and known as The Lord Cornwallis between 1722 and 1753, was a British peer.

Background

Cornwallis was the son of

Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis (167520 January 1721/22) was a British politician. Background He was the son of Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis (c. 1655 – 1693) and Elizabeth Fox (c. 1654 – 1680/81). On 29 April ...

, by Lady Charlotte, daughter of Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Arran.

Edward Cornwallis Edward Cornwallis ( – 14 January 1776) was a British career military officer and was a member of the aristocratic Cornwallis family, who reached the rank of Lieutenant General. After Cornwallis fought in Scotland, putting down the Jacobi ...

and

Frederick Cornwallis Frederick Cornwallis (5 March 1713 – 19 March 1783) served as Archbishop of Canterbury, after an illustrious career in the Anglican Church. He was born the seventh son of an aristocratic family. His twin brother Edward Cornwallis had a mili ...

were his younger brothers. He was admitted to

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

in 1717.

Career

Cornwallis succeeded his father in the barony in 1722. In 1740 he was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

and appointed

Lord-Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

and

Constable of the Tower of London The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

, posts he held until 1762. In 1753 he was created Viscount Brome, in the County of Suffolk, and Earl Cornwallis.

Family

Lord Cornwallis married the Honourable Elizabeth, daughter of

Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, (; 18 April 167421 June 1738) was an English Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State for the Northern Department, 1714–1717, 1721–1730. He directed British foreign policy in c ...

, in 1722. They had seven children: * Lady Mary Cornwallis (6 June 1736 - 28 December 1770), married on 13 August 1769 Samuel Whitbread and had issue. * Gen.

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

* Capt. Hon. Henry Cornwallis (10 September 1740 – 1761) * Bishop

James Cornwallis, 4th Earl Cornwallis James Cornwallis, 4th Earl Cornwallis (25 February 1743 – 20 January 1824) was a British clergyman, and peer. Life He was the third son of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl Cornwallis and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the 2nd Viscount Townshen ...

* Adm. Sir

William Cornwallis Admiral of the Red Sir William Cornwallis, (10 February 17445 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a n ...

, RN (1744–1819) * Lady Elizabeth Cornwallis (d. 20 March 1796), married

Bowen Southwell Bowen Southwell (23 March 1713 – 1796) was an Irish politician. He was the third son of William Southwell and his wife Lucy Bowen, daughter of William Bowen. His uncles were Thomas Southwell, 1st Baron Southwell and Richard Southwell. Southw ...

in July 1753 * Lady Charlotte Cornwallis (d. 11 March 1794), married 8 April 1756 Bishop Spencer Madan and had issue. He died in June 1762, aged 62, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Charles, who became a prominent military commander and was created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792. The Countess Cornwallis died on 17 December 1785. He was the grandson of

Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis PC (28 December 1655 – 29 April 1698) was a British politician who served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He succeeded his father Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis as Baron Cornwallis in 1673 ...

; the great-grandson of

Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis of Eye (1632 – 13 April 1673) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1662 when he inherited the peerage as Baron Cornwallis. Early years Cornwallis w ...

; and the great-great-grandson of

Frederick Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis Frederick Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis (14 March 1610/1 – January 1662) was an English peer, MP and Privy Counsellor. He was Treasurer of the Household 1660–1662. He was the eldest surviving son of Sir William Cornwallis of Brome, Su ...

. He was the grandfather of

Charles Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

; the great-grandfather of James Mann; the 2nd great-grandfather of

Fiennes Cornwallis Major Fiennes Cornwallis, born Fiennes Wykeham-Martin (1 November 1831 – 24 April 1867), was a British Army officer and related to the Cornwallis family. Early life Born 1 November 1831 at Leeds Castle, Kent, England, he was the son of Char ...

; the 3rd great-grandfather of

Fiennes Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis Colonel Fiennes Stanley Wykeham Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis, (27 May 1864 – 26 September 1935) was a British Conservative politician. Early life Lord Cornwallis was born 27 May 1864 at Chacombe Priory, Banbury, Oxfordshire, the eldest s ...

; the 4th great-grandfather of

Wykeham Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis Colonel Wykeham Stanley Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis (4 March 1892 – 4 January 1982), was a British peer, cavalry officer and amateur cricketer. He served during the First World War and was later prominent in public life in the county of ...

; and the 5th great-grandfather of

Fiennes Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis Fiennes Neil Wykeham Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, OBE, DL (29 June 1921 – 6 March 2010) was a British peer. He was the younger child, and the only son, of Wykeham Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis and Cecily Etha Mary (née Walker). H ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl 1700 births 1762 deaths Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets

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 ...

Constables of the Tower of London Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England Barons Cornwallis