Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley, KB, PC, FRS (8 April 1649 – 24 September 1710) was a British nobleman and diplomat, known as Sir Charles Berkeley from 1661 to 1679 and styled Viscount Dursley from 1679 to 1698.

Life

The son of George Berkeley, 1st Earl of Berkeley, he was educated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...

, was created a

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, and received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from Oxford on 28 September 1663. On 21 November 1667, he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. Berkeley adopted the styling Viscount Dursley in September 1679, when his father was raised to the earldom. He had just been elected as MP for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, for which he sat in the last two Parliaments of Charles II, in 1679 and 1681. He did not stand again, in part due to conflict with the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

corporation of the city. Dursley followed his father in opposing James II in the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, and enjoyed a number of appointments thereafter. Called up to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

Baron Berkeley The title Baron Berkeley originated as a feudal title and was subsequently created twice in the Peerage of England by writ. It was first granted by writ to Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (1245–1321), 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 12 ...

in July 1689, he was then sent as Envoy Extraordinary to Spain in May 1689, and as Ambassador to the United Provinces from August 1689 to 1695. He also received the post of Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire, previously held by his father, in July 1689. On 3 May 1694, he was made a Privy Councillor, and on 25 May, was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. Since 1694, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire. * Edmund Brydges, 2nd Baron Chandos 1559–? * Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Cha ...

. In the following year, Dursley was appointed High Steward of the City of

, and Constable of St Briavel's Castle on 18 June 1697. In 1697, as lord-lieutenant, he was

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

of the Gloucester Militia Horse.
Col George Jackson Hay, ''An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force)'', London:United Service Gazette, 1905, p. 118.
Berkeley succeeded to the earldom in 1698, and also received his father's office of Custos Rotulorum of Surrey in February 1699. His eldest son, Charles, Viscount Dursley, died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

in May, and his daughter, Lady Penelope, in September of that same year, both while Berkeley and his family were in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

during his tenure as one of the Lords Justices (1699–1700). On 7 June 1702, Berkeley's appointment as Constable was renewed, and he was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Surrey This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. Since 1737, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Surrey. Lord Lieutenants of Surrey * William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1551–1553? * William Howa ...

and

Warden of the Forest of Dean A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

. He died in 1710, and was succeeded to the posts of

Earl of Berkeley The title Baron Berkeley originated as a feudal title and was subsequently created twice in the Peerage of England by writ. It was first granted by writ to Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (1245–1321), 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 12 ...

, and Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire by his eldest surviving son,

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

, a naval officer.

Family

Berkeley married Hon. Elizabeth Noel, daughter of

Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden (1611 – 29 October 1682) was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Custos Rotulorum of Rutland and the Member of Parliament for Rutland (UK Parliament constituency), Rutland. Early life B ...

, on 16 August 1677, and they had four sons and three daughters: *Charles Berkeley, Viscount Dursley (17 June 1679 – May 1699) *

James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley ( – 17 August 1736) was an English Royal Navy officer and peer who served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1717 to 1727. The son of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley, he was known ...

(aft. 1679 – 1736) *Col. Hon. Henry Berkeley (1690? – May 1736), married Mary Cornewall and had issue *Hon.

George Berkeley George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...

(aft. 1680 – 1746), married

Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (born Henrietta Hobart; 168926 July 1767) was a British courtier. She is known as the Mistress (lover), mistress of King George II of Great Britain. She was the sister of John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckingha ...

, no issue *Lady Mary Berkeley, married Thomas Chambers (son of Thomas Chambers) and had issue: **Mary Chambers, married

Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere (14 July 1699 – 21 October 1781), known as Lord Vere Beauclerk until 1750, was a Royal Navy officer, British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 24 years from 1726 to 1750. After s ...

**Anne Chambers, married

Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, KG, PC (26 September 1711 – 12 September 1779) was a British politician and peer who served as Lord Privy Seal from 1757 to 1761. He is best known for his association with his brother-in-law Willia ...

* Lady Elizabeth Berkeley (d. 16 September 1769), married

Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet (c. May 1650 – 11 December 1718) was a British soldier of Dutch origin and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1713 and 1718. Germain passed as the son of John Germain, a private soldier in the P ...

, no issue *Lady Penelope Berkeley (d. 3 September 1699) His widow, then the Dowager Countess of Berkeley, funded the rebuilding of St Dunstan's Church, Cranford, and provision of a marble font, in 1716.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of 1649 births 1710 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Diplomatic peers 2 Ambassadors of England to Spain Fellows of the Royal Society Knights of the Bath Lord-lieutenants of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Militia officers Lord-lieutenants of Surrey Members of the Privy Council of England Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Ambassadors of England to the Dutch Republic

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 ''* ...

Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Gloucester 17th-century English diplomats English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681