Charles Palmer, later Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton,
Chief Butler of England (18 June 16629 September 1730) was an English nobleman and illegitimate son of
Charles II. He was styled Baron Limerick before 1670; Earl of Southampton between 1670 and 1675; and known as the Duke of Southampton from 1675 until 1709, when he succeeded his mother as
Duke of Cleveland.
Early life
Charles Palmer, later "FitzRoy", was born on 18 June 1662, and was initially claimed by
Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine, his mother's husband, as his son and heir before being publicly acknowledged and invested by King Charles II of England as his son.
He was the third eldest of the
illegitimate sons of Charles II, with his mother being
Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine and later 1st Duchess of Cleveland, then the wife of
Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine. In recognition of his legal father the
Earl of Castlemaine, he was styled from birth by the
courtesy title "Lord Limerick", one of the Earl's lesser titles. His birth marked the separation of his legal parents; Lord Castlemaine, a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, had him christened in the Roman Catholic faith, but six days later, the King had him re-christened in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
as an
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
and
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
.
Personal life
In 1670, at the age of 8, he was betrothed to Mary Wood, only child and sole heiress of
Sir Henry Wood, 1st Baronet,
Clerk of the Green Cloth, but with the proviso that the marriage be delayed until Mary was 16 years old. Following the death of her father, the Duchess of Cleveland more or less abducted Mary, with the intention of bringing her up with her own children.
In 1675, he was created
Duke of Southampton by
King Charles II, along with the
subsidiary titles of
Earl of Chichester and
Baron Newbury. The marriage to Mary Wood took place in 1679, but within months the new Duchess had died of smallpox, leaving no children of the marriage.
[Thomas Christopher Banks, ''The Dormant and Extinct Baronage of England. Supplement'' (1826), p. 442]
In 1694, the Duke remarried Anne Pulteney, a daughter of
Sir William Pulteney, of
Misterton,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
, and had issue:
[
*Lady Grace FitzRoy, Countess of Darlington, born 28 March 1697, married in 1725 Henry Vane, Earl of Darlington. Their grandson later became William Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland.
* William FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland and 2nd Duke of Southampton (19 February 1698 – 18 May 1774) no issue, the title went extinct.
*Lord Charles Fitzroy (13 February 1698 – 31 July 1723)
*Lord Henry Fitzroy (17 August 1701 – 1709)
*Lady Anne FitzRoy, (12 November 1702 – 13 February 1769), married John Paddey, Esq.
*Lady Barbara FitzRoy, died unmarried
On the death of his mother in 1709, the Duke became also second Duke of Cleveland, by a special remainder in the grant of the dukedom which set aside his illegitimacy.
He died on 9 September 1730 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.][ He was succeeded by his eldest son William FitzRoy (1698–1774), who died without issue, when all his titles became extinct.]
Arms
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, Charles Fitzroy, 2nd Duke Of
1662 births
1730 deaths
17th-century English nobility
18th-century English people
House of Stuart
102
Dukes of Southampton
Knights of the Garter
Illegitimate children of Charles II of England
Peers of England created by Charles II
Earls of Chichester
Burials at Westminster Abbey
Sons of kings