Charles Rodolph Trefusis, 19th Baron Clinton (9 November 1791 – 10 April 1866), styled The Honourable Charles Trefusis between 1794 and 1832, was a British peer and

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 ...

politician. He succeeded to the barony following the death of his elder brother.

Background and education

Clinton was the second son of Robert Trefusis, 17th Baron Clinton, and his wife Albertina Marianna Gaulis. She was the daughter of Jean Abraham Rodolph Gaulis (died 1788) of

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland, an important magistrate of that city. Her mother was Jeanne-Louise-Dorothée Porta, from another prominent Lausanne family. Her eldest brother, Clinton's uncle, was Abram Frederic Louis Juste Gaulis, a member of the

Grand Council of Vaud The Grand Council of Vaud () is the legislature of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. Vaud has a unicameral legislature. The Great Council has 150 seats, with members elected every five years. In May 1981, Marguerite ...

and the heir and custodian of the Château de Colombier-sur-Morges, near Lausanne. Another of his Swiss uncles was Charles Gaulis (died in Germany 23 August 1796), who fathered a child by Mary Jane de Vial (later Clairmont). Clinton's cousin, Charles Gaulis Clairmont, who grew up as stepbrother to

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

, ended up as Chair of English literature at

Vienna University The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. Clinton was early orphaned: his father died in 1797 and his mother in 1798. Clinton was educated at Eton and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

Political career

Clinton was elected Member of Parliament for Callington in 1813, a seat he held until 1818. Between 1819 and 1833 he was a Commissioner of Excise. In 1832 he succeeded his elder brother, Robert Cotton St John Trefusis, 18th Baron Clinton as baron. This meant that he left the Commons and entered 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 ...

Marriage and children

Lord Clinton married in 1831 Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Kerr, daughter of

William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian, (4 October 1763 – 27 April 1824), was a British soldier, landowner and politician. He was the son of William Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian. He served as a representative peer from 1817 to 1824. Life ...

. They had four sons and seven daughters, including: * Hon Emily born 6 September 1832 *

Charles Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 20th Baron Clinton Charles Henry Rolle Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 20th Baron Clinton (2 March 1834 – 29 March 1904), styled The Honourable Charles Trefusis between 1832 and 1866, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State ...

, his eldest son and heir. * Mark George Kerr Trefusis (1836–1907), his second son, who in 1852 adopted by royal licence the surname and arms of Rolle following his inheritance of a life-interest in the estate of his maternal uncle

John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (1750 – 3 April 1842) was a British politician and peer who served as a Member of Parliament in general support of William Pitt the Younger and was later an active member of the House of Lords. His violent ...

(1756–1842), which made him the largest land-owner in Devon. The Rolle estate descended from him to his nephew Charles John Robert Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 21st Baron Clinton (1863–1957). *Colonel Hon. Walter Rodolph Trefusis (1838-1885), Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards and Companion, Order of the Bath (C.B.); one of his five daughters (no sons), Marion, married Thomas Coke, 4th Earl of Leicester. *Colonel Hon. John Schomberg Trefusis (1852-1932), commanding officer of the 4th Battalion (1st Devon Militia), Devonshire Regiment,''Army List''. his last son and child; his son Denys married Violet Keppel.

Death

He died in April 1866, aged 74, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son

. His widow died in March 1871, aged 63.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, Charles Trefusis, 19th Baron 1791 births 1866 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Callington UK MPs 1812–1818 Clinton, B19 19