Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Euston (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave; 11 October 1761 – 1 February 1808), was the wife of George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton. Although she is sometimes referred to as "Duchess of Grafton", her husband did not inherit the dukedom until 1811, after his wife's death.

Biography

She was a daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, and his wife, the former Maria Walpole, the granddaughter of

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...

, first

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pr ...

. Maria later became Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh through her marriage to Prince William Henry, a grandson of King George II. The Prince became stepfather to Charlotte and her sisters in 1766, when he secretly married Maria at his house in Pall Mall. Charlotte's elder sister was Elizabeth Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave, whose children inherited the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

. Charlotte's younger sister, Horatia, married

Lord Hugh Seymour Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. The fifth son of Francis Seymo ...

. She married the future Duke of Grafton on 16 November 1784 at Navestock, Essex, when he was styled Earl of Euston. She was therefore known by the courtesy title Countess of Euston. Their children were: *Lady Maria Anne FitzRoy (1785-1855), who married Sir William Oglander, 6th Baronet, and had issue *Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy (1788–1867), who married her first cousin

John Henry Smyth John Henry Smyth (20 March 1780 – 20 October 1822) was a Whig member of Parliament for Cambridge University from 9 June 1812 until his death. Early life Smyth was born on 20 March 1780. He was one of four sons and two daughters born to Lady ...

(Smyth's mother was Lady Georgiana Fitzroy, the duke's sister), and had issue * Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton (1790–1863), who married Mary Caroline Berkeley (daughter of Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkeley and granddaughter of Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley), and had issue * The Rt. Hon. Lt.-Col. Lord Charles Fitzroy (1791–1865), who married Lady Anne Cavendish (daughter of

George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington (31 March 1754 – 9 May 1834), styled Lord George Cavendish before 1831, was a British nobleman and politician. He built Burlington Arcade. Background Cavendish was the third son of William Cavendish, ...

), and had issue * Lady Isabella Frances FitzRoy (1792–1875), who married

The Hon. ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...

Henry Joseph St. John (son of George St John, 3rd Viscount Bolingbroke), and had issue *Lord James FitzRoy (1804–1834) Several other children died in infancy or childhood: * The Hon. William FitzRoy (1794–1804) * The Hon. FitzRoy (1795–1797) * The Hon. Richard FitzRoy (1798–1798) * The Hon. Richard FitzRoy (1800–1801) The countess's portrait was painted by Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

and

John Hoppner John Hoppner (4 April 175823 January 1810) was an English portrait painter, much influenced by Joshua Reynolds, who achieved fame as a colourist. Early life Hoppner was born in Whitechapel, London, the son of German parents – his mother w ...

, among others. Charlotte FitzRoy died at her home in Lower Brook Street, London, aged 45, of "a liver complaint and bilious fever", and was buried in the family vault. Her obituary described her as "an example of every thing amicable in woman".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Euston, Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of 1761 births 1808 deaths British courtesy countesses Daughters of British earls