Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (14 September 1667 – 8 June 1671) was the fourth son of James, Duke of York (later

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

) and his first wife Anne Hyde. He was second in the line of succession to the English and Scottish thrones.

Life

Edgar was born on 14 September 1667 at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

and baptized there with the Duke of Albemarle, the Marquis of Worcester, and the Countess of Suffolk as sponsors. The name "Edgar" had ancient roots in both the English (

Edgar the Peaceful Edgar (or Eadgar; 8 July 975), known sometimes as Edgar the Peacemaker or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. He became king of all England on his brother Eadwig's death. He was the younger son of King Edm ...

) and Scottish ( Edgar, King of Scotland) monarchies. On 7 October 1667 he was created

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and

Earl of Cambridge The title of Earl of Cambridge was created several times in the Peerage of England, and since 1362 the title has been closely associated with the Royal family (see also Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge). The first Earl of the fourth cre ...

and Baron of Dauntsey. His elder brother

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 ''* ...

had died at the age of six months in 1661 before the patent for the title of Duke of Cambridge was passed and another brother, James, was formally created

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge is a hereditary title of nobility in the British royal family, one of several royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom. The title is named after the city of Cambridge in England. It is heritable by agnatic, male descendants by pr ...

before his death in 1667 at the age of three. Edgar's titles became extinct until the birth of another son, also named

, in 1677. His mother was ill for months following his birth and never fully recovered, though she gave birth twice more to daughters who died before their first birthdays; she died on 13 March 1671. Edgar died at

Richmond Palace Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminste ...

on 8 June 1671 leading to official mourning. He was entombed in the royal vault in the Henry VII Chapel in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

on 12 June 1671, his coffin placed atop that of his mother.

Legacy

The town of

Edgartown, Massachusetts Edgartown is a town on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States, for which it is the county seat. The town's population was 5,168 at the 2020 census. It was once a major whaling port, with historic houses ...

, on

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

, settled in 1642, was named for him when incorporated in 1671, shortly before news of his death reached North America. Martha's Vineyard was then part of the proprietary colony of New York, given to Edgar's father the Duke of York in 1664 by Charles II.

Arms

Edgar bore a coat of arms, as a grandson of a British Sovereign, consisting those of the kingdom, differenced by a ''label argent of five points ermine''.

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge, Duke Of, Stuart, Edgar Cambridge, Edgar, Duke of Cambridge, Edgar, Duke of 17th-century English nobility Dukes of Cambridge Earls of Cambridge Cambridge, Edgar

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of ''wikt:en:ead, ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''Gar (spear), gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Midd ...

Edgar, Duke of Cambridge Edgar, Duke of Cambridge Burials at Westminster Abbey Children of James II of England British royalty who died as children Sons of kings Heirs apparent who never acceded