Edward Lee, 1st Earl Of Lichfield
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Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield (4 February 1663 – 14 July 1716) was an English peer, the son of a baronet, who at 14 years of age married one of the illegitimate daughters of King Charles II, Charlotte Lee, prior to which he was made Earl of Lichfield. They had a large family; Lady Lichfield bore him 18 children. He was a staunch
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 ...
and followed James II to
Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about east-southeast of London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Kent, Chatham, ...
after the king's escape from Whitehall in December 1688. His subsidiary titles were Viscount Quarendon and Baron Spelsbury.


Biography


Early life

Edward Lee was the son of Sir Francis Henry Lee, 4th Baronet of Quarendon and his wife Lady Elizabeth Pope, daughter of Thomas Pope, 2nd Earl of Downe, who was later third wife of Robert Bertie, 3rd Earl of Lindsey. Through his mothers remarriage he gained two half-siblings Charles Bertie and Elizabeth. His great grandfather, Henry Lee, was the cousin and heir of Henry Lee of Ditchley. His father's half-brother was the
libertine A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or Human sexual activity, sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially som ...
-poet the Earl of Rochester who took a great interest in his young relative and helped to bring about his betrothal to the daughter of the king. In his youth, he was considered to be kind, charming, strong, intelligent as well as arrogant because of his position in the peerage and to his status as a royal son-in-law to the king.


Marriage

Lee was created
Earl of Lichfield Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England (1645 and 1674) and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1831). The third creation is extant and is held by a member of the Anson family. Hi ...
in 1674 at the age of eleven, a result of his
betrothal An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
to the daughter of King Charles II. The Lady Charlotte Fitzroy was the fourth of six children born to the king's
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...
, the Duchess of Cleveland. Sweet-natured and strikingly beautiful, Charlotte was adored by her father the king. She was contracted at the age of nine to Lee, who was sixteen months older than his bride-to-be. Nearly three years later, having reached
puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles i ...
, the thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds were married on 6 February 1677. His royal father in law funded a townhouse in London for Lichfield and his wife, to be built by
Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...
in 1677, named Lichfield House, it was adjoined by another home which is today known as
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...
.) In 1681, his cousin, the only son of the Earl of Rochester (who had died in 1680), passed away and subsequently Lee inherited Adderbury Manor from him.


Public service

From 1687 to 1689, Lichfield served as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. He commanded Lichfield's Regiment, an infantry regiment in the English Army until his dismissal for Jacobite sympathies following 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 for refusing to swearing an oath of loyalty to Queen Anne and William III. He later played prominent part in the
Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...
(1689–1691), going through a succession of new Colonels including Henry Wharton and Richard Brewer.


Family and children

Lady Lichfield bore him at least eighteen children: * Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore (13 March 1678 (Old Style) – 22 January 1721), ** (1) Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, by whom she had six children. ** (2) Christopher Crowe, Consul of Leghorn, by whom she had four children. * Charles Lee, Viscount Quarendon (6 May 1680 – 13 October 1680). * Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Henry Lee, Viscount Quarendon (6 June 1681 – 21 October 1713), a captain in the
Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...
* Captain Hon. James Lee (13 November 1682 – 1711). * Francis Lee (14 February 1685) * Anne Lee (29 June 1686 – d. 1716?), married N Morgan * Charles Lee (5 June 1688 – 3 January 1708). * George Henry Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield (12 March 1690 – 15 February 1743). * Francis Henry Fitzroy Lee (10 September 1692 – died 1730). * Elizabeth Lee (26 May 1693 – 29 January 1741). Married: ** (1) Francis Lee, a cousin. Had one son and two daughters, the eldest of whom, Elisabeth (d. 1736 at
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
) married Henry Temple, son of the 1st Viscount Palmerston. ** (2)
Edward Young Edward Young ( – 5 April 1765) was an English poet, best remembered for ''Night-Thoughts'', a series of philosophical writings in blank verse, reflecting his state of mind following several bereavements. It was one of the most popular poem ...
, in 1731, author of the '' Night Thoughts'', by whom she had one son. It is said that he never recovered from Elizabeth's death. * Barbara Lee (3 March 1695 – d. aft. 1729), married Sir George Browne, 3rd Baronet of Kiddington. * Mary Isabella Lee (6 September 1697 – 28 December 1697). * Fitzroy Lee (10 May 1698 – died young). * Vice Admiral FitzRoy Henry Lee (2 January 1700 – April 1751), Commodore Governor of Newfoundland. * William Lee (24 June 1701 – died young). * Thomas Lee (25 August 1703 – died young). * John Lee (3 December 1704 – died young). * Robert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield (3 July 1706 – 3 November 1776).


Reign of Charles II

After the death of his uncle Rochester, Lee succeeded him as gentleman of the bedchamber.


Reign of James II

James made Lee a gentleman of the bedchamber and his
Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...
.


The Glorious Revolution

When James was forced into exile in 1688, Lee accompanied him into exile and he and his wife continued to be loyal supporters of him.


Reign of William II and Anne I

Since Lee was a non-juror (ie refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to Queen Anne and William he was regarded with suspicion by them. In 1696 after assassination plans on William was discovered Lee was reported as being in house arrest or taken into custody.


Death and legacy

Lichfield died two years before his wife, on 14 July 1716, aged 53 and was buried in Spelsbury church. Two years later his wife Charlotte died and was buried beside her husband. On their funeral monument the inscription reads;
“at their marriage they were the most grateful bridegroom and the most beautiful bride and that till death they remained the most constant husband and wife.”


Ancestry


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichfield, Edward Lee, 1st Earl of 1663 births 1716 deaths 17th-century English nobility 18th-century English nobility 1st Earl of Lichfield Grenadier Guards officers Suffolk Regiment officers Lord-lieutenants of Oxfordshire