Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan, 2nd Baron Brudenell (5 March 1607 – 16 July 1703) was an English nobleman.

Origins

He was born on 5 March 1607, the son of Thomas Brudenell, 1st Earl of Cardigan (c. 1583–1663) by his wife Mary Tresham, a daughter of Sir Thomas Tresham. Between 1661 and 1663 he was styled by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

''Lord Brudenell'', his father's subsidiary title.

Career

He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1663. Like most of his family, both Brudenells and Treshams, he was an adherent of

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. His father's devotion to that faith was so open that he was prosecuted regularly for

recusancy Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

. In 1613 the local justices of the peace remarked that only their personal regard for the Brudenell family had saved fourteen of them, including Robert's parents, from prison. His mother's family were deeply implicated in the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

. Robert himself and his eldest son Francis, as two of the most influential members of the Catholic nobility, inevitably became the target of informers, particularly William Bedloe, during the

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinat ...

: Robert retired to France for a time, while his son spent a year in prison.

Marriages and children

He married twice: *Firstly to Mary Constable, daughter of Henry Constable, 1st Viscount of Dunbar, by whom he had one daughter, Mary, who married

William Hay, 4th Earl of Kinnoull William Hay, 4th Earl of Kinnoull (died 28 March 1677) was a Scottish peer and soldier, loyal to King Charles I. He escaped twice from Edinburgh Castle. Biography He was the second son of George Hay, 2nd Earl of Kinnoull and Ann Douglas, daugh ...

; but died without issue. *Secondly he married Anna Savage (d. June 1696), a daughter of Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage of Rocksavage and Elizabeth Savage, Countess Rivers, by whom he had issue: **Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell (d. 1698), eldest son and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

, who predeceased his father, having married Frances Savile, a daughter of James Savile, 2nd Earl of Sussex, by whom he had two sons and three daughters: *** George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan, 2nd Baron Brudenell, (1685-1732), who succeeded his grandfather in the earldom; ***James Brudenell (died 1746); ***Lady Mary Brudenell, who married Richard Molyneux, 5th Viscount Molyneux; ***Lady Anne Brudenell, who married firstly Henry Belasyse, 2nd Baron Belasyse, and secondly

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox (29 July 167227 May 1723), of Goodwood House near Chichester in Sussex, was the youngest of the seven illegitimate sons of King Charles II, and was that king's only son by his French- ...

; *** Lady Frances Brudenell, who married firstly Charles Livingston, 2nd Earl of Newburgh, and secondly, Richard Bellew, 3rd Baron Bellew.

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company and publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John ...

''Peerage of England, Scotland and Ireland'', volume I (1790
page 108
/ref> **Lady Anna Brudenell, who married

Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury, 11th Earl of Waterford (1623 – 16 March 1668), was an England, English Peerage, peer who was a Royalist officer in the English Civil War. He survived the war only to be mortally wounded in a duel with the ...

. **Lady Catherine Brudenell, who married

Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton, Jacobite 1st Earl of Monmouth, PC (1649/1650 – 9 August 1719) was a Scottish and English politician who held several offices under Charles II and James II & VII. He served as Secretary of Stat ...

Death

He died in July 1703, aged 96, and was succeeded in the earldom by his grandson George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardigan, Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl Of 1607 births 1703 deaths

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

Earls of Cardigan