Charles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans

Charles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans, KG KB (6 April 1696 – 27 July 1751) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1718 until 1726 when he succeeded to a peerage as Duke of St Albans. He was an illegitimate grandson of King Charles II.

The Duke of St Albans
Arms of Charles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans: Arms of 1st Duke of St Albans (royal arms of King Charles II debruised by a baton sinister gules charged with three roses argent (Lennox)) quartering de Vere
Member of the Great Britain Parliament
for Bodmin
In office
1718–1722
Serving with John Legh (1715–1722)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Member of the Great Britain Parliament
for Windsor
In office
1722–1726
Serving with The Earl of Inchiquin (1722–1727)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born(1696-04-06)6 April 1696
Died27 July 1751(1751-07-27) (aged 55)
London, England
Resting placeWestminster Abbey
Spouse
Lucy Werden
(m. 1722)
ChildrenGeorge Beauclerk, 3rd Duke of St Albans
Lady Diana Barrington
Diane Beauclerk-Lennox
Suzanne Beauclerk
Parents

Origins

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He was the son and heir of Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans by his wife Diana de Vere, daughter and sole heiress[1] of Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford. His paternal grandparents were King Charles II of England and his mistress Nell Gwynne.[2] He was styled Earl of Burford until 1726.

Career

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He was educated at Eton College from 1706 and matriculated at New College, Oxford on 24 April 1714.[3] From 1716 to 1717 he undertook a Grand Tour in Italy.[4]

He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Bodmin, Cornwall, at a by-election on 26 February 1718. At the 1722 general election he was returned as an MP for Windsor. He sat until 1726 when on the death of his father he succeeded to the peerage and vacated his seat in the House of Commons. He was appointed Master of the Hawks in 1726 which office he held until his death. He was Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire from 1727 to his death. In 1730 he was appointed Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and Warden of Windsor Forest. He was appointed Lord of the Bedchamber in 1738 and held the position until his death. He was High Steward of Windsor.[4]

Marriage and children

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On 13 December 1722 he married Lucy Werden [5] the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Werden, 2nd Baronet, with whom he had two children:

Mistresses

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With his mistress and first-cousin Renee Lennox (1709–1774), illegitimate daughter of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond (himself an illegitimate son of Charles II of England), he had a daughter:

  • Diane Beauclerk-Lennox (1727–?); became the mistress of Baron Alessandro Mompalao Cuzkeri.

With his mistress Marie-Françoise de la Rochefoucauld, daughter of Casimir-Jean Charles, Lord of Fontpastour and Chey, he had a daughter:

Death and burial

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Beauclerk died in 1751, aged 55 in London, and was interred in Westminster Abbey.

References

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  1. ^ Her other sisters died unmarried
  2. ^ Thepeerage.com - C Beauclerk, 1st Duke
  3. ^ "'Barrowby-Benn', in Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714, ed. Joseph Foster (Oxford, 1891), pp. 79-105". British History Online. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b "BEAUCLERK, Charles, Earl of Burford (1696-1751)". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Portrait of a lady, possibly Lucy Duchess of St Albans". Archived from the original on 15 February 2013.
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Bodmin
1718–1722
With: John Legh 1715–1722
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Windsor
1722–1726
With: The Earl of Inchiquin 1722–1727
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
New office
Master of the Horse to Queen Caroline
1727
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
1727–1751
Succeeded by
Preceded by Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle
1730–1751
Succeeded by
Peerage of England
Preceded by Duke of St Albans
1726–1751
Succeeded by