Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond

His Grace The Duke of Richmond and Lennox KG
Portrait bySir Godfrey Kneller
Tenure	9 August 1675 – 27 May 1723
Successor	Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
Other titles	1st Duke of Lennox (Scotland) 1st Earl of March (England) 1st Earl of Darnley (Scotland) 1st Baron Settrington (England) 1st Lord Torbolton (Scotland) 1st Duke of Aubigny (France)
Born	(1672-07-29)29 July 1672 London,England
Died	27 May 1723(1723-05-27)(aged 50) Sussex,England
Spouse(s)	Anne Brudenell
Issue	Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond Louisa Lennox(Countess of Berkeley) Anne Lennox(Countess of Albemarle)
Parents	KingCharles II of England Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth(mistress)

Arms of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox:Royal Arms of Charles IIthe whole withina bordure compony argent and gules charged with eight roses of the second barbed and seeded.

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of LennoxKG(29 July 1672 – 27 May 1723), ofGoodwood HousenearChichesterinSussex,was the youngest of the sevenillegitimatesons of KingCharles II,and was that king's only son by his French-bornmistressLouise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth.He was appointed Hereditary Constable ofInverness Castle.

On his mother's side, he was descended from the Seigneurs of the Château de Kéroual, a castle built in the 16th century in Kerouat-Bihan,Guilers,Finistère,Brittany,France,as well as the House of Plœuc and Kergorlay noble family ofBrittany.

Titles

Various titles became eligible for re-grant following the death in 1672 of King Charles II's childless 4th cousin (both being descended in the male line fromJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox,the paternal grandfather ofHenry Stewart, Lord Darnley,father of King James I of England)Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox(1639–1672),KG,12thSeigneur d'Aubignyin France, ofCobham Hallin Kent and ofRichmond HouseinWhitehall,London.

This Anglicisedbranch of the Scottish family of "Stewart ofDarnley"had been beloved by King James I & VI, whosefavouritehad been the Franco-ScottishEsmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox(1542–1583), 7thSeigneur d'Aubigny,his father's first cousin (and great-grandfather of the last in the male line Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox).

Thus, the Lennox and Richmond titles and the FrenchSeigneurie d'Aubigny(effectively thelordship of the manorof theChâteau d'AubignyinAubigny-sur-Nère) held special significance for the Stuart monarchs. Moreover, the titleEarl of Richmondhad merged into the crown on the accession to the throne in 1485 of King Henry VII, formerly Earl of Richmond, and the Scottish titleEarl of Lennoxhad merged into the crown of Great Britain, as King James I of England and VI of Scotland was effectively the 5th Earl of Lennox, being the heir of his paternal grandfatherMatthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox.

On 9 August 1675, King Charles II's illegitimate son (by Louise de Kérouaille) who had been given the surname "Lennox", was createdDuke of Richmond,Earl of March,andBaron Settringtonin thePeerage of England;and on 9 September 1675, he was createdDuke of Lennox,Earl of Darnley,andBaron Methuen of Torboltenin thePeerage of Scotland.He wasinvestedas aKnight of the Garteron 18 April 1681. In 1684,at the request of King Charles II, the French KingLouis XIVcreated Louise de Kérouaille "Duchesse d'Aubigny"in thePeerage of France,with remainder to her descendants.

As the 1st Duke predeceased his mother, he never held the French dukedom, which was however inherited by his son, the duchess's grandson. He was appointedLord High Admiral of Scotland,underreservationof thecommissiongranted toJames, Duke of Albany and York(later James VII), as Lord High Admiral for life. The appointment was therefore only effective between 1701 and 1705, when Lennox resigned all of his Scottish lands and offices.

He was Master of a Lodge inChichesterin 1696, and so was one of the few known seventeenth-centuryfreemasons.His son followed him into the Freemasons.

Marriage and issue

On 8 January 1692 he marriedAnne Brudenell(d. 9 December 1722), a daughter of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell (d. 1698), eldest son andheir apparentofRobert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan.By his wife he had issue one son and two daughters:

• Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 2nd Duke of Lennox, 2nd Duc d'Aubigny(1701–1750), son and heir, known during his father's lifetime by thecourtesy titleofEarl of March;
• Lady Louisa Lennox(Countess of Berkeley), who marriedJames Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley;
• Lady Anne Lennox(Countess of Albemarle), who marriedWillem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle.

By his mistress Jacqueline de Mézières he had a daughter, Renée Lennox (1709–1774), mistress of her half-first-cousinCharles Beauclerk, 2nd Duke of St Albans,the son and heir of the sixth illegitimate son of King Charles II (by his mistress Nell Gwyn).

Patron of cricket

He was apatronof the game ofcricket,then becoming a leading professional sport, and did much to develop it inSussex.It is almost certain that he was involved with the earliest known "great match", which took place in the 1697 season and was the first to be reported by the press. The report was in theForeign Postdated Wednesday, 7 July 1697:

"The middle of last week a great match at cricket was played in Sussex; there were eleven of a side, and they played for fiftyguineasapiece ".

The stakes on offer confirm the importance of the fixture and the fact that it was eleven-a-side suggests that two strong and well-balanced teams were assembled.No other details were given but the report provides evidence that cricket, in the form of "great matches" played for high stakes, was in vogue at the time. It was possibly an inter-county match: i.e., aSussex XIversusaKent XIor aSurrey XI.Richmond sponsored a team in the 1702 season against anArundelside.His sonCharles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmondinherited his interest in cricket and became the patron of bothSussex county cricket teamsandSlindon Cricket Club.

Death and burial

He died on 27 May 1723 and was buried on 7 June 1723 in theRichmond Chapel(Henry VII Chapel) ofWestminster Abbey,which chapel had been built by King Henry VII, formerly Earl of Richmond. His body was reinterred on 16 August 1750 in theLady ChapelofChichester Cathedralin Sussex.

Legacy

Richmond County, New York(coextensive withStaten Island), andRichmond County, Virginia,were named after Charles Lennox, whilst other US counties called "Richmond" were named after later Dukes.

Through his daughter,Anne,he is an ancestor ofQueen Camilla of the United Kingdomand through both Anne and his elder son of the lateDiana, Princess of Wales.

Arms

Coat of arms of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond

Coronet ACoronetof aDuke Crest On a chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a lion statant guardant Or crowned with a Ducal Coronet Gules and gorged with a Collar compony of four pieces Argent and Gules charged with two roses of the last; (Richmond crest with Lennox collar and coronet). Escutcheon The Royal Arms ofKing Charles II of England(viz. quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England quarterly; 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland); the whole within a Bordure compony Argent charged with Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper and the last. Supporters Dexter: A unicorn Argent armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a Collar company as the crest. Sinister: An antelope Argent, also armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a Collar company as the crest. Motto En la rose je fleuris(French:"Like the rose, I flourish" )

Bibliography

• McCann, Tim(2004).Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century.Sussex Record Society.

Further reading

• Late Baron di Bauvso, Malta. 1 January 2000.
• The Adami Collection – collection of Parish records of Marriages, legacy and nobility, National Library of Malta, vol 10, pp 1838.