Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton
Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton (25 June 1737 – 21 March 1797) was a British statesman and soldier.
The second son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy and a grandson of the 2nd Duke of Grafton, FitzRoy joined the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards as an ensign in 1752. He fought at the Battles of Minden and Kirchdenkern during the Seven Years' War and rose to the ranks of Captain in 1756 and Lieutenant-Colonel in 1758.
He was a Groom of the Bedchamber from 1760–62 and Whig MP (later Tory from 1770–83 and thereafter a Whig again) for Orford from 1759–61, for Bury St Edmunds from 1761–74 and for Thetford from 1774-80. On leaving the post of Queen Charlotte's Vice-Chamberlain in 1780 (a post he had held since 1768), he was created Baron Southampton on 17 October 1780[1] and was succeeded by his eldest son, George, upon his death in 1797.
Family
On 27 July 1758, FitzRoy married Anne Warren, the daughter and co-heir of Adml. Sir Peter Warren and a descendant of the Schuyler family, the Van Cortlandt family, and the Delancey family, all from British North America. They later had eleven children, among which:
- George FitzRoy, 2nd Baron Southampton;
- Charles FitzRoy (5 September 1762 — 18 October 1831), romantically linked to King George III's daughter Princess Amelia;
- Hon. Henry FitzRoy (13 September 1765 — 19 March 1794), married Lady Anne Wesley;
- Hon. Georgiana FitzRoy, married William Ponsonby.
- Lt.-Gen. William FitzRoy (12 December 1773 – 19 June 1837), married firstly a daughter of Sir Simon Clarke, 7th Baronet and secondly his cousin, a daughter of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton[2]
References
Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Fitzroy, Charles (1737-1797)". Dictionary of National Biography. 19. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 12122. p. 2. 26 September 1780.
- ↑ "Obituary - Lt.-Gen. FitzRoy. - Gen. Sir H. T. Montresor". The Gentleman's Magazine. 8: 313. 1837. Retrieved 11 July 2015.