Title Duke of Richmond Died May 27, 1723, Sussex | Name Charles 1st | |
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Born 29 July 1672London, England ( 1672-07-29 ) Tenure 9 August 1675 – 27 May 1723 Other titles 1st Duke of Lennox1st Duke of Aubigny (France)1st Earl of March1st Earl of Darnley1st Baron Settrington1st Lord TorboltonHereditary Constable of Inverness Castle Successor Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke Spouse(s) Anne Belasyse (nee Brudenell) Issue Louisa LennoxCharles LennoxAnne Lennox Children Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, Anne van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle Parents Louise de Kerouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, Charles II of England Grandparents Charles I of England, Henrietta Maria of France Grandchildren Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster Similar Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond | ||
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Aubigny (29 July 1672 – 27 May 1723) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and his mistress Louise de Kerouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth.
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Life
Lennox was created Duke of Richmond, Earl of March and Baron Settrington in the Peerage of England on 9 August 1675 and Duke of Lennox, Earl of Darnley and Lord Torbolton in the Peerage of Scotland on 9 September 1675, and was invested as a Knight of the Garter in 1681. He was appointed Lord High Admiral of Scotland, under reservation of the commission granted to James, 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 his Scottish lands and offices.
It appears that he was Master of a Lodge in Chichester in 1696, and so was one of the few known seventeenth century freemasons.
Family
He was married to Anne Brudenell (d. 9 December 1722), daughter of Francis, Baron Brudenell on 8 January 1692; with whom he had three children:
By his mistress Jacqueline de Mezieres:
He is an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Sarah, Duchess of York.
Cricket
Richmond was a patron of cricket, then becoming a major professional sport, and did much to develop it in Sussex. It is almost certain that he was involved with the earliest known major cricket match which took place in the 1697 season and was the first to be reported by the press. The report was in the Foreign Post dated 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 fifty guineas apiece".
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 real evidence to support the view that top class 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., a Sussex XI versus a Kent XI or a Surrey XI. Richmond sponsored a team in the 1702 season against an Arundel side. His son Charles, the 2nd Duke, inherited his interest in cricket and became the patron of both Sussex county cricket teams and Slindon Cricket Club.