Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore

Updated on Jan 06, 2024

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Mother Lady Charlotte Fitzroy Name Charlotte Lady		Religion Anglican Grandchildren Benedict Swingate Calvert

Noble family Lee House of Stuart (distaff) Father Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield Died January 22, 1721, Essex, United Kingdom Spouse Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Balti (m. 1699) Children Benedict Leonard Calvert, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Balti Parents Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield, Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield Similar People Benedict Leonard Calvert, Charlotte Lee - Countess, Barbara Palmer - 1st Duchess, Charles II of England, Robert II of Scotland

Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore (13 March 1678 Old Style – 22 January 1721 Old Style), was an English noblewoman, and granddaughter of King Charles II of England and his mistress Barbara Villiers. She married in 1699, Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, from whom she separated in 1705; and later, married Christopher Crowe. She was the mother of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, and of Benedict Leonard Calvert, who was Governor of Maryland, from 1727–1731.

Early life

Lady Charlotte Lee was born on 13 March 1678 at St. James's Park, St. James, London. She was the eldest of at least fourteen children of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield (4 February 1663 – 14 July 1716) and Lady Charlotte Fitzroy (5 September 1664 – 17 February 1718), illegitimate daughter of King Charles II by his mistress Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine, Duchess of Cleveland.

Lady Charlotte's mother was thirteen years old at the time of her birth, having married the Earl of Lichfield at the age of twelve.

Her paternal grandparents were Sir Francis Henry Lee of Ditchley, 4th Baronet of Quarendon and Elizabeth Pope, daughter of Thomas Pope, 2nd Earl of Downe.

Marriage to Lord Baltimore

On 2 January 1699, at the age of twenty, she married her first husband Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore (21 March 1679 – 16 April 1715), son of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore and Jane Lowe.

Charlotte assumed the title of Lady Baltimore in February 1715, when her husband succeeded to the title of 4th Baron Baltimore upon the death of his father, the third Baron. The title of Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland had been lost to the third Baron during the Glorious Revolution and would be restored to Charles Calvert, the son of Charlotte and Benedict, upon the latter's death on 16 April 1715.

Charlotte and Lord Baltimore had six children:

Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 18th Proprietor Governor of Maryland, FRS (29 September 1699 – 24 April 1751), married Mary Janssen, daughter of Sir Theodore Janssen, 1st Baronet Janssen and Williamsa Henley, by whom he had three children, including Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, Louisa Calvert, and Caroline Calvert. He also had an illegitimate son, by the name of Benedict Swingate Calvert, who settled in Maryland, and married Elizabeth Calvert, by whom he had issue

Hon. Benedict Leonard Calvert, Governor of Maryland, (1727–1731). He died 1 June 1732 on his passage home to England

Hon. Edward Henry Calvert (born ca. 1700), held office of Commissary General and President of the council of Maryland, was married without issue.

Hon. Charlotte Calvert (died December 1744), married Thomas Breerwood, by whom she had a son, Francis Breerwood

Hon. Jane Calvert (died July 1778), married John Hyde, by whom she had issue John Hyde, Henry Hyde and Mary Calvert Hyde, wife of George Mitchell and mother of George Calvert Mitchell, 1st Earl of Royalton

Hon. Cecil Calvert (born 1702)

Marriage to Christopher Crowe

Charlotte and Lord Baltimore were divorced in 1705.

She married her second husband Christopher Crowe (c.1681 – 9 November 1749), Consul of Livorno, sometime before 10 December 1719. Charlotte was three years her husband's senior. This marriage produced four more children.

Charlotte's four children from her second marriage:

Christopher Crowe (1716–1776), married Barbara Duncombe

Catherine Crowe (1717 – ?), married Roger Henry Gale

Charlotte Crowe (1718–1742)

George Crowe (25 November 1719 – 10 October 1782), married Anne Swift, by whom he had a son Robert

Death and legacy

Charlotte Lee died of rheumatism on 22 January 1721 at Woodford Hall, Woodford, Essex. She was buried at Woodford on 29 January 1721. She died intestate and her estate was administered on 4 March 1721 at Woodford Hall.

In fiction

Charlotte Lee appears as a minor character in Anya Seton's historical romance Devil Water.

References

Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore Wikipedia

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