Name Robert 4th Died November 3, 1776 | Role Politician | |
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Parents Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield Grandparents Charles II of England, Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland Great-grandparents Charles I of England, Henrietta Maria of France, William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison, Mary Bayning Similar People Charlotte Lee - Countess, Charles II of England, Barbara Palmer - 1st Duchess | ||
Robert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield (3 July 1706 – 3 November 1776) was an English politician and peer.
Contents
Life
An uncle of the 3rd Earl, George Henry Lee II, he was a son of Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford from 1754 to 1768, and considered a Tory.
Lee held the sinecure position of Custos Brevium of the Court of Common Pleas, in the royal gift. He died while hunting.
Family, and end of the line
In January 1748, Lee married Catherine Stonhouse (b. before 1730 – 8 March 1784), daughter of Sir John Stonhouse, 3rd Baronet, of Radley, co. Berks. The marriage was childless. Lee who died in 1776 was thus the last in the 2nd Creation Earl of Lichfield; the estate and title eventually reverted to his niece Lady Charlotte Lee, eldest surviving daughter of his brother, George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield.
In 1744 Charlotte had married Viscount Dillon. Their son Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon inherited the estate of Ditchley but not the title. Ditchley remained the home of the Viscounts Dillon until 1934.
Fresh creation
The title was created for a third time when Thomas Anson was created Earl of Lichfield in the 1831 coronation honors of William IV.