Lord Charles FitzRoy (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
General
Lord Charles FitzRoy (17 July 1764 – 20 December 1829) was a British Army
officer and politician
.
FitzRoy was the second son of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
and his first wife, Anne, a daughter of Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth
. After education at Harrow School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, he entered the army in 1782 as an ensign
. In 1787, he was appointed a captain
in the Scots Guards
and an equerry
in 1788, to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
, under whom he served in Flanders
from 1793-4.
In 1795, FitzRoy was appointed an aide-de-camp
to King George III
with the rank of colonel
and promoted to major-general in 1798. From 1798-99, he served in Ireland
then in England
until 1809, commanding a battalion of the 60th Regiment of Foot from 1804-5. He was appointed colonel of the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
and lieutenant-general in 1805 and general
in 1814.
From 1787-96 and again from 1802–18, FitzRoy was Member of Parliament
for Bury St Edmunds
(though never actually spoke in the house
). He supported Pitt
and favoured abolitionism
and Catholic Emancipation
.
FitzRoy died at his house in Berkeley Square
, London
in 1829 and was buried at Wicken, Northamptonshire
.
who was the Governor of New South Wales, Governor of Prince Edward Island and Governor of Antigua.. After his wife's death, he married Lady Frances Stewart (d. 1810; the eldest daughter of Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry
) and they had three children:
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Lord Charles FitzRoy (17 July 1764 – 20 December 1829) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
FitzRoy was the second son of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC , styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era...
and his first wife, Anne, a daughter of Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth
Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth
Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth succeeded to the Baronetcy of Ravensworth Castle, and to the family estates and mining interests, at the age of fifteen, on the death of his grandfather in 1723...
. After education at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, he entered the army in 1782 as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
. In 1787, he was appointed a captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
and an equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
in 1788, to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
, under whom he served in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
from 1793-4.
In 1795, FitzRoy was appointed an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
with the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and promoted to major-general in 1798. From 1798-99, he served in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
then in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
until 1809, commanding a battalion of the 60th Regiment of Foot from 1804-5. He was appointed colonel of the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
-History:The regiment was first raised in 1741 as James Cholmondeley's Regiment of Foot in Norwich, England during the War of Austrian Succession. The regiment first saw action at the Battles of Falkirk and Culloden in 1745-1746, campaigning against the Young Pretender. In 1748, it was renumbered...
and lieutenant-general in 1805 and general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in 1814.
From 1787-96 and again from 1802–18, FitzRoy was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury St Edmunds is a county constituency located in Suffolk and centred on the town of Bury St Edmunds. It elects one Member of Parliament to in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
(though never actually spoke in the house
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
). He supported Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
and favoured abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
.
FitzRoy died at his house in Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1829 and was buried at Wicken, Northamptonshire
Wicken, Northamptonshire
Wicken is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is about one mile north of the A422 road between Milton Keynes and Buckingham and forms part of South Northamptonshire district...
.
Family
On 20 June 1795, FitzRoy married Frances Mundy (d. 1797; the daughter of Edward Miller Mundy, MP) and they had one son, Sir Charles FitzRoyCharles Augustus FitzRoy
Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB was a British military officer, politician and member of the aristocracy, who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century.-Family and peerage:...
who was the Governor of New South Wales, Governor of Prince Edward Island and Governor of Antigua.. After his wife's death, he married Lady Frances Stewart (d. 1810; the eldest daughter of Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry
Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry
Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry PC , was an Irish politician and landowner, the father of politician Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh.-Early life in Dublin:...
) and they had three children:
- George FitzRoy (c.1800-1882), British Army officer.
- RobertRobert FitzRoyVice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
(1805–1865), hydrographer. - Frances (d. 1878), married George Rice-Trevor, 4th Baron DynevorGeorge Rice-Trevor, 4th Baron DynevorGeorge Rice-Trevor, 4th Baron Dynevor was a British peer. He was the son of George Talbot Rice, 3rd Baron Dynevor....
.