Rear-Admiral Charles James FitzGerald, 1st Baron Lecale PC (Ire)

Privy Council of Ireland

The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...

 (30 June 1756 – 18 February 1810), styled Lord Charles FitzGerald between 1761 and 1800, was an Irish naval commander and politician.

Background

FitzGerald was the third son of James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster

James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster

Lieutenant-General James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, etc. PC , styled Lord Offaly until 1744 and known as The Earl of Kildare between 1744 and 1761 and as The Marquess of Kildare between 1761 and 1766, was an Irish nobleman, soldier and politician.-Background:Leinster was the son of Robert...

, and Lady Emily

Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster

Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster , known before 1747 as Lady Emily Lennox, from 1747 to 1761 as The Countess of Kildare and from 1761 to 1766 as The Marchioness of Kildare, was the second of the famous Lennox sisters, daughters of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and illegitimately...

, daughter of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond

Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond

The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...

 and the second of the famous Lennox Sisters

Lennox Sisters

The Lennox sisters were the daughters of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond in the Peerage of England and 2nd Duke of Lennox in the Peerage of Scotland, and Lady Sarah Cadogan , daughter of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan.-Ancestry:...

. He was the brother of William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster

William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster

William Robert FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster, etc. KP, PC was an Irish liberal politician and landowner. He was born in London.-Career:...

, Lord Henry FitzGerald

Lord Henry FitzGerald

Lord Henry FitzGerald PC was the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster . A younger brother was the revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald.-Life:...

 and Lord Edward FitzGerald

Lord Edward FitzGerald

Lord Edward FitzGerald was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary. He was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster , he was born at Carton House, near Dublin, and died of wounds received in resisting arrest on charge of treason.-Early years:FitzGerald spent most of his...

. Through his mother he was a great-great-grandson of King Charles II

Charles II of England

Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

.

Political and naval career

FitzGerald sat as a 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,...

 (MP) in the Irish House of Commons

Irish House of Commons

The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...

 for Kildare County

Kildare County (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Kildare County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1801.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Kildare County was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...

 from 1776 to 1790, for Cavan Borough

Cavan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Cavan Borough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1611 to 1800.Between 1725 and 1793 Catholics and those married to Catholics could not vote.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...

 from 1790 to 1798 and for Ardfert

Ardfert (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Ardfert was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of Ireland until the Act of Union 1800.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:This constituency was based in the town of Ardfert in County Kerry.-History:...

 from 1798 to the Act of Union in 1801. He served as High Sheriff of Down

High Sheriff of Down

The High Sheriff of Down is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Down. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judicial importance, he has ceremonial and administrative...

 in 1783, a Commissioner of Customs between 1789 and 1792 and as Master-General of Ireland between 1792 and 1806. He also served in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 and was made a Rear-Admiral in 1790. In 1800 he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland

Peerage of Ireland

The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...

 as Baron Lecale, of Ardglass

Ardglass

Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea. It had a population of 1,668...

 in the County of Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

. He briefly represented Arundel

Arundel (UK Parliament constituency)

Arundel was twice a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The first incarnation strictly comprised the town centre of Arundel and was a borough constituency first enfranchised in 1332 and disfranchised in 1868 under the Reform...

 in the British House of Commons

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...

 between January and April 1807.

Family

Lord Lecale was twice married, the second time in London on 18 July 1808 to former Mrs. Julia Carton (died Courtlands, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, 6 May 1844), without issue. His only children, both illegitimate, were Henry FitzGerald, who died at sea, off Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located 80 kilometers west-north-west of Rome, across the Mignone river. The harbor is formed by two piers and a breakwater, on which is a lighthouse...

, on 14 September 1803, and Anna Maria FitzGerald.

Lecale died in Ardglass Castle

Ardglass Castle

Ardglass Castle is situated in Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland. 15th century Ardglass Castle was probably a row of warehouses. Large sections of the original building can still be seen within the modern club house of Ardglass Golf Club...

in February 1810, aged 53, when the barony became extinct.