Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Lee, Lady Baltimore (13 March 1678 Old Style – 22 January 1721 Old Style), was an English noblewoman, being the granddaughter of King Charles II of England
and his mistress Barbara Villiers. She married firstly in 1699, Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, from whom she separated in 1705; and later she married Christopher Crowe. She was the mother of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
. The famous Lee
family of Virginia
, which included General Robert E. Lee
, descends from Charlotte.
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, 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.
and Jane Lowe, by whom she had six children.
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 her husband had separated 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 to Christopher Crowe were:
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.
Her many descendants included General Robert E. Lee
, British Prime Minister
Sir Anthony Eden
, and George Washington Parke Custis
, the step-grandson and adopted son of American President George Washington
.
's historical romance Devil Water.
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...
and his mistress Barbara Villiers. She married firstly in 1699, Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, from whom she separated in 1705; and later she married Christopher Crowe. She was the mother of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
. The famous Lee
Lee (surname)
This is a list of persons with the surname Lee.-A:* Alan Lee , Irish footballer for Crystal Palace F.C.* Albert Lee, English guitarist* Amy Lee, American singer...
family of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, which included General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, descends from Charlotte.
Family and lineage
Lady Charlotte Lee was born on 13 March 1678 at St. James's ParkSt. James's Park
St. James's Park is a 23 hectare park in the City of Westminster, central London - the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St. James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less.- Geographical location :St. James's...
, St. James, 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...
. 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
Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield
Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield , formerly Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, was the illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England by one of his most notorious mistresses, Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland-Family:She was the fourth child and second daughter of Barbara Palmer née Villiers,...
(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.
Marriages and children
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 BaltimoreCharles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor and 6th and 9th Proprietary Governor of Maryland , inherited the colony in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his father's Deputy Governor since 1661 when he arrived in the colony at the age of 24...
and Jane Lowe, by whom she had six children.
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
Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....
of the Province of Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
had been lost to the third Baron during the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and would be restored to Charles Calvert, the son of Charlotte and Benedict, upon the latter's death on 16 April 1715.
Charlotte and her husband had separated in 1705.
She married her second husband Christopher Crowe (c.1681 – 9 November 1749), Consul of Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, sometime before 10 December 1719. Charlotte was three years her husband's senior. This marriage produced four more children.
Issue
Charlotte's six children from her first marriage to Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore, were:- Charles Calvert, 5th Baron BaltimoreCharles Calvert, 5th Baron BaltimoreCharles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, 18th Proprietor Governor of MarylandProvince of MarylandThe Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
, 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 BaltimoreFrederick Calvert, 6th Baron BaltimoreFrederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, 4th Proprietor of Maryland was an English nobleman and last in the line of Barons Baltimore...
, Louisa Calvert, and Caroline Calvert. He also had an illegitimate son, by the name of Benedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
, who settled in Maryland, and married Elizabeth Calvert, by whom he had issue - Hon. Benedict Leonard CalvertBenedict Leonard CalvertThe Hon. Benedict Leonard Calvert was the 15th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1727 through 1731, appointed by his older brother, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore . He was named after his father, Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore...
, Governor of MarylandGovernor of MarylandThe Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
, (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 MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, 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)
Charlotte's four children from her second marriage to Christopher Crowe were:
- 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
Charlotte Lee died of rheumatismRheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
on 22 January 1721 at Woodford Hall, Woodford, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. She was buried at Woodford on 29 January 1721. She died intestate and her estate was administered on 4 March 1721 at Woodford Hall.
Her many descendants included General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, British Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Sir Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, and George Washington Parke Custis
George Washington Parke Custis
George Washington Parke Custis , the step-grandson of United States President George Washington, was a nineteenth-century American writer, orator, and agricultural reformer.-Family:...
, the step-grandson and adopted son of American President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
In fiction
Charlotte Lee appears as a minor character in Anya SetonAnya Seton
Anya Seton was the pen name of Ann Seton, an American author of historical romances.-Biography:...
's historical romance Devil Water.
Ancestry
Sources
- G.E. Cokayne, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extanct, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910–1959)
- Antonia Fraser, King Charles II, Weidenfeld and Nicolson Ltd., London, 1979