Duke of Grafton
Encyclopedia
Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England
. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England
for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy
. The most famous duke was probably Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
, who served as Prime Minister in the 1760s.
The Duke of Grafton holds three subsidiary titles, all created in 1672 in the Peerage of England: Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich, and Baron Sudbury. Between 1723 and 1936 the Dukes, being descended from the 1st Duke's wife Isabella FitzRoy, 2nd Countess of Arlington
, also held the titles Earl of Arlington, Viscount Thetford and Baron Arlington
. Those titles fell into abeyance between the 9th Duke's sisters, with the abeyance of barony Arlington being ended in 1999.
The title of the Dukedom refers to the Honour of Grafton
in the south east of Northamptonshire
, the titular village now being called Grafton Regis
. The family seat is Euston Hall
in Suffolk
.
The Duke's eldest son is styled with the courtesy title
Earl of Euston, and the eldest son of the Earl with the title Viscount Ipswich.
The heir presumptive is the current duke's uncle, Lord Charles FitzRoy (b. 1957).
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England
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...
for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton KG was the illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine....
. The most famous duke was probably 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...
, who served as Prime Minister in the 1760s.
The Duke of Grafton holds three subsidiary titles, all created in 1672 in the Peerage of England: Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich, and Baron Sudbury. Between 1723 and 1936 the Dukes, being descended from the 1st Duke's wife Isabella FitzRoy, 2nd Countess of Arlington
Isabella FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton
Isabella Bennet FitzRoy, 2nd Countess of Arlington and Duchess of Grafton was a British peeress and heiress.-Family and marriage:...
, also held the titles Earl of Arlington, Viscount Thetford and Baron Arlington
Baron Arlington
Baron Arlington is a title in the Peerage of England. In 1664, it was created for Sir Henry Bennet, younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston, with a special remainder allowing it to descend to male and female heirs, rather than only male heirs, as was customary with most peerages...
. Those titles fell into abeyance between the 9th Duke's sisters, with the abeyance of barony Arlington being ended in 1999.
The title of the Dukedom refers to the Honour of Grafton
Honour of Grafton
The Honour of Grafton is a collection of manors in the south east of Northamptonshire, England. The Honour is historic, dating back at least as far as 1542 when a bill for its management was before parliament....
in the south east of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, the titular village now being called Grafton Regis
Grafton Regis
Grafton Regis is a village and civil parish in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The village is east of the A508 road, on which it has a short frontage and two bus stops. It is ca. south of Northampton and north of Milton Keynes....
. The family seat is Euston Hall
Euston Hall
Euston Hall is a country house, with park by William Kent and Capability Brown located in Euston, small village located just south of Thetford in Suffolk, England. It is the family home of the Dukes of Grafton....
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
The Duke's eldest son is styled with the courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
Earl of Euston, and the eldest son of the Earl with the title Viscount Ipswich.
Dukes of Grafton (1675)
- Other titles (all): Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich and Baron Sudbury (1672)
- Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of GraftonHenry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of GraftonHenry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton KG was the illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine....
(1663–1690), second illegitimate son of Charles IICharles II of EnglandCharles 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 the Duchess of Cleveland
- Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton
- Other titles (2nd–9th Dukes): Earl of Arlington and Viscount Thetford (1672), Baron ArlingtonBaron ArlingtonBaron Arlington is a title in the Peerage of England. In 1664, it was created for Sir Henry Bennet, younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston, with a special remainder allowing it to descend to male and female heirs, rather than only male heirs, as was customary with most peerages...
(1664), Baron ArlingtonBaron ArlingtonBaron Arlington is a title in the Peerage of England. In 1664, it was created for Sir Henry Bennet, younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston, with a special remainder allowing it to descend to male and female heirs, rather than only male heirs, as was customary with most peerages...
(1672)- Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of GraftonCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of GraftonCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton KG PC was an Irish and English politician.He was born the only child of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton and Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington...
(1683–1757), only son of the 1st Duke- Charles FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1714–1715), eldest son of the 2nd Duke, died young
- George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1715–1747), second son of the 2nd Duke, predeceased his father without issue
- Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of GraftonAugustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of GraftonAugustus 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...
(1735–1811), eldest son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, third son of the 2nd Duke - George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of GraftonGeorge FitzRoy, 4th Duke of GraftonGeorge Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, KG was a British peer and Whig politician, known as Earl of Euston from birth until 1811....
(1760–1844), eldest son of the 3rd Duke - Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of GraftonHenry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of GraftonHenry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton was the son of George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton and Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave, daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave....
(1790–1863), eldest son of the 4th Duke - William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of GraftonWilliam FitzRoy, 6th Duke of GraftonWilliam Henry Fitzroy, 6th Duke of Grafton , known from 1847 to 1863 by his courtesy title Earl of Euston, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician....
(1819–1882), eldest son of the 5th Duke, died without issue - Augustus FitzRoy, 7th Duke of GraftonAugustus FitzRoy, 7th Duke of GraftonAugustus Charles Lennox FitzRoy, 7th Duke of Grafton KG CB , known as Lord Augustus FitzRoy before 1882, was the second son of the 5th Duke of Grafton and his wife, Mary Caroline, daughter of Admiral the Hon Sir George Cranfield-Berkeley.On 9 June 1847, he married Anna Balfour and had four...
(1821–1918), second son of the 5th Duke- Henry FitzRoy, Earl of EustonHenry FitzRoy, Earl of EustonHenry James FitzRoy, Earl of Euston DL was the eldest son and heir of Augustus FitzRoy, 7th Duke of Grafton.Euston married Kate Walsh, daughter of John Walsh, on 29 May 1871 at St. Michael's Church, Worcester. His wife died in 1903, nine years before him. They had no children...
(1848–1912), eldest son of the 7th Duke, predeceased his father without issue
- Henry FitzRoy, Earl of Euston
- Alfred FitzRoy, 8th Duke of GraftonAlfred FitzRoy, 8th Duke of GraftonAlfred William Maitland FitzRoy, 8th Duke of Grafton , styled Lord Alfred FitzRoy between 1882 and 1912 and Earl of Euston between 1912 and 1918, was the son of the 7th Duke of Grafton and his wife Anna Balfour, daughter of James Balfour [and aunt of Arthur Balfour].He married, firstly, Margaret...
(1850–1930), second son of the 7th Duke- William FitzRoy, Viscount Ipswich (1884–1918), only son of the 8th Duke, predeceased both his father and grandfather
- John FitzRoy, 9th Duke of GraftonJohn FitzRoy, 9th Duke of GraftonJohn Charles William Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton was a British peer, known from 1914-30 as Lord Sudbury....
(1914–1936), only son of Lord Ipswich, died unmarried - Charles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of GraftonCharles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of GraftonCharles Alfred Euston FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton was a soldier and farmer.Charles was born at Euston Hall near Thetford, the eldest son of the Reverend Lord Charles Edward FitzRoy and of his wife Ismay FitzRoy, daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton...
(1892–1970), eldest son of the Rev. Lord Charles FitzRoy, third and youngest son of the 7th Duke - Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of GraftonHugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of GraftonHugh Denis Charles FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton, was the son of Charles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton, and his first wife Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton, second daughter of Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton. He was known until 1970 as the Earl of Euston.-Biography:He was born in 1919 in...
(1919–2011), eldest son of the 10th Duke- James FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1947–2009), eldest son of the 11th Duke, predeceased his father in 2009
- Henry FitzRoy, 12th Duke of GraftonHenry FitzRoy, 12th Duke of GraftonHenry Oliver Charles FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton is an English peer. He inherited the Dukedom of Grafton from his grandfather, the 11th Duke, on 7 April 2011.-Biography:...
(b. 1978), only son of Lord Euston
- Henry FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton
- James FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1947–2009), eldest son of the 11th Duke, predeceased his father in 2009
- Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton
The heir presumptive is the current duke's uncle, Lord Charles FitzRoy (b. 1957).
Line of Sucession
- Lord Charles Patrick Hugh FitzRoy (b. 1957), second and youngest son of the 11th Duke
- Nicholas Augustus Charles FitzRoy (b. 1991), eldest son of Lord Charles
- George FitzRoy (b. 1993), second and youngest son of Lord Charles
- Michael Robert Charles FitzRoy (b. 1958), only son of Lord Edward Anthony Charles FitzRoy, third son of the 10th Duke
- Edwin FitzRoy (b. 1992), only son of Michael FitzRoy
- Felix Rudolf FitzRoy (b. 1938), great-great-grandson of Admiral Lord William FitzRoy, fourth and youngest son of the 3rd Duke
- James Francis Stuart FitzRoy (b. 1986), only son of Felix FitzRoy
- Charles James FitzRoy, 6th Baron SouthamptonBaron SouthamptonBaron Southampton, of Southampton in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1780 for the soldier and politician Charles FitzRoy. He was the third son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, second son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, while Prime Minister...
(b. 1928), great-great-great-great-grandson of Capt. Lord Augustus FitzRoy, fourth son of the 2nd Duke - Hon. Edward Charles FitzRoy (b. 1955), second son of Lord Southampton
- Charles Edward Millett FitzRoy (b. 1983), only son of Edward FitzRoy
- Hon. Charles James FitzRoy (b. 1998), third and youngest son of Lord Southampton
- James Edward FitzRoy Newdegate, 4th Viscount Daventry (b. 1960), second cousin once removed of Lord Southampton and great-great-grandson of Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron SouthamptonCharles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron SouthamptonCharles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton was a British peer.The son of George FitzRoy, 2nd Baron Southampton, he succeeded his father in 1810. On 23 February 1826, he married Harriet Stanhope, granddaughter of William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington; they had no children...
- Hon. Humphrey John FitzRoy Newdegate (b. 1995), only son of Lord Daventry
- Allan Wentworth Stewart-FitzRoy (b. 1935), fourth cousin once removed of Lord Southampton and great-great-great-great-grandson of Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron SouthamptonCharles FitzRoy, 1st Baron SouthamptonCharles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton was a British statesman and soldier.The second son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy and a grandson of the 2nd Duke of Grafton, FitzRoy joined the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards as an ensign in 1752...
- Douglas James FitzFlaad Stewart-FitzRoy (b. 1943), younger brother of Allan Stewart-FitzRoy
- Roderick Charles Stewart-FitzRoy (b. 1947), younger brother of Allan and Douglas Stewart-FitzRoy
- James Stewart-FitzRoy (b. 1973), only son of Roderick Stewart-FitzRoy
Further reading
- Falk, Bernard. The Royal Fitz Roys; Dukes of Grafton through Four Centuries. Hutchinson, 1950.
See also
- Viscount DaventryViscount DaventryViscount Daventry, of Daventry in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 May 1943 for Muriel FitzRoy , in honour of her late husband, the Hon. Edward FitzRoy, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1928 until his death in 1943...
- Baron SouthamptonBaron SouthamptonBaron Southampton, of Southampton in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1780 for the soldier and politician Charles FitzRoy. He was the third son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, second son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, while Prime Minister...