Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle KG
, KCB
, PC, ADC
(5 June 1702 – 22 December 1754) was a British
diplomat
and an American
colonist.
Willem was born on 5 June 1702 at Whitehall Palace, London, the son of the 1st Earl of Albemarle and was baptised on 16 June 1702 in St Martin-in-the-Fields
with Queen Anne
as one of his godparents.
On 21 February 1722, he married Lady Anne Lennox
, a daughter of the 1st Duke of Richmond
(and a granddaughter of King Charles II
through an illegitimate line), at Caversham
, Oxfordshire
(now Berkshire
) and they had six children:
Willem fought in the Battle of Dettingen
in 1743, was Colonel of the 29th Regiment of Foot
1731–1733 and Coldstream Guards
from 1744 and 1754, fighting in the Battle of Fontenoy
in 1745 and the Battle of Culloden
in 1746.
From 1722–1751 he was a Lord of the Bedchamber
to George I, and Groom of the Stole
1751–1754. In 1725 he was made a Knight of the Bath
(KCB) but resigned that honour in 1750 to become a Knight of the Garter
. At its creation in 1739, he was a founding Governor of the Foundling Hospital
in London. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1751.
He died on 22 December 1754, aged 52 in Paris, France and was buried on 21 February 1755 in Grosvenor Chapel
on South Audley Street, London. Nancy Mitford
remarks that given his love of all things French, it was perhaps a blessing that he died before the Seven Years War broke out. The French in turn admired his love of life- " Albemarle aimait son plaisir "- and his wit- when a rapacious mistress admired the beauty of the stars he replied that unfortunately he was unable to buy them for her.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, PC, ADC
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...
(5 June 1702 – 22 December 1754) was a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and an American
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
colonist.
Willem was born on 5 June 1702 at Whitehall Palace, London, the son of the 1st Earl of Albemarle and was baptised on 16 June 1702 in St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Its patron is Saint Martin of Tours.-Roman era:Excavations at the site in 2006 led to the discovery of a grave dated about 410...
with Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
as one of his godparents.
On 21 February 1722, he married Lady Anne Lennox
Anne van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle
Anne van Keppel was born Lady Anne Lennox, the daughter of the 1st Duke of Richmond and Anne Brudenell...
, a daughter of the 1st Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Aubigny was the illegitimate son of Charles II of England and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth....
(and a granddaughter 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...
through an illegitimate line), at Caversham
Caversham, Berkshire
Caversham is a suburb and former village in the unitary authority of Reading, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, within the royal county of Berkshire, on the opposite bank from the rest of Reading...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
(now Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
) and they had six children:
- George Keppel, 3rd Earl of AlbemarleGeorge Keppel, 3rd Earl of AlbemarleGeneral George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle KG PC , styled Viscount Bury until 1754, was a British soldier nobleman best known for his capture of Havana in 1762 during the Seven Years' War.-Early life:...
(1724–1772) - Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount KeppelAugustus Keppel, 1st Viscount KeppelAdmiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence...
(1725–1786) - Lt.-Gen. Hon. William KeppelWilliam Keppel (general)Lieutenant-General William Keppel was a British soldier, the third son of Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle.-Military career:...
(1727–1782) - Rt. Rev. Hon. Frederick KeppelFrederick KeppelFrederick Keppel , styled The Honourable from birth, was a British clergyman.-Background:Keppel was the fifth and fourth surviving son of Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle and his wife Lady Anne Lennox, daughter of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond...
(1728–1777) - Lady Caroline Keppel (1734–?), who married Robert Adair
- Lady Elizabeth Keppel (1739–1768), who married Francis Russell, Marquess of TavistockFrancis Russell, Marquess of TavistockFrancis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock was a British politician and the eldest son of the 4th Duke of Bedford....
Willem fought in the Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dettingen
The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle...
in 1743, was Colonel of the 29th Regiment of Foot
29th Regiment of Foot
The 29th Regiment of Foot was, from 1694 to 1881, an infantry regiment of the British Army. It now forms part of the Mercian Regiment.-Formation:...
1731–1733 and Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
from 1744 and 1754, fighting in the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
in 1745 and the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746.
From 1722–1751 he was a Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to George I, and Groom of the Stole
Groom of the Stole
Groom of the Stole in the British Royal Household is a position dating from the Stuart era but which evolved from the earlier Groom of the Stool, an office in existence until the accession of Elizabeth I. The original nomenclature derived from the chair used in the performance of the function...
1751–1754. In 1725 he was made a Knight of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(KCB) but resigned that honour in 1750 to become a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. At its creation in 1739, he was a founding Governor of the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
in London. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1751.
He died on 22 December 1754, aged 52 in Paris, France and was buried on 21 February 1755 in Grosvenor Chapel
Grosvenor Chapel
Grosvenor Chapel, is an Anglican church in what is now the City of Westminster, England, built in 1730s it inspired many churches in New England...
on South Audley Street, London. Nancy Mitford
Nancy Mitford
Nancy Freeman-Mitford, CBE , styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years...
remarks that given his love of all things French, it was perhaps a blessing that he died before the Seven Years War broke out. The French in turn admired his love of life- " Albemarle aimait son plaisir "- and his wit- when a rapacious mistress admired the beauty of the stars he replied that unfortunately he was unable to buy them for her.