Duke of Somerset, from the county of Somerset, is a title that has been created five times in the peerage of England. It is particularly associated with two families: the Beauforts, who held the title from the creation of 1448, and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547, in whose name the title is still held. The present dukedom is unique, in that the first holder of the title created it for himself in his capacity of Lord Protector of the Kingdom of England, using a power granted in the will of his nephew King Edward VI.
Duke of Beaufort is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the Roses. The name Beaufort refers to a castle in Champagne, France. It is the only current dukedom to take its name from a place outside the British Isles.
Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, who served as Prime Minister from 1768–1770.
Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families.
Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of the ninth Duke, at which point the earldom passed to the most senior agnatic cousin, namely one of the 6th degree.
Baron Barnard, of Barnard Castle in the Bishopric of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1698 for Christopher Vane, who had previously served as a member of parliament for County Durham and Boroughbridge. Vane was the son of Sir Henry Vane the Younger and grandson of Sir Henry Vane the Elder. His grandson, the third Baron, notably served as Paymaster of the Forces and as Lord Lieutenant of County Durham. In 1754 he was created Viscount Barnard and Earl of Darlington, both in the County Palatine of Durham. Lord Darlington was the husband of Lady Grace FitzRoy, daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, the illegitimate son of King Charles II by his mistress Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland.
Baron Arlington is a title in the Peerage of England which was created, on 14 March 1665, for Sir Henry Bennet, younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston. In 1672, he was made Earl of Arlington and Viscount Thetford, and was regranted the title of Baron Arlington, with a special remainder allowing it to pass to both male and female descendants, rather than only heirs male, as was customary with most peerages. Its territorial designation is the birthplace of its first holder Harlington, London, which was also known as Arlington.
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The current title was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baron Pelham of Stanmer.
Viscount 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. The first Viscountess was the sister of Frank Douglas-Pennant, 5th Baron Penrhyn, whilst Edward FitzRoy was the second son of Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton, and a male-line descendant of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton. Lady Daventry was succeeded by her eldest son, the second Viscount. He was a captain in the Royal Navy. He was succeeded by his nephew, the third Viscount. His father had assumed the additional surname of Newdegate, which was that of his father-in-law. As of 2017 the title is held by his son, the fourth Viscount, who succeeded in 2000. As a male-line descendant of both the third Baron Southampton and the second Duke of Grafton, he is also in remainder to those peerages.
Baron Southampton, of Southampton in the County of Southampton, 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 Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton was his elder brother. Lord Southampton was also the great-great-grandson of King Charles II by his mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. The Southampton title had previously been created for Charles FitzRoy, eldest natural son of Charles II and the Duchess of Cleveland and the elder brother of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, but had become extinct in 1774 on the death of his son William FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland and 2nd Duke of Southampton, six years before the creation of the barony of Southampton.
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine, was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England, by whom she had five children, all of them acknowledged and subsequently ennobled. Barbara was the subject of many portraits, in particular by court painter Sir Peter Lely.
Charles Palmer, later Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton, KG, Chief Butler of England, styled Baron Limerick before 1670 and Earl of Southampton between 1670 and 1675 and known as The Duke of Southampton from 1675 until 1709 when he succeeded his mother to the dukedom of Cleveland.
Duke of Cleveland was a title that was created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The dukedoms were named after Cleveland in northern England.
Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset,, was the son of King Henry VIII of England and his mistress, Elizabeth Blount, and the only child born out of wedlock whom Henry VIII acknowledged. He was the younger half-brother of Queen Mary I, as well as the older half-brother of Queen Elizabeth I and King Edward VI. Through his mother, he was the elder half-brother of the 4th Baroness Tailboys of Kyme and of the 2nd and 3rd Barons Tailboys of Kyme. He was named FitzRoy, which is derived from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning "son of" and Roy, meaning "king". Denoting Henry as a son of the king.
Earl of Southampton was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of England.
Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland, KG, styled Viscount Barnard until 1792 and known as The Earl of Darlington between 1792 and 1827 and as The Marquess of Cleveland between 1827 and 1833, was a British landowner, slave holder and politician.
General Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War and a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1759 to 1780. The second son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, FitzRoy joined the 1st Foot Guards as an ensign in 1752 and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1758. In the following year he fought at the Battle of Minden as an aide de camp, where he was a part of the controversy surrounding Lord George Sackville's slow reaction to orders sent to him. FitzRoy was also present at the Battle of Vellinghausen in 1761. Having been quickly promoted through the ranks with the support of his powerful family, he was promoted to major-general in 1772 and became a general in 1793.
William FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland, 2nd Duke of Southampton was an English nobleman, styled Earl of Chichester from birth until 1730.
Villiers is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Buckingham (1623–1687) and Cleveland (1670–1709), as well as the earldoms of Anglesey (1623–1661), Jersey, and Clarendon. Perhaps the most prominent members of the family were those who received the two dukedoms: George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1592–1628) rose to fame and influence as favourite of King James I of England, while Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (1640–1709) became a mistress of King Charles II of England, by whom she had five children.
