The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-22 00:00:00

DEATH OF THE DUKE OF RICHMOND, S.C.

It is with great regret that we announce the
death of the Duke of Richmond, K.G. That esti-
mable nobleman expired at 20 minutes before 2
o'clock yesterday afternoon, at the family mansion
in Portland-place. For some months past the
Duke's health hes occasioned much anxiety to the
members of the family. In August last he pro-
ceeded to Gordon-castle, but was unable to par-
ticipate in the sports of his friends, and the hopes
that were entertained that change of air would
prove beneficial were not realised. The lamented
Duke returned from Scotland about a fortnight
ago, in a still weaker state, and has since been gra-
dually sinking. We believe he died from dropsy.
The deceased Charles Gordon Lennox, Duke of
Richmond, Earl of March, and Baron of Settring-
ton, all in the county of York, in the Peerage of
England ; Duke of Lennox, in the county of Dum-
barton ; Earl of Darnley, in the county of Ren-
frew ; and Baron Methuen of Torbolton, in the
county of Ayr, in the Peerage of Scotland; and also
duke d'Aubigny in the peerage of France (the se-
cond Duke having inherited that dukedom from his
grandmother, who received that title from Louis
XIV. in 1683), was eldest son of Charles, fourth
Duke, by Lady Charlotte Gordon, eldest daughter
of Alexander, fourth Duke of Gordon, and was born
in Whitehall-gardens, 3d of August, 1791, so that
his Grace was in his 70th year. The lamented de-
ceased married 10th April, 1817, Lady Caroline
Paget, eldest daughter of the late Field-Marshal
the Marquis of Anglesea, by his first marriage with
Lady Caroline Elizabeth Villiers, third daughter of
George, fourth Earl of Jersey, by whom, who sur-
vives her devoted husband, the Duke leaves cur-
ving issue Charles Henry, Earl of March, M.P. for
West Sussex (now Duke of Richmond) ; Lord
Henry Gordon Lennox, M.P. for Chichester; Lord
Alexander Gordon Lennox ; Lord George Gordon
Lennox, M.P. for Lytnington ; Lady I'azulfne
Amelia, married to the Earl of Besshorough; Lady
Augusta Catherine, married to his Serene Highness
Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar ; and Lady
Cecilia Catherine, married to Lord Bingham. The
late duke succeeded to the dukedom on the 28th of
August, 1819, on the death of his father, who died
from the effects of a bite of a dog in Canada, of
which dependency he was Governor-General.
At an early age the deceased nobleman adopted
the army for his future career, and entered the 52d
Regiment as ensign. He joined the army in Por-
tugal, in July 1810, as Aide-de-Camp and assistant
military secretary to the Duke of Wellington, with
whom he remained until the close of the war in 1814,
and was present in all the skirmishes, affairs, general
actions and sieges which took place during that
period, among which were the battles of Busaco
and Fuentes d'Onor, storming of Ciudad Rodrigo,
storming of Badajoz, battles of Salamanca, Vittoria,
and the Pyrenees, the first storming of San Sebas-
tian, action at Vera, and battle of Orthes. At the
last-mentioned battle, having left in Jan., 1814, the
Duke of Wellington's Staff in order to obtain a
practical knowledge of regimental duty in the field,
he served with the Ist battalion of his regiment,
the 52d Light Infantry, on which occasion he was
severely wounded in the chest by a musket ball,
which was never extracted. He was sent home
with duplicate despatches of the battle of Sala-
manca,and the capture of Astorga by the Spaniards;
and with the despatches of Vera, and the entrance
of the army into France. During the campaign in
the Netherlands he was Aide-de-Camp to the Prince
of Orange (the late King of the Netherlands), and
was present at the battles of Quatre Bras and
Waterloo. After the Prince of Orange was wounded
at Waterloo he joined the Duke of Wellington's
Staff as Aide-de-Camp, and remained with the
illustrious Duke during the rest of the campaign.
The late Duke, for his military services, had re-
ceived the silver war medal and eight clasps, for
Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz,
Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, and Orthes. The
Duke was mainly instrumental in obtaining that
decoration for the officers and men who had parti-
cipated in the series of victories during the Penin-
sular war from 1806 to the spring of 1814, by his
energetic advocacy of their claims in the House of
Lords. On the Ist of June, 1847, her Majesty
granted the silver war medal under a General!
Order, which gave great satisfaction to those gaa s
lant veterans whose claims had been for many ye r
forgotten.
exception of the
The late Duke was, with the
Marquis of Exeter, the senior Knight.°ler in 1828. He
cof the Garter,
having received that illustriouuss
ortosd Rotulorum of
was Lord-Lieutenant and c
Sussex ; Vice-Admiral of the coast of Snudssiexig;hCtolo-
nel of the Royal SushseexAfAilrittiialler(wha
ich hjis Grace
In-
fantry battalions of 1819) was Aide-de-
had held from December,
Carne
High Steward of Chichester ,•
Camp to the QueP".
Chancellor of Martschal College, Aberdeen, and
Hereditary Constable of Inverness Castle. n inhe-
riting the large estates 1
of his maternal uncle, the
issue.e y na
and all his of me
last Duke of Gordon,
he assumedthe
Gor-
don by Royal leters patent for himself
then surviving
In politics of la years he was a supporter of the
t
Earl of Derby and the Conservative party, and was
a determined opponent to the repeal of the corn
laws. His grace had, however, 16 years before sup-
ported the Reform Bill, and held the office of Post-
master-General in Earl Grey's Administration, and
formed one of the members of the Cabinet from
1830 to 1834. He also gave his support to Lord
Melbourne's Government. On the Earl of Derby's
accession to office in March, 1852, the Duke of Ric-
mond was solicited to take office, but declined. The
late duke was a most useful member on the com-
mittees of the House of Lords, and for many years
devoted much of his time to the public service.
The deceased nobleman was a zealous agricultu-
rist, and was one of the founders of the Royal Agri-
cultural Society of England, of which society he
was a trustee. Both on his large domains in Sussex
and in Scotland he was beloved by his tenants as
one of the best of landlords. His grace was a warm
supporter of the turf, the annual races at Goodwood
Park affording scope for the display of his generous
hospitality. By his honourable bearing and frank
manners on all occasions he had endeared himself
to a large circle of friends, who will long cherish
his memory.
The Earl of March, his successor in the dukedom
and patrimonial estates, was born on the 27th
November,
1843, 1818, and married on the 28th Noltrri
1843, Frances Harriet, eldest daughterl%
offormerly
gernon F. Greville. The present duke
in the army, and was aide-de-Camp lie has
of Wellington and Viscount Hardinge•
to twhrlate Duke