Duke of Richmond

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.
The current dukedom of Richmond was created in 1675 for Charles Lennox, the illegitimate son of Charles II of England and one of his mistresses, the Breton noblewoman Louise de Penancoët de Kérouaille; Charles Lennox was also made Duke of Lennox a month later. Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond was furthermore created Duke of Gordon in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1876, meaning that the Duke holds three dukedoms—plus, in pretence, the French Duchy of Aubigny-sur-Nère.
==History of the dukedom==
Prior to the creation of the dukedom the early nobles of England associated with Richmondshire were Lords and Earls of Richmond. At times the honour of Richmond was held without a title. The dukedom of Richmond emerged under Henry VIII.
The first creation of a dukedom of Richmond (as Duke of Richmond and Somerset) was made in 1525 for Henry FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of Henry VIII. His mother was Elizabeth Blount. Upon the Duke's death without children in 1536, his titles became extinct.
The second creation was in 1623 for Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox (see Lennox (district)) (1574–1624), who also held other titles in the peerage of Scotland. He was created Earl of Richmond and Baron Settrington in 1613 and Duke of Richmond in the peerage of England in 1623 as a member of the Lennox line (not unlike King James VI & I himself) in the House of Stuart. These became extinct at his death in 1624, but his Scottish honours devolved on his brother Esmé, Earl of March, who thus became 3rd Duke of Lennox in the peerage of Scotland. Esmé's son James, 4th Duke of Lennox (1612–1655) subsequently received the third creation of the dukedom of Richmond in 1641, when the two dukedoms again became united. In 1672, on the death of James' nephew Charles, 3rd Duke of Richmond and 6th Duke of Lennox, both titles again became extinct.
The fourth creation of the dukedom of Richmond was in August 1675, when Charles II granted the title to Charles Lennox, his illegitimate son by Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth. Charles Lennox was further created Duke of Lennox a month later. Charles' son, also Charles, succeeded to the French title Duke of Aubigny (of Aubigny-sur-Nère) on the death of his grandmother in 1734. The 6th Duke of Richmond and Lennox was created Duke of Gordon (See Clan Gordon) in 1876. Thus, the Duke holds three (four, if the French Aubigny claim is accepted) dukedoms; three, equal since 2022 to Prince William, Duke of Cornwall, of Rothesay and of Cambridge.
The subsidiary titles of the dukedom created in 1675 are Earl of March (created 1675), Earl of Darnley (1675), Earl of Kinrara (1876), Baron Settrington, of Settrington in the County of York (1675), and Lord Torbolton (1675).
thumb|175px|The 11th and current Duke, Charles Gordon Lennox.
The Dukes of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon are normally styled Duke of Richmond and Gordon. Before the creation of the Dukedom of Gordon they were styled Duke of Richmond and Lennox. The titles Earl of March and Baron Settrington were created in the peerage of England along with the Dukedom of Richmond. The titles Earl of Darnley and Lord Torbolton were created in the peerage of Scotland along with the dukedom of Lennox. Finally, the title Earl of Kinrara was created in the peerage of the United Kingdom with the dukedom of Gordon. The eldest son of the Duke uses the courtesy title Earl of March and Kinrara. Before the creation of the Dukedom of Gordon, the courtesy title used was Earl of March.
The family seat is Goodwood House near Chichester, West Sussex.
===Dukes of Richmond and Somerset (1525)===
Created by Henry VIII of England	Created by Henry VIII of England	Created by Henry VIII of England	Created by Henry VIII of England	Created by Henry VIII of England	Created by Henry VIII of England
# 	Name 	Period 	Duchess 	Notes 	Other titles
1 	Henry FitzRoy1519–1536 	1525–1536 	Lady Mary Howard 	Extramarital son of Henry VIII 	Earl of Nottingham
===Dukes of Richmond (1623)===
Created by James I of England	Created by James I of England	Created by James I of England	Created by James I of England	Created by James I of England 	Created by James I of England
# 	Name 	Period 	Duchess 	Notes 	Other titles
1 	Ludovic Stewart1574–1624 	1623–1624 	Lady Frances Howard 	Second cousin and favourite of James I	Duke of LennoxEarl of LennoxEarl of Richmond
===Dukes of Richmond (1641)===
Created by Charles I of England	Created by Charles I of England	Created by Charles I of England	Created by Charles I of England 	Created by Charles I of England 	Created by Charles I of England
# 	Name 	Period 	Duchess 	Notes 	Other titles
1 	James Stewart1612–1655 	1641–1655 	Lady Mary Villiers 	Nephew of Ludovic Stewart,1st Duke of Richmond	Duke of LennoxEarl of LennoxEarl of MarchBaron Clifton
2 	Esmé Stewart1649–1660 	1655–1660 	unmarried 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxEarl of LennoxEarl of MarchBaron Clifton
3 	Charles Stewart1639–1672 	1660–1672 	Lady Elizabeth RogersLady Margaret BanasterLady Frances Stewart	Cousin of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxEarl of LennoxEarl of March Earl of LichfieldBaron Clifton
===Dukes of Richmond (1675)===
Created by Charles II of England	Created by Charles II of England 	Created by Charles II of England	Created by Charles II of England 	Created by Charles II of England	Created by Charles II of England
No. 	Name 	Period 	Duchess 	Notes 	Other titles
1 	Charles Lennox1672–1723 	1675–1723 	Lady Anne Brudenell 	Extramarital son of Charles II 	Duke of LennoxEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
2 	Charles Lennox1701–1750 	1723–1750 	Lady Sarah Cadogan 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
3 	Charles Lennox1735–1806 	1750–1806 	Lady Mary Bruce 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
4 	Charles Lennox1764–1819 	1806–1819 	Lady Charlotte Gordon 	Nephew of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
5 	Charles Gordon Lennox1791–1860 	1819–1860 	Lady Caroline Paget 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
6 	Charles Henry Gordon Lennox1818–1903 	1860–1903 	Frances Greville 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxDuke of GordonEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyEarl of KinraraBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
7 	Charles Henry Gordon Lennox1845–1928 	1903–1928 	widowed 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxDuke of GordonEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyEarl of KinraraBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
8 	Charles Henry Gordon Lennox1870–1935 	1928–1935 	Hilda Brassey 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxDuke of GordonEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyEarl of KinraraBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
9 	Frederick Charles Gordon Lennox1904–1989	1935–1989 	Elizabeth Hudson 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxDuke of GordonEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyEarl of KinraraBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
10 	Charles Henry Gordon Lennox1929–2017 	1989–2017 	Susan Grenville-Grey 	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxDuke of GordonEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyEarl of KinraraBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
11 	Charles Henry Gordon Lennox b. 1955 	since 2017 	The Honourable Janet Elizabeth Astor	Son of the preceding 	Duke of LennoxDuke of GordonEarl of MarchEarl of DarnleyEarl of KinraraBaron of SettringtonLord of Torboulton
The heir apparent is Charles Henry Gordon Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara (b. 1994), eldest son of the 11th Duke.
==Line of succession (simplified)==
* Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond (1818–1903)
** Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond (1845–1928)
*** Charles Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond (1870–1935)
**** Frederick Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond (1904–1989)
***** Charles Gordon Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond (1929–2017)
****** Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond (born 1955)
******* (1) Charles Henry Gordon Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara (b. 1994)
******* (2) Lord William Rupert Gordon Lennox (b. 1996)
******* (3) Lord Frederick Lysander Gordon Lennox (b. 2000)
***Lord Esmé Charles Gordon-Lennox (1875–1949)
****Reginald Arthur Charles Gordon Lennox (1910–1965)
*****male issue in line
***Lord Bernard Charles Gordon Lennox (1878–1914)
****Sir George Gordon Lennox (1908–1988)
*****Bernard Gordon Lennox (1932–2017)
******male issue in line
*****other male issue in line
****Sir Alexander Henry Charles Gordon Lennox (1911–1987)
*****male issue in line
**Lord Walter Gordon-Lennox (1865–1922)
***Victor Charles Hugh Gordon Lennox (1897–1968)
****male issue in line
==Coat of arms (full achievement)==
The earlier dukes (creations of 1623 and 1641) bore: Quarterly 1 and 4 azure three fleurs-de-lis and a bordure engrailed Or; 2 and 3 Or a fess chequy azure and argent, a bordure gules semy of buckles Or (Stewart of Bonkyl); overall an inescutcheon of Lennox. 
Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (creation of 1525), bore the Tudor royal arms (quarterly France and England) with a border quarterly ermine (for Brittany) and compony azure and argent (for Somerset), a baton sinister argent for bastardy, and overall an escutcheon of Nottingham.
==Family tree==
==See also==
* Earl of Newcastle
==Notes==
==References==
==Further reading==
* 
* Tillyard, Stella. Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, 1740–1832. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994.
* Baird, Rosemary. Goodwood: Art and Architecture, Sport and Family, Frances Lincoln, 2007
 
Category:Dukedoms in the Peerage of England
Category:Noble titles created in 1623
Category:Noble titles created in 1641
Category:Noble titles created in 1675