Duke of Richmond

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. Son of Charles II.

The title Duke of Richmond is named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire, and has been created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families. The current lineage and title was created in 1675 for Charles Lennox, the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and a Breton noblewoman called Louise de Kérouaille.

History of the Dukedom

The Dukedom was first created (as Duke of Richmond and Somerset) for Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII (a Tudor) by Elizabeth Blount. Upon his death without children in 1536 it became extinct.

Ludovic Stuart, second Duke of Lennox (see Lennox (district)) (1574–1624), who also held other titles in the peerage of Scotland, was created Earl of Richmond in 1613 and Duke of Richmond in 1623 as a member of the Lennox line (not unlike King James 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. Esmé's son James, the fourth Duke of Lennox (1612–1655), was created Duke of Richmond in 1641, the two dukedoms again becoming 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 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, more than any other person in the realm. 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 subsidiary titles 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). 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.

Coat of arms

On His Grace's coat of arms, the United Kingdom along with a border of Lennox and surmounted escutcheon of Aubigny, are represented in 1st and 4th cantons as Stuart titles, while Clan Gordon (1st Gordon, 2nd Badenoch, 3rd Seton, 4th Fraser--from acquisition of Aboyne lands) is represented in 2nd and 3rd cantons. The previous Stuart arms for Richmond had the French province of Berry in fat non-egalitarian cantons 1 and 4, Stuart arms bordered by Aubigny (in Berry) in cantons 2 and 3, with a surmounted Lennox escutcheon. Henry FitzRoy's arms were as follows: 1st and 4th canton borders for Brittany, 2nd and 3rd canton borders for Somerset, centred by the English Royal Arms, surmounted by an escutcheon of Nottingham, with a bar attached to show royal bastardy. Richmond has its own distinct badge, the Tudor rose as displayed by the Richmond Herald. Richmond was the compromise between Lancaster and York, in the Wars of the Roses.

The heraldic blazon is: Quarterly: 1st and 4th grand quarters, the Royal Arms of Charles II (viz. quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England quarterly; 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland); the whole within a bordure company argent charged with roses gules barbed and seeded proper and the last; overall an escutcheon gules charged with three buckles or (the Dukedom of Aubigny); 2nd grand quarter, argent a saltire engrailed gules between four roses of the second barbed and seeded proper (Lennox); 3rd grand quarter, quarterly, 1st, azure three boars' heads couped or (Gordon); 2nd, or three lions' heads erased gules (Badenoch); 3rd, or three crescents within a double tressure flory counter-flory gules (Seton); 4th, azure three cinquefoils argent (Fraser).

Dukes of Richmond and Somerset (1525)

Subsidiary titles: Earl of Nottingham (1525)

• Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519–1536), illegitimate son of Henry VIII, died without issue

Dukes of Richmond, first Creation (1623)

Other titles: Duke of Lennox (1581), Earl of Lennox (1580), Earl of Richmond (1613)

• Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond (1574–1624), a prominent Scottish noble, died without legitimate issue

Dukes of Richmond, second Creation (1641)

Other titles: Duke of Lennox (1581), Earl of March (1619), Earl of Lichfield (1645), Baron Clifton (1608), Baron Stuart of Leighton Bromswold(1619)

• James Stewart, 1st Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox (1612–1655), nephew of the 2nd Duke of Lennox
• Esmé Stewart, 5th Duke of Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond (1649–1660), only son of the 4th Duke of Lennox
• Charles Stewart, 6th Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond (1639–1672), only son of the 5th Duke of Lennox's brother, died without issue

Dukes of Richmond, third Creation (1675)

Dukedom of Richmond 3rd Creation
Creation date	9 August 1675
Created by	King Charles II
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Charles Lennox
Present holder	Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke
Heir apparent	Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara
Remainder to	the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.
Subsidiary titles	Duke of Lennox Duke of Aubigny (France) Duke of Gordon Earl of March Earl of Darnley Earl of Kinrara Baron Settrington Lord Torbolton Hereditary Constable of Inverness Castle

Other titles: Duke of Lennox (1675), Earl of March (1675), Earl of Darnley (1675), Baron of Settrington, in the county of York (1675) and Lord of Torboulton (1675)

• Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox (1672–1723), illegitimate son of Charles II
• Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 2nd Duke of Lennox (1701–1750), only son of the 1st Duke

• Charles Lennox, Earl of March (1724), eldest son of the 2nd Duke, died in infancy
• Charles Lennox, Earl of March (1730), second son of the 2nd Duke, died in infancy

• Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox (1734–1806), third son of the 2nd Duke, died without legitimate issue
• Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox (1764–1819), only son of General Lord George Lennox, fourth and youngest son of the 2nd Duke
• Charles Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, 5th Duke of Lennox (1791–1860), eldest son of the 4th Duke

Other titles (6th Duke onwards): Duke of Gordon and Earl of Kinrara, in the county of Inverness (1876)

• Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Gordon (1818–1903), eldest son of the 5th Duke
• Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond, 7th Duke of Lennox, 2nd Duke of Gordon (1845–1928), eldest son of the 6th Duke
• Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond, 8th Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Gordon (1870–1935), eldest son of the 7th Duke

• Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington (1899–1919), eldest son of the 8th Duke (at that point Earl of March), predeceased his father without issue

• Frederick Charles Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond, 9th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Gordon (1904–1989), second son of the 8th Duke
• Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond, 10th Duke of Lennox, 5th Duke of Gordon (b. 1929), eldest son of the 9th Duke

• Heir apparent: Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara (b. 1955), only son of the 10th Duke

• His heir apparent: Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington (b. 1994), eldest son of Lord March

Line of Succession

1. Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara (b. 1955), only son of the 10th Duke
2. Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington (b. 1994), eldest son of Lord March
3. Hon. William Rupert Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1996), second son of Lord March
4. Hon. Frederick Lysander Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 2000), third and youngest son of Lord March
5. Anthony Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1969), only son of Lord Sir Nicholas Charles Gordon-Lennox, second and youngest son of the 9th Duke
6. James David Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1944), grandson of Brig.-Gen. Lord Esmé Charles Gordon-Lennox, second son of the 7th Duke
7. Henry Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1976), only son of James Gordon-Lennox
8. Charles William Gordon-Lennox (b. 2005), eldest son of Henry Gordon-Lennox
9. Thomas Edward Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 2009), second and youngest son of Henry Gordon-Lennox
10. Maj.-Gen. Bernard Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1932), grandson of Major Lord Bernard Charles Gordon-Lennox, third and youngest son of the 7th Duke
11. Edward Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1961), eldest son of Maj.-Gen. Bernard Gordon-Lennox
12. Alexander Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1990), only son of Edward Gordon-Lennox
13. Angus Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1964), second son of Maj.-Gen. Bernard Gordon-Lennox
14. Geordie Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1998), only son of Angus Gordon-Lennox
15. Charles Bernard Gordon-Lennox (b. 1970), third and youngest son of Maj.-Gen. Bernard Gordon-Lennox
16. Colonel David Henry Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1935), younger brother of Maj.-Gen. Bernard Gordon-Lennox
17. Captain Michael Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1938), first cousin of Maj.-Gen. Bernard and Col. David Gordon-Lennox
18. Hamish Charles Gordon-Lennox (b.1980), only son of Capt. Michael Gordon-Lennox
19. Commander Andrew Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1948), younger brother of Capt. Michael Gordon-Lennox
20. Simon Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1978), eldest son of Cdr. Andrew Gordon-Lennox
21. Hugo Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1980), second and youngest son of Cdr. Andrew Gordon-Lennox
22. Henry George Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1934), grandson of Rt. Hon. Lord Walter Charles Gordon-Lennox, fourth and youngest son of the 6th Duke
23. Ian Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1958), eldest son of Henry Gordon-Lennox
24. Philip George Hugh Gordon-Lennox (b. 1963), second and youngest son of Henry Gordon-Lennox
25. Thomas Charles Gordon-Lennox (b. 1991), eldest son of Philip Gordon-Lennox
26. Alec George Gordon-Lennox (b. 1993), second and youngest son of Philip Gordon-Lennox

See also

• Duke of Lennox
• Duke of Gordon
• Duke of Aubigny
• Baron Clifton
• Earl of Lichfield
• Earl of Newcastle

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• thePeerage.com

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

External links

• An Online Gotha - Dukes of Richmond, Lennox & Gordon