Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton


Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton , was an English nobleman, the son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, and his first wife, Jane Savage.

Career

Paulet succeeded his father as the sixth Marquess of Winchester in 1675. He was MP for Winchester in 1660 and then for Hampshire from 1661 to 5 March 1675. Before his succession to the Marquessate he was styled Lord St John.
He held the following offices:
Having supported the claim of William and Mary to the English throne in 1688, he was restored to the Privy Council and to the office of Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, and was created Duke of Bolton on 9 April 1689. He built Bolton Hall, North Yorkshire in 1678.

Character

An eccentric man, hostile to Lord Halifax and afterwards to the Duke of Marlborough, he is said to have travelled during 1687 with four coaches and 100 horsemen, sleeping during the day and giving entertainments at night. His adherence in adult life to the Church of England has been described as a great blow to the Roman Catholic community: his father had openly professed the Catholic faith, and used his wealth and influence to protect the Catholics of Hampshire.
In 1666 he briefly went into hiding after becoming involved in a public fracas in Westminster Hall with Sir Andrew Henley, 1st Baronet. They fought in full view of the Court of Common Pleas, and were thus guilty of contempt coram rege. Both men in time received a royal pardon. Paulet, who admitted to striking the first blow, explained that he had been "in a passion" at the time. The precise cause of the quarrel is unknown. Samuel Pepys, who recorded the incident in the great Diary, remarked that it was a pity that Henley retaliated, for otherwise the judges might have dealt with Paulet, of whom Pepys had a poor opinion, as he deserved. Despite his faults, his charm and affability made him numerous friends.

Marriage and issue

Charles Paulet married twice:

First marriage

He married as his first wife, 28 February 1652, Christian, daughter of John Frescheville, 1st Baron Frescheville of Staveley, Derbyshire and Sarah Harrington, and by her had a son:
Christian, Lady St. John, died 22 May 1653 in childbirth and was buried with her infant at Staveley, Derbyshire.

Second marriage

He married as his second wife, 12 February 1655, at St. Dionis Backchurch, London, Mary, the illegitimate daughter of Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland, widow of Henry Carey, Lord Leppington, and by her had issue:
Mary, Lady Paulet died 1 Nov 1680, at Moulins, Allier, France, and was buried, 12 Nov 1680, at Wensley, Yorkshire.

Death

Charles Paulet died suddenly at Amport on 27 February 1699, aged 68, and was buried 23 March at Basing, Hampshire.

Footnotes