Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton


Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England. A military commander, Henry FitzRoy was appointed colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1681 and Vice-Admiral of England from 1682 to 1689. He was killed in the storming of Cork during the Williamite–Jacobite War in 1690.

Early life and military career

Born to Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine in 1663, Henry FitzRoy was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, the second by Barbara Villiers, the daughter of William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison, colonel of one of King Charles I's regiments, who was killed in action during the Civil War.
On 1 August 1672, at the age of nine, he was married to the five-year-old Isabella, daughter and heiress of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington. The wedding ceremony was repeated on 7 November 1679..
At the time of his marriage, Henry FitzRoy was created Baron Sudbury, Viscount Ipswich, and Earl of Euston; in 1675 he was created Duke of Grafton, and Charles II made him a Knight of the Garter in 1680. He was appointed colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1681.
FitzRoy was brought up as a sailor and saw military action at the siege of Luxembourg in 1684. In that year, he received a warrant to supersede Sir Robert Holmes as Governor of the Isle of Wight, when the latter was charged with making false musters. However, Holmes was acquitted by court-martial and retained the governorship. In 1686 he killed John Talbot, brother of the Earl of Shrewsbury, in a duel. He was appointed Vice-Admiral of the Narrow Seas from 1685 to 1687.
At King James II's coronation, Grafton was Lord High Constable. During the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth he commanded the royal troops in Somerset; but later acted with John Churchill, and joined William of Orange to overthrow the King in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

Death

FitzRoy died in Ireland in 1690 of a wound received at the storming of Cork while leading William's forces, aged 27. His body was returned to England for burial.
In October 1697 his widow married Sir Thomas Hanmer, a young Buckinghamshire baronet, who became Speaker of the House of Commons and an authority on the works of William Shakespeare. She died in 1723.

Legacy

The Duke of Grafton owned land in what was then countryside near Dublin, Ireland, which later became part of the city. A country lane on this land eventually developed into Grafton Street, one of Dublin's main streets. Grafton Alley in Cork, close to where he was shot, also bears his name.

Ancestry