Charles Berkeley, 1st Earl of Falmouth
Encyclopedia
Charles Berkeley 1st Earl of Falmouth (11 January 1630 - 3 June 1665) was the son of Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge
(1599–1668) and his wife Penelope née Godolphin (died 1669).
He served the exiled Stuart court. His uncle, John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
, secured Charles employment with James, Duke of York until the Restoration
. He was a cavalry officer and fought in the French and Spanish armies. Charles was subsequently created 1st Baron Berkeley of Rathdowne, co. Wicklow, Ireland, and 1st Baron Fitzhardinge of Berehaven, Co. Kerry, Ireland, on 1 July 1663. He was created 1st Earl of Falmouth [England] on 17 March 1664, and 1st Baron Botetourt of Langport, Somerset on the same day. He was promoted Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth and was elected MP for New Romney
.
In 1664 he married Elizabeth Bagot
, who as the widowed Countess Falmouth became a mistress to King Charles II of England
.
During the Second Anglo-Dutch War
he volunteered for service in The Royal Fleet.
Charles was killed by a cannon ball on 3 June 1665 on board the Royal Charles in one of the first exchanges of the Battle of Lowestoft
.
His boisterous character made him not very well loved by many, but his loyalty to the Royal family favoured his relationship with the King. Clarendon
was amazed at he flood of tears the King shed, when he received the news that Berkeley was killed.
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge
Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1621 and 1668....
(1599–1668) and his wife Penelope née Godolphin (died 1669).
He served the exiled Stuart court. His uncle, John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton was an English royalist soldier. From 1648 he was closely associated with James, Duke of York, and rose to prominence, fortune and fame.-First English Civil War:...
, secured Charles employment with James, Duke of York until the Restoration
Restoration (1660)
The term Restoration in reference to the year 1660 refers to the restoration of Charles II to his realms across the British Empire at that time.-England:...
. He was a cavalry officer and fought in the French and Spanish armies. Charles was subsequently created 1st Baron Berkeley of Rathdowne, co. Wicklow, Ireland, and 1st Baron Fitzhardinge of Berehaven, Co. Kerry, Ireland, on 1 July 1663. He was created 1st Earl of Falmouth [England] on 17 March 1664, and 1st Baron Botetourt of Langport, Somerset on the same day. He was promoted Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth and was elected MP for New Romney
New Romney (UK Parliament constituency)
New Romney was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1371 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act....
.
In 1664 he married Elizabeth Bagot
Elizabeth, Countess of Falmouth
Elizabeth, Countess of Falmouth was a British courtier. She was one of the Windsor Beauties, painted by Sir Peter Lely.-Family:Her father was Col. Henry Bagot, and mother was Dorothea Arden. She married Charles Berkeley, 1st Earl of Falmouth in 1663. He died at the Battle of Lowestoft. She then...
, who as the widowed Countess Falmouth became a mistress to King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
During the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
he volunteered for service in The Royal Fleet.
Charles was killed by a cannon ball on 3 June 1665 on board the Royal Charles in one of the first exchanges of the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
.
His boisterous character made him not very well loved by many, but his loyalty to the Royal family favoured his relationship with the King. Clarendon
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was an English historian and statesman, and grandfather of two English monarchs, Mary II and Queen Anne.-Early life:...
was amazed at he flood of tears the King shed, when he received the news that Berkeley was killed.