Charles Churchill (governor)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Charles Churchill (1679 - 14 May 1745) was a British Army
General and a Member of Parliament
.
Charles Churchill
(1656–1714) and so the nephew of the 1st Duke of Marlborough
, Churchill spent his early career in the British Army
during the War of the Spanish Succession
and was then Member of Parliament
for Castle Rising
from 1715 to 1745.
He was despatched to Vienna
in 1721 on a mission to secure the release of a "Mr Knight" who was being held in the Citadel
of Antwerp. In 1727 he was promoted to Brigadier
and appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber
and in 1728 King George II
and Queen Caroline
inspected his Regiment of Dragoons.
He was also Governor
of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
from 1720 until 1722.
He was also Governor of Plymouth.
, an English
actress, by whom he had an illegitimate son, Charles Churchill (of Chalfont)
. Charles (d 1745) also had an illegitimate daughter, Harriet, whose mother is unknown. Harriet married Sir Everard Fawkener
and, later, Thomas Pownall
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
General and a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Career
Born the natural (illegitimate) son of Elizabeth Dodd and GeneralGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Charles Churchill
Charles Churchill (British army officer)
General Charles Churchill was an English army officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession.-Life:...
(1656–1714) and so the nephew of the 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, Churchill spent his early career in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
and was then Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Castle Rising
Castle Rising (UK Parliament constituency)
Castle Rising was a parliamentary borough in Norfolk, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1558 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act...
from 1715 to 1745.
He was despatched to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1721 on a mission to secure the release of a "Mr Knight" who was being held in the Citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
of Antwerp. In 1727 he was promoted to Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
and appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber
Groom of the Chamber
Groom of the Chamber and Groom of the Privy Chamber were positions in the Royal Household of the English monarchy, the latter considerably more elevated. Other Ancien Régime royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles...
and in 1728 King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
and Queen Caroline
Caroline of Ansbach
Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.Her father, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was the ruler of a small German state...
inspected his Regiment of Dragoons.
He was also Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
from 1720 until 1722.
He was also Governor of Plymouth.
Family
Churchill had a relationship with Anne OldfieldAnne Oldfield
Anne Oldfield , English actress, was born in London, the daughter of a soldier.She worked for a time as apprentice to a seamstress, until she attracted George Farquhar's attention by reciting some lines from a play in his hearing...
, an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress, by whom he had an illegitimate son, Charles Churchill (of Chalfont)
Charles Churchill (of Chalfont)
Charles Churchill was the only son of Lieutenant-General Charles Churchill by the actress Anne Oldfield. His grandfather, also Charles Churchill, was a British army officer and brother of the 1st Duke of Marlborough....
. Charles (d 1745) also had an illegitimate daughter, Harriet, whose mother is unknown. Harriet married Sir Everard Fawkener
Everard Fawkener
Sir Everard Fawkener was an English merchant and diplomat.Fawkener was born into a family of silk merchants. His father, William was a leading member of the Levant Company. Everard was sent out to Aleppo in 1716 and remained there until 1725...
and, later, Thomas Pownall
Thomas Pownall
Thomas Pownall was a British politician and colonial official. He was governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1758 to 1760, and afterward served in the British Parliament. He traveled widely in the North American colonies prior to the American Revolutionary War, and opposed...
.