Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton
Encyclopedia
Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton, Jacobite 1st Earl of Monmouth, PC
(1649/1650 – 9 August 1719) was a Scottish
and English
politician who held several offices under Charles II
and James II & VI
. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland
, the Northern Department
and the Southern Department
, before acting as chief advisor to James II and then his son James III during their exile in France.
and Grizel Durham in 1649 or 1650, and spent time in both Scotland and London during his youth. He was known as Lord Clermont after his father was elevated to the peerage in 1656. He pursued a military career and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1674.
as Secretary of State for Scotland
. Charles II
awarded the post to Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray
, and Middleton became envoy to the imperial court in Vienna
in June 1680 to forge an alliance with Leopold I
. Middleton returned to Scotland in July 1681 and became favoured by James Stuart, Duke of York
(later James II & VII) and his wife Mary
. He became a member of the Scottish Privy Council
and after a recommendation by the duke, became joint Secretary of State for Scotland with Moray on 26 September 1682.
In 1684, his career moved to English politics, sworn of the English Privy Council
in July and becoming Secretary of State for the Northern Department
in August. He became Member of Parliament
for Winchelsea
in 1685, and with Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston
, he had the difficult task of managing the House of Commons for James II. He was present at the birth of James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales
in June 1688 and became Secretary of State for the Southern Department
in September 1688. He was loyal to James after the king fled to France
, although he remained in England, and was replaced as Secretary of State by his nephew, Charles Talbot, 12th Earl of Shrewsbury
.
In 1693, Middleton joined the exiled king at Saint-Germain
after he proposed a more moderate declaration for a Jacobite restoration than James' chief advisor and Secretary of State, John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort
. He became joint Secretary of State with Melfort, responsible for correspondence with England and Scotland, and became sole Secretary of State after Melfort was dismissed in June 1694. In England, he was tried for treason and outlawed on 23 July 1694, and attainted
on 2 July 1695.
He continued in this post until James' death in September 1701, when he joined, by the king's will, the regency council to assist Mary of Modena during the minority of James' son, James III (James Francis Edward). Despite his wish to resign, he was persuaded to remain in office. He was also awarded the Jacobite peerage
of Earl of Monmouth in the Peerage of England
.
Middleton served as Secretary of State to James III and accompanied him during the Franco-Jacobite attempt to invade Scotland in March 1708. He resigned in 1713 and was appointed Master of the Horse
by Mary of Modena
. In 1716, he briefly joined James in Scotland during the Jacobite rising
, before returning to France and serving as lord chamberlain to Mary of Modena until her death in 1718. He was granted a pension by the French government and died in 1719.
The earl was a Protestant, although a lukewarm one, until 1701, when he yielded to the dying wish of James II and joined the Roman Catholic Church
.
Middleton died on 9 August 1719 and was buried on the same day at the parish church of Saint-Germain.
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
(1649/1650 – 9 August 1719) was a Scottish
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
and English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
politician who held several offices under Charles II
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...
and James II & VI
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State, Scotland
The Secretary of Scotland was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.The office appeared in the 14th century when it was combined with that of Keeper of the Privy Seal. Called Clericus Regis , he was regarded as an Officer of State...
, the Northern Department
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British. Even after the Union, there was...
and the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...
, before acting as chief advisor to James II and then his son James III during their exile in France.
Early life
Middleton was born to John Middleton, 1st Earl of MiddletonJohn Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton
John Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton was a Scottish army officer, who belonged to a Kincardineshire family which had held lands at Middleton since the 12th century....
and Grizel Durham in 1649 or 1650, and spent time in both Scotland and London during his youth. He was known as Lord Clermont after his father was elevated to the peerage in 1656. He pursued a military career and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1674.
Political career
Around 1679–80, his name was put forward to succeed John Maitland, 1st Duke of LauderdaleJohn Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale
Sir John Maitland, 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale, 3rd Lord Thirlestane KG PC , was a Scottish politician, and leader within the Cabal Ministry.-Background:...
as Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State, Scotland
The Secretary of Scotland was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.The office appeared in the 14th century when it was combined with that of Keeper of the Privy Seal. Called Clericus Regis , he was regarded as an Officer of State...
. Charles II
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...
awarded the post to Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray
Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray
Sir Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray KT , was a Scottish nobleman who remained loyal to Roman Catholic James VII of Scotland .-Biography:...
, and Middleton became envoy to the imperial court in 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 June 1680 to forge an alliance with Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
. Middleton returned to Scotland in July 1681 and became favoured by James Stuart, Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
(later James II & VII) and his wife Mary
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of King James II and VII. A devout Catholic, Mary became, in 1673, the second wife of James, Duke of York, who later succeeded his older brother Charles II as King James II...
. He became a member of the Scottish Privy Council
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
and after a recommendation by the duke, became joint Secretary of State for Scotland with Moray on 26 September 1682.
In 1684, his career moved to English politics, sworn of the English Privy Council
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
in July and becoming Secretary of State for the Northern Department
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British. Even after the Union, there was...
in August. He became 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 Winchelsea
Winchelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Winchelsea was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-Boundaries:...
in 1685, and with Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston
Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston
Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston PC was an English politician and diplomat. He became a Jacobite conspirator, but his reputation in the Jacobite community suffered when he gave evidence against his co-conspirators in exchange for a pardon.-Origins and education:Graham was born at Netherby,...
, he had the difficult task of managing the House of Commons for James II. He was present at the birth of James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
in June 1688 and became Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...
in September 1688. He was loyal to James after the king fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, although he remained in England, and was replaced as Secretary of State by his nephew, Charles Talbot, 12th Earl of Shrewsbury
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury
Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, KG, PC was an English statesman. Born to Roman Catholic parents, he remained in that faith until 1679 when—during the time of the Popish Plot and following the advice of the divine John Tillotson—he converted to the Church of England...
.
In 1693, Middleton joined the exiled king at Saint-Germain
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
after he proposed a more moderate declaration for a Jacobite restoration than James' chief advisor and Secretary of State, John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort
John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort
John Drummond, 1st Earl and titular 1st Duke of Melfort KG KT PC was a Scottish nobleman.He joined the army and was captain of the Scottish Footguards in 1673. He secured the post of deputy governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1679, followed by Lieutenant-General and Master of the Ordnance in 1680...
. He became joint Secretary of State with Melfort, responsible for correspondence with England and Scotland, and became sole Secretary of State after Melfort was dismissed in June 1694. In England, he was tried for treason and outlawed on 23 July 1694, and attainted
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
on 2 July 1695.
He continued in this post until James' death in September 1701, when he joined, by the king's will, the regency council to assist Mary of Modena during the minority of James' son, James III (James Francis Edward). Despite his wish to resign, he was persuaded to remain in office. He was also awarded the Jacobite peerage
Jacobite peerage
After the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland , he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right...
of Earl of Monmouth in the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
.
Middleton served as Secretary of State to James III and accompanied him during the Franco-Jacobite attempt to invade Scotland in March 1708. He resigned in 1713 and was appointed Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
by Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of King James II and VII. A devout Catholic, Mary became, in 1673, the second wife of James, Duke of York, who later succeeded his older brother Charles II as King James II...
. In 1716, he briefly joined James in Scotland during the Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
, before returning to France and serving as lord chamberlain to Mary of Modena until her death in 1718. He was granted a pension by the French government and died in 1719.
Personal life and children
He married Catherine Brudenell, daughter of Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan, during the winter of 1682–1683. The marriage brought Middleton connections to the English aristocracy and they had four children:- John (November 1683 – November 1746), ignored the attainder and called himself 3rd Earl of Middleton, unmarried
- Catherine (August 1685 – June 1763), two children from her first marriage and one from her second to General Michael Rothe
- Charles (4 December 1688 – September 1738), unmarried
- Elizabeth (June 1690 – August 1774), married Lord Edward Drummond, son of James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth and Jacobite 1st Duke of PerthJames Drummond, 4th Earl of PerthJames Drummond, 1st Duke of Perth KT PC , also 4th Earl of Perth and 7th Lord Drummond, was a Scottish statesman, and Jacobite.-Family:...
, in November 1709, no children
The earl was a Protestant, although a lukewarm one, until 1701, when he yielded to the dying wish of James II and joined the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Middleton died on 9 August 1719 and was buried on the same day at the parish church of Saint-Germain.