Lieutenant General Charles Churchill
portrait by Jonathan Richardson
Bornc. 1679
Died14 May 1745 (aged 65 or 66)
Allegiance Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branchBritish Army
RankLieutenant-General
Battles/warsWar of the Spanish Succession

Lieutenant General Charles Churchill (1679 – 14 May 1745) was a British Army General and a Member of Parliament.

Career

Born the natural (illegitimate) son of Elizabeth Dodd and General 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.[1]

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.[2]

In 1727, he was promoted to Brigadier[3] and appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber[4] and in 1728 King George II and Queen Caroline inspected his Regiment of Dragoons.[5]

He was also Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1720 until 1722.[6] and Governor of Plymouth.[7]

Family

He was married to Catherine, younger daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Baronet; she died on 2 June 1725.[8] Churchill had a relationship with Anne Oldfield, an English actress, by whom he had an illegitimate son, Charles Churchill (of Chalfont). He also had an illegitimate daughter, Harriet, whose mother is uncertain. Harriet married Sir Everard Fawkener and, later, Thomas Pownall.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Leigh Rayment". Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2010.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "No. 5929". The London Gazette. 11 February 1721. p. 1.
  3. ^ "No. 6572". The London Gazette. 11 April 1727. p. 3.
  4. ^ "No. 6634". The London Gazette. 19 December 1727. p. 2.
  5. ^ "No. 6671". The London Gazette. 4 May 1728. p. 1.
  6. ^ H. Godfrey, ed. (1927), Survey of London, vol. 11, pp. 37–60
  7. ^ "Sneakers Roots". Archived from the original on 7 February 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  8. ^ Burke's Peerage 1949, p. 291.
  9. ^ Perry, Norma. ""Sir Everard Fawkener, Friend and Correspondent of Voltaire (Banbury, 1975), 109–12; Edward J. Davies, "Further Notes on Governor Thomas1 Pownall". The American Genealogist. 77 (2002): 190–94.
Parliament of Great Britain Preceded byHoratio Walpole, juniorWilliam Feilding Member of Parliament for Castle Rising 1715–1745 With: William Feilding 1715–1724The Earl of Mountrath 1724–1734Thomas Hanmer 1734–1737Viscount Andover 1737–1745 Succeeded byWilliam HowardRichard Rigby Military offices Preceded byJoseph Johnson Colonel of Churchill's Regiment of Marines 1709–1713 Regiment disbanded New regiment Colonel of The Prince of Wales' Own Regiment of Dragoons 1715–1717 Succeeded bySir Charles Hotham Preceded byThomas Stanwix Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea 1720–1722 Succeeded byWilliam Evans Preceded byCharles Trelawny Governor of Plymouth 1722–1745 Succeeded byThe Earl of Dunmore Preceded byHumphrey Gore Colonel of Churchill's Regiment of Dragoons 1723–1745 Succeeded byThe Viscount Cobham
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