Lord Charles FitzRoy (1791–1865)

Major Lord Charles FitzRoy (28 February 1791 – 17 June 1865) was a British Army officer and Whig politician who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He fought at the Battle of Waterloo and later held political office as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household between 1835 and 1838.

The Right Honourable Lord Charles FitzRoy
1818 portrait of Fitzroy by Édouard Pingret
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
In office 29 June 1835 – 27 April 1838
Monarchs	William IV Victoria
Prime Minister	The Viscount Melbourne
Preceded by	Viscount Castlereagh
Succeeded by	The Earl of Belfast
Personal details
Born	28 February 1791
Died	17 June 1865 (1865-06-18) (aged 74)
Political party	Whig
Spouse	Lady Anne Cavendish ​ (m. 1825)​
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1807–1821
Rank	Major Brevet Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars Peninsular War Battle of Corunna Walcheren Campaign Battle of Vitoria Battle of the Pyrenees Battle of Nivelle Battle of the Nive Battle of Orthez Battle of Toulouse (1814) Battle of Waterloo

Background

Charles Fitzroy was born on 28 February 1791, the second son of George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton and his wife Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave, daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave. Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton was his elder brother.^{[citation needed]}

Army career

Fitzroy was commissioned into the British Army in 1807 and fought in the 1809 Battle of Corunna of the Peninsular War, before joining the Walcheren Campaign the same year. He subsequently joined Lord Hill's staff in Spain and was present at the capture of Badajoz in 1812 and the battles of Vittoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, the Nive, Orthez and Toulouse serving as a Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (DAAG).^[1]

At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Fitzroy served on Wellington's staff as a captain in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards and an Assistant Adjutant General (AAG). He then served on Wellington's staff in the army of occupation in Paris after Waterloo. His portrait was painted by Edouard Pingret (who also painted a very similar portrait of Colonel Dawson Kelly)^[2] in 1818 wearing the Waterloo medal on his AAG uniform. He retired from the army on half pay as a major and brevet lieutenant-colonel of the 27th Regiment of Foot in 1821.^[3]

In retirement, he was chairman of the Finance Committee and honorary member of the 43rd Middlesex Rifle Volunteers.^[1]

Political career

FitzRoy was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Thetford at the 1818 general election, and held the seat until the 1830 general election,^[4] which he did not contest.^[5] He returned to Commons the following year, when he was elected at the 1831 general election as MP for Bury St Edmunds. He held the seat until 1847,^[6] when he did not stand again.^[7] When the Whigs came to power under Lord Melbourne in 1835, FitzRoy was sworn of the Privy Council^[8] and appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a post he held until 1838.^[9]

Family

Fitzroy married Lady Anne Cavendish, daughter of George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington and Lady Elizabeth Compton, on 25 October 1825. They had two sons and two daughters. He died on 17 June 1865 at Hampton, aged 74. Lady Charles FitzRoy died in May 1871, aged 83.