Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and 5th Duke of Lennox, 5th Duke of Aubigny, KG, PC
1791-1860
During the Battle of Waterloo he was ADC to the Prince of Orange, and following that man's wounding, served as ADC to Wellington
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and 5th Duke of Lennox, 5th Duke of Aubigny, KG, PC (3 August 1791 – 21 October 1860), styled Earl of March until 1819, was a British peer, soldier, politician, and a prominent Conservative.
Richmond was the son of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, and the former Lady Charlotte Gordon. He was educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Dublin.
Richmond (while Earl of March) served on Wellington's staff in the Peninsular War, during which time he volunteered to join the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot's advance storming party on the fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo. He formally joined the 52nd Foot in 1813, and took command of a company of 52nd soldiers at Orthez in 1814, where he was severely wounded; the musket-ball in his chest was never removed. During the Battle of Waterloo he was ADC to the Prince of Orange, and following that man's wounding, served as ADC to Wellington. Richmond was chiefly responsible for the belated institution in 1847 of the Military General Service Medal for all survivors of the campaigns between 1793 and 1814. (There had only hitherto been a Waterloo Medal.) He campaigned in Parliament and also enlisted the interest of Queen Victoria. Richmond himself received the medal with eight clasps.
Richmond was appointed Colonel of the Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia on 4 December 1819, and Colonel-in-Chief of its offshoot, the Royal Sussex Militia Artillery, on its formation in April 1853.
Richmond sat as Member of Parliament for Chichester between 1812 and 1819. The latter year he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the House of Lords. He was a vehement opponent in the House of Lords of Roman Catholic emancipation, and at a later date a leader of the opposition to Peel's free trade policy, as he was the president of the Central Agricultural Protection Society, which campaigned for preservation of the Corn Laws. Although a vigorous Conservative and Ultra-Tory for most of his career, Richmond's anger with Wellington over Catholic Emancipation led him to lead the Ultra's into joining Earl Grey's reforming Whig government in 1830 (Lang, 1999). He served under Grey as Postmaster General between 1830 and 1834. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1830. Richmond was also Lord Lieutenant of Sussex between 1835 and 1860 and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1829.
In 1836, on inheriting the estates of his mother's brother, the fifth and last Duke of Gordon, he assumed the name of Gordon before that of Lennox.[2][9]
Richmond married Lady Caroline, daughter of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey and Lady Caroline Villiers, on 10 April 1817. The couple had five sons and five daughters, including:
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond (1818–1903)
Lady Caroline Amelia Gordon-Lennox (18 June 1819 – 30 April 1890), married John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough
Fitzroy George Charles Gordon-Lennox (11 June 1820 – March 1841), lost at sea aboard SS President
Rt. Hon. Lord Henry Charles George Gordon-Lennox (2 November 1821 – 29 August 1886), married Amelia Brooman and left no issue
Captain Lord Alexander Francis Charles Gordon-Lennox (14 June 1825 – 22 January 1892), married Emily Towneley and left issue
Lady Augusta Catherine Gordon-Lennox (14 January 1827 – 3 April 1904), married Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar (1823–1902)
Lord George Charles Gordon-Lennox (22 October 1829 – 27 February 1877), married Minnie Palmer and left no issue
Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox (13 April 1838 – 5 October 1910), married Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan; they are ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Richmond died at Portland Place, Marylebone, London, in October 1860, aged 69. He was succeeded in the dukedom by his eldest son, Charles. The Duchess of Richmond died in March 1874, aged 77.
Original autograph letter dated March 13 1839 written in 3rd party format (as was common for formal letters) by the Duke
"The Duke of Richmond presents his complts to Mr Fowler & regrets that it will not be in his power to dine with the Directors of the Artists General Benevoloent Institution on the 23rd inst"."
2 horizontal & 1 vertical original folds. Creased and torn bottom right corner. A little damage at edges. Pencil annotations.
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