Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and Lennox KG, PC (9 December 1764 – 28 August 1819) was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.

Background

Richmond was born at Gordon Castle, near Thirsk, Scotland, the son of General Lord George Lennox, the younger son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond. His mother was Lady Louisa, daughter of William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian.

Cricket

Richmond was a keen cricketer. He was an accomplished right-hand bat and a noted wicket-keeper. He was a founder member of the Marylebone Cricket Club. In 1786, together with the Earl of Winchilsea, Richmond offered Thomas Lord a guarantee against any losses Lord might suffer on starting a new cricket ground. This led to Lord opening his first cricket ground in 1787. Although Lord's Cricket Ground has since moved twice, Lennox' and Winchilsea's guarantee provided the genesis of the best-known cricket ground in the world, a ground known as the Home of Cricket. Nearly always listed as the Hon. Colonel Charles Lennox in contemporary scorecards, Lennox had 55 recorded first-class appearances from 1784 to 1800 and played a few more games after that.

Army general

Richmond became an British Army captain in 35th Regiment of Foot at the age of 23 in 1787. In 1789 he was involved in a duel with Frederick, Duke of York, who had accused him of ungentlemanly behaviour. A few months later he was involved in another duel, and later in the year he married Lady Charlotte Gordon, daughter of the 4th Duke of Gordon. In 1794 and 1795 he participated in naval engagements against the French in the West Indies and Gibraltar, but was sent home when he came into conflict with his superiors. He was also MP for Sussex, succeeding his father, from 1790 until he succeeded to the dukedom.

Duke

He became the 4th Duke of Richmond on 29 December 1806, after the death of his uncle, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond. In April 1807 he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He remained in that post until 1813, with Arthur Wellesley (the later Duke of Wellington) as his secretary. He participated in the Napoleonic Wars and in 1815 he was in command of a reserve force in Brussels, which was protecting that city in case Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo. On 15 June, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras, his wife held a ball for his fellow officers. Although he observed the battle the next day, as well as Waterloo on 18 June, he did not participate in either. In the 1970 movie Waterloo, his wife is played by Virginia McKenna, and his daughter Sarah and brother-in-law are also portrayed.

Governor General of Canada

See also: List of Governors General of Canada

In 1818 he was appointed Governor General of Upper Canada. While visiting the territory in 1819, he was bitten by a pet fox, and died of rabies on 28 August of that year. The night before his death, he slept at the "Masonic Arms" a tavern in Richmond, Ontario owned by Andrew Hill (former Sgt. Maj. of the 100th Regiment of Foot) and Maria Hill, his wife and heroine of the War of 1812. After the Duke of Richmond?s death, Maria prepared his body to be sent back to Quebec City for burial and Hill?s tavern was renamed the ?Duke of Richmond Arms? to commemorate the visit. Lennox's title was inherited by his son, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond. Lennox was given a state funeral in Quebec City, and he is buried in the city's Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral.^[1]

Family

Richmond had fourteen children:

• Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond (1791–1860)
• Lady Mary Lennox (c. 1792 – 7 December 1847), married Sir Charles Fitzroy and had issue
• Lt.-Col. Lord John George Lennox (3 October 1793 – 10 November 1873), married Louisa Rodney and had issue
• Lady Sarah Lennox (c. 1794 – 8 September 1873), married Peregrine Maitland
• Lady Georgiana Lennox (30 September 1795 – 15 December 1891), married William FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros and had issue
• Lord Henry Adam Lennox (6 September 1797 – 1812), fell overboard from HMS Blake and drowned
• Lord William Pitt Lennox (20 September 1799 – 18 February 1881), married first Mary Anne Paton and second Ellen Smith; had issue by the second
• Lady Jane Lennox (c. 1800 – 27 March 1861), married Laurence Peel and had issue
• Captain Lord Frederick Lennox (24 January 1801 – 25 October 1829)
• Lord Sussex Lennox (11 June 1802 – 12 April 1874), married Hon. Mary Lawless and had issue
• Lady Louisa Maddelena Lennox (2 October 1803 – 2 March 1900), married Rt. Hon. William Tighe, died without issue
• Lady Charlotte Lennox (c. 1804 – 20 August 1833), married Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge of Bristol and had issue
• Lt.-Col. Lord Arthur Lennox (2 October 1806 – 15 January 1864), married Adelaide Campbell and had issue
• Lady Sophia Georgiana Lennox (21 July 1809 – 17 January 1902), married Lord Thomas Cecil, died without issue

Legacy

The towns of Richmond, Ontario and Richmond, Quebec as well as Richmond County, Nova Scotia were named after him. According to tradition, the town of Richmond Hill, Ontario was also named after him, as he was said to have passed through the then village during his visit in 1819.

Notes

References

• thePeerage.com
• Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
• Lord's 1787-1945 by Sir Pelham Warner ISBN 1-85145-112-9
• Cricket Archive page on Charles Lennox
• Cricinfo page on Charles Lennox
• Woods, Shirley E. Jr. Ottawa: The Capital of Canada, Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1980. ISBN 0385147228

External links

• From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 ? 1787

Cricket references

• Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley (FL18)
• The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn (WDC)
• Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
• The Glory Days of Cricket by Ashley Mote (GDC)
• John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time" by Ashley Mote

Ancestry

de:Charles Lennox, 4. Duke of Richmond fr:Charles Lennox (4e duc de Richmond) pl:Charles Lennox, 4. ksi??? Richmond

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