Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester

Charles Edward Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, PC (previously 4th Earl of Manchester) (c. 1662 – 20 January 1722) was a British aristocrat and statesman.

His Grace The Duke of Manchester PC
Portrait of Lord Manchester by Godfrey Kneller, c. 1711
British Ambassador to Venice
In office 1707–1708
Monarch	Anne
Preceded by	Sir Lambert Blackwell (Acting)
Succeeded by	Christian Cole (Acting)
English Ambassador to France
In office 1699–1701
Monarch	William III
Preceded by	The Earl of Jersey
Succeeded by	The Duke of Hamilton
Personal details
Born	Charles Edward Montagu c. 1662
Died	20 January 1722 (aged 59–60)
Spouse(s)	Hon. Doddington Greville ​ ​ (m. 1690; died 1720)​
Relations	Robert Montagu (brother) Heneage Montagu (brother)
Children	4
Parents	Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

Early life

Charles was born c. 1662 into the Noble House of Montagu. He was the eldest son of the former Anne Yelverton and Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester.[1] Among his siblings were Lady Anne Montagu (wife of James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk) and politicians the Hon. Robert Montagu and the Hon. Heneage Montagu, both MPs for Huntingdonshire. After his father's death in 1683, his mother married Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax.[2]

His paternal grandparents were Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester and his second wife Lady Anne Rich (a daughter of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick). His maternal grandparents were Sir Christopher Yelverton, 1st Baronet of Easton Maudit and Anne Twysden (daughter of Sir William Twysden, 1st Baronet).[3]

He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge,[4] and succeeded to his father's earldom in 1683. Warmly sympathizing with the Whig revolution of 1688, he attended William and Mary at their coronation, and fought under William at the Boyne.[5][6]

Career

In 1697, he was sent as an Envoy to Venice to try to procure the release of British sailors, but the Venetians proved unwilling to negotiate. On his return in 1698, he was appointed a privy councillor. The following year he was sent as English Ambassador to France, remaining there until the outbreak of war in 1701. He was then briefly appointed Secretary of State for the Southern Department, a post he held between January and May 1702. He was then out of office until again sent to Venice, as Ambassador, but during his time there in 1707 and 1708, this negotiations (to persuade Venice to adhere to the Grand Alliance) were again unsuccessful.

In 1714, he received an appointment in the household of George I, by whom on 28 April 1719 he was created Duke of Manchester.[5]

In 1719, he was one of the main subscribers to the Royal Academy of Music, a corporation that produced baroque opera on the stage. He also served as High Steward of the University of Cambridge from 1697 to 1722.[3]

Personal life

On 19 February 1690, Lord Manchester was married the Hon. Doddington Greville (1671–1720). She was a daughter of Robert Greville, 4th Baron Brooke of Beauchamps Court and Anne (née Doddington) Greville (who married Thomas Hoby after the death of Lord Brooke in 1676). Together, they were the parents of:[3]

• Lady Doddington Montagu (c. 1694–1774), who died unmarried.[3]
• William Montagu, 2nd Duke of Manchester (1700–1739), who married Lady Isabella Montagu, a daughter of John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu and Lady Mary Churchill (the youngest surviving daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough).[3]
• Lady Charlotte Montagu (1705–1759), who married Pattee Byng, 2nd Viscount Torrington, the eldest son of George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington.[3]
• Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester (c. 1710–1762), who married Harriet Dunch, daughter and co-heiress of Edmund Dunch.[7]

He died on 20 January 1722.[1]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester

8. Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester 4. Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester 9. Catherine Spencer 2. Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester 10. Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick 5. Lady Anne Rich 11. Frances Hatton 1. Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester 12. Henry Yelverton 6. Sir Christopher Yelverton, 1st Baronet of Easton Maudit 13. Mary Beale 3. Anne Yelverton 14. Sir William Twysden, 1st Baronet of Roydon Hall 7. Anne Twysden 15. Lady Anne Finch

See also

• List of deserters from James II to William of Orange

References

1. Rigg, J. M. (2004). "Montagu, Charles, first duke of Manchester (c. 1662–1722)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Revised by Matthew Kilburn as of May 2010.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
2. "Manchester, Earl of (E, 1625/6)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
3. "Manchester, Duke of (GB, 1719)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
4. "Montagu, Charles (MNTG660C)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
5.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: McNeill, Ronald John (1911). "Manchester, Earls and Dukes of". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 543.
6. "Montagu, Charles (1660?-1722)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
7. Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth Peter (1910). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage. Harrison. Retrieved 24 April 2020.