My Name is Earl (of Dunmore)

Hey everyone! I must admit that filling out spreadsheets has been a bit slow lately. My other schoolwork has finally caught up to me, but fear not! I will always have a new and exciting biography for you every week, and I will always get it in by Sunday night...most likely by midnight.


Anyway, I have actually already finished inputting the information from most of the houses I've received. I'm still working on a few, one of which is the Household of Mary, Duchess of York. Tonight, I will be telling you all about someone who was a part of her house, a man named Lord Charles Murray, first Earl of Dunmore.

Charles Murray was born  on February 28, 1661, the second son of twelve from John Murray, first marquess of Atholl and his wife Lady Amelia Sophia Stanley. Charles was supposedly the most Anglicized son of the family, closest to his mother's relatives. He sought a commission from William of Orange in 1680 and was appointed in 1681 as lieutenant-colonel of the new Scots Greys dragoons. He became the Scots Greys' colonel on November 6, 1685 after having served in western Scotland during Argyll's rebellion. On December 6, 1682 he married a woman named Catherine in London, daughter of Richard Watts of Great Munden, Hertfordshire. On July 28, 1683 James, Duke of York appointed Murray master of the horse to Princess Anne, who was already his friend. In January of 1685 he was appointed master of the horse to Duchess Mary, though he was re-appointed soon after she became queen. In the 1685 English parliament he was MP and court candidate. The year before, encouraged by James, the marquess decided to transfer the inheritance of his main highland estate in Atholl (in Scotland) from his oldest son, John, Lord Murray, considered insufficiently loyal, to Lord Charles. This transfer of land allowed James to create Charles as the Scottish Earl of Dunmore on August 6, 1686, though this claim was later renounced.

In 1688, Lord Charles led the Scots Greys in a campaign against William of Orange. However after James was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution, he lost the regiment and his court post. Returning to Edinburgh, Scotland on March 20 1689, he influenced his wavering father towards Jacobitism, a political and military movement which sought to restore King James to the throne, and also encouraged plotting from the Scots Greys. Suspected of being involved in a highland revolt, he was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle from June 1689 to January 1690. Once he was bailed, he returned to England for a decade. In 1691 he introduced his father among London plotters, but while he was corresponding with James II through his fiercely Jacobite wife, he declared he was waiting on events to make a move. During the 1692 invasion attempt he was one of a London group who planned a rising in support. Unfortunately, he was captured in hiding on May 16 of that year and committed to the Tower of London. After being bailed in August, no further Jacobite activity by Dunmore is known. As someone who is largely interested in Jacobitism myself, you can imagine my disappointment learning that fact. Since Dunmore suffered from the stone, which I can only assume means kidney stones, he retreated to live with his family. He was arrested at Lathom House in March 1696 and kept in Liverpool until July. Afterwards he settled in Chester.


Once James II died, Dunmore's loyalties changed. He had nine children to take care of and only earned 500 to 600 pounds a year in England and the Netherlands. He eventually returned to Scotland while his brother held office in Atholl. He hoped to receive a position through his brother and on February 4, 1703 he was sworn of the privy council and took a seat in Scottish Parliament. He was one of the semi-Jacobite cavalier party but joined the court side after the Lord Commissioner of Queensberry broke with them. He defended his brother against Queensberry's "Scotch plot" allegations during this time as well. In 1704, Dunmore was appointed to a committee of parliament for examining public accounts. He attempted to bribe his brother to stay away from the union debates, yet his brother still attended. Dunmore voted for the union and the court related policies. In 1707 he was appointed governor of Blackness Castle. Dunmore had three sons enter the army around this time. The oldest son died while serving in 1704 and afterwards, Dunmore and his wife solicited the Marlboroughs so their other sons could be advanced to higher ranks.


Dunmore died in Holyrood Palace on April 19, 1710. His wife died just a few months later. The two sons who succeeded him can be seen as a symbol for Dumore's divided life of politics. John Murray, second earl, fought for the English while Dunmore's fifth son, William, joined the Jacobite rising of 1745 and was convicted of treason after the rising failed.


I find that Dunmore's life leaves me with many questions! That doesn't surprise me since I actually love to study Jacobites and the rising of 1745. The fact that Dunmore was a Jacobite at one point already interests me a lot. Yet, his life leaves me curious. Why was Dunmore a Jacobite in the first place? Was he close with James II? Did his time in Scotland make him more apt to join in on the Jacobite cause? Yet, why did his loyalties suddenly vanish? I can only guess Dunmore's loyalties really lay with James II more so than the other Jacobite principles. Once James II was out of the picture, Dunmore didn't care to participate in Jacobite conspiracies surrounding James' son who strove to carry on his father's legacy. I can only wonder, if Dunmore had lived till the 1715 uprising, which side would he have chosen?


Historians should always ask why. Though the answers may look obvious sometimes, that is not always the case. It is important to weigh what we know with what we don't know, and then even ask, why don't we know certain things? Were there no records of certain events or of people's opinions? Noticing patterns and trying to make sense of these patterns is always an important part of history. I found tracing Dunmore's life to be quite interesting, for I wonder if his case was that of many English noblemen during the time. Did loyalties frequently change during this time? If they did, for what reasons? These are just a few of the many questions Dunmore's life has inspired me to ask. Though I could never answer all of them, I'm sure my curiosity will lead me to even more interesting stories along the way.

Sir Allen Apsley: The Man Who Should've Posed for More Portraits

Hey guys! I am excited to announce that I have more documents to convert into spreadsheets! Woo!! Exciting stuff, I know. What's even more exciting is that this time I am working on 7 different houses instead of just one! Now before everyone faints from the mere idea of having that much work to do, fear not. Some of these houses are quite small, especially compared to Queen Catherine's house. For instance, the Duke of Cambridge only had three people! Just to give you an idea of what I'm working with, here are all the houses I will be converting into spreadsheets these next few weeks.

James, Duke of York, 1660-1685
Anne, Duchess of York, 1660-1671
Mary, Duchess of York, 1676-1688
James, Prince of Wales, 1688
Lady Mary (later Princess of Orange) 1669-1677
James, Duke of Cambridge, 1663-1667
Lady Isabella, 1677-1680

Don't they all sound so charming? If you'll notice, the Duke of Cambridge only lived to be four years old, poor thing.

Anyway, today I am going to focus on someone from James, Duke of York's house. I would like to introduce everyone to Sir Allen Apsley!

I apologize, but this is the only photo I could find of him!

Sir Allen Apsley was born on August 28, 1616, first son of his father who, not surprisingly, was also named Sir Allen Apsley. When naming offspring, people from this period didn't strain their imaginations too much. His father was victualler of the navy and lieutenant of the Tower of London. Apsley went to school at Merchant Taylors' School, London between 1625 and 1628. He went on to Trinity College, Oxford in November 1631. Once the civil war started, Apsley was commissioned into the royalist forces and by 1642, he was commanding a troop of horse under Sir John Byron. The next year, he was serving as Sir John Berkeley's deputy as lieutenant-governor of Exeter. In 1645 he was appointed governor of Barnstaple.

In Devon, Apsley came into contact with the court of Queen Henrietta Maria and Prince Charles who stayed in Barnstaple in June 1645. He also came into contact with Sir Edward Hyde, chancellor of the exchequer and a member of the prince's council who was distantly connected to Apsley through relatives. It is thought that Apsley married a Devon woman named Frances during this period. Following the departure from the west of the prince, Apsley eventually had to surrender Barnstaple the day after Berkeley yielded Exeter as the royalist resistance collapsed in April 1646. Apsley had a close relationship to Colonel John Hutchinson, governor of Nottingham, who had married his sister Lucy and with whom had stayed for a while. As a result of this relationship, Apsley helped to shield him from over-severe composition terms and defended him from a lawsuit. It is thought that his connection to such a figure is what provided him with links to army leadership and a role in the negotiations between the army and the king. Apsley was knighted on October 17, 1646, suggesting a visit to the king at Newcastle. When Sir John Berkeley was dispatched by the queen to England in the summer of 1647 to open negotiations with the army, Apsley bore a warning message to him from Hutchinson's cousin Henry Ireton and Oliver Cromwell. I know that delivering a message doesn't sound THAT impressive, but this was actually a seemingly important job! I mean, can you imagine delivering a message from Oliver Cromwell himself?

Evidence that Apsley became involved in royalist conspiracy eventually surfaced. From about 1657 he was in contact with a relative, Allen Brodrick, the secretary to the Sealed Knot, a secret Royalist association. He also maintained a regular correspondence with Sir Edward Hyde, now the principal coordinator of royalist schemes. However, he was apparently a great conspirator, since he avoided ever falling under suspicion. By early 1660, Apsley was working in London to protect the king's and Hyde's interests.

Apsley became a member of the household of James, Duke of York shortly before the Restoration, presumably through his friendship with Berkeley who was now Lord Berkeley of Stratton, the duke's favorite. He was also given the post master of the privy hawks during a visit to Charles II at The Hague. So now, Apsley was officially a part of both camps, causing a possible strain on his relationships with Royalists, such as Hyde, and those in the court, such as Berkeley and the duke. However, an affair between the duke and Hyde's daughter Anne and their marriage in September 1660 left Apsley well placed as a link in an important political alliance. Elected MP for Thetford, he acted as manager of the duke's concerns in the commons and worked closely with the manager of Hyde's, his old ally Allen Brodrick.

Apsley was appointed cofferer of the duke's household as well, which meant he shared responsibility for the duke's financial affairs with his treasurer and receiver-general, Thomas Povey. However, his relationship with Povey was not a great one, and by 1666 York's finances were a mess. To solve the issue, Apsley took responsibility as treasurer and receiver-general as well. Using his position and prominence, he returned favors paid to him by his brother-in-law, Hutchinson. He helped him to avoid execution and tried to alleviate the conditions of his imprisonment until Hutchinson's death in 1664. Apsley once again became a soldier during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and accompanied the duke on the Royal Charles at the battle of Lowestoft in June 1665. He was appointed colonel to raise a foot regiment in 1667.

Though everything seemed to be going pretty great for Apsley, this wasn't to last. Apsley's salary from being master of the hawks was cut by the Treasury commission in August of 1667. As a consequence, he surrendered the post to the earl of Rochester and William Chiffinch in return for an annuity in 1675. After Hyde was dismissed, Apsley's involvement in managing government business in the Commons was most likely cut. Though he continued to act as the duke's spokesman in the Commons, defending his second marriage to the princess of Modena, he failed to be elected to the Exclusion parliaments.

Apsley apparently underwent a religious conversion later in his life. A set of verse meditations on Genesis, Order and Disorder, published in 1679 was attributed to Apsley by a man named Anthony Wood. His letters to Hyde in the 1650s show a strong interest in modern and classical literature. Yet, in the preface to Order and Disorder the author confesses that he had "experienc'd it to be a very unsafe and unprofitable thing for those that are young, before their faith be fixed, to exercise themselves in the study of vain, foolish, atheistical poesie". Basically, if Apsley wrote this, it seems his conversion was strong enough to steer him away from the interest he once had in classical literature.

Apsley died in his home in St. James's Square, Westminster, on October 15, 1683 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Okay...so. I don't know about any of you, but I found Apsley's biography to be a tad dull compared to others I have worked on. I apologize for any drool that may have made it's way onto your laptop if you fell asleep during this biography. It's truly understandable. However! Though Apsley's life story wasn't exactly riveting, I think it is important to read about a life such as his. I love reading stories about monarchs. I could spend all day reading about Charles II or Catherine of Braganza or even Lady Castlemaine. These were prominent people in the court system! Yet, one must realize that their lives were not the lives of everyday men and women. The reason they tend to captivate audiences is because these individuals had the money and power to control the country and its politics. If one had the choice to read about a peasant or a king, I bet that most people would pick the king.

 Apsley's life was certainly not average. He was still prominent enough to be knighted and was a part of the royalist conspiracy, yet it doesn't seem that he caused any significant changes. I mean, I could barely find the one photo of him! Apsley was heavily entrenched in politics but his life didn't circle around mistresses, duels, or overthrowing monarchs. He was a soldier, a knight, and a politician and his less "glamorous" story was surely more common than most of the other individuals I have written about. I think it is important for historians to focus on men like him, and even men who were below his rank, for the monarchs only made up a handful of people during this time. Although they had a lot of power, their stories are no more important than those of the soldier, the politician, or even the peasant.

Paul Seaward, ‘Apsley, Sir Allen (1616–1683)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/600, accessed 23 Oct 2016]

Mary Queen of Hearts (Technically Duchess)

Hey guys! I have some good news and some bad(ish) news. Good news is that I finally finished the spreadsheet! 899 entries of names, dates, and occupations. Real exciting stuff, right? I honestly feel like a spreadsheet guru. Give me anything, I'll spreadsheet the heck out of it. Am I overemphasizing a skill that most people can do? Probably. Do I care? Nah.

So the bad(ish) news is that I lied to all of you last week. Though I sent in my work on Queen Catherine's house, I unfortunately do not yet have the new list of people under a different royal house. So it looks like I am not destined to end Catherine's royal house with Richard Lumley. Sorry Rich, I hope you can forgive me. Anyway, though I can't make any promises, I think this next person will definitely be the last biography I do from the royal house of Queen Catherine of Braganza. So everyone get ready, cause you're all about to learn about one Mary Villiers, Duchess of Lennox and Richmond.

Mary Villiers was born at Wallingford House, London in March of 1622. She was the eldest and only daughter of her parents, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and Lady Katherine. She was definitely more popular than I was as a child, already being favored in court circles at a young age. It probably helped that she was the goddaughter of James I, who allowed her free access to the privy quarters and frequently cuddled her, calling her his little grandchild. Due to her father's status, her marriage was arranged early on. As a part of her father's attempt at reconciliation with the heir of the elector palatine, she became betrothed to Charles Herbert, Lord Herbert of Shurland. Mary's father was murdered in 1628, entrusting her guardianship to the Herbert family.

Mary still frequently spent time at court and would participate in masques. On one occasion she was carried to Charles I in a hamper, gaining the name Butterfly or Papillon as a consequence of this. I know that sounds kind of weird, but I think it's an interesting tidbit! Anyway, she married Lord Herbert on January 8, 1635 in the royal closet at Whitehall and before you ask, I'm pretty sure it wasn't an actual closet. The event was celebrated in verse by William Davenant and marked by a drama from Henry Killigrew, published in 1638 as The Conspiracy. I don't know about you, but I would love for my wedding to end up being a drama.

Herbert soon left with his younger brother Philip to travel abroad, as one does not even a year after marriage, and died of smallpox in January 1636 while in Florence. Not one to wait too long, Lady Mary married the king's cousin James Stuart, fourth duke of Lennox and first duke of Richmond on August 3rd, 1637. Though the couple had a house at Cobham Hall in Kent, they remained prominent at court where, apparently, the Duchess's beauty was celebrated in verse and prose. She also had numerous portraits done, including some by Anthony Van Dyck. No wonder she didn't want to leave court, since everyone was apparently swooning over her looks there.

After the outbreak of the civil war, Mary joined the queen in Holland, returning early in 1643. There was some gossip surrounding her that she "had used beating up of quarters ... too frequently with Prince Rupert". Sounds scandalous, right? For those of you who may be confused, and rightly so, this gossip pointed to a romance between the two. In July of 1648, her brother, Lord Francis Villiers, was unfortunately killed in a skirmish. The next year, on the morning of Charles I's execution, the king found his father's watch which Mary had played with as an infant and had it sent to her as his last bequest. Can we just take a moment to recognize how special this woman had to be for the king's last bequest to be to send her his father's watch? My heart can't take it!

Mary eventually had two children, a son, Esme, born in November 1649, and a daughter Mary, born in July 1651. On March 30, 1655 her second husband died as well, leaving Mary in debt. So she set out for France, where she became involved in royalist affairs. Her son died in Paris in August 1660, and it was probably around this time that Mary decided to return to England. In December of that year, a French agent in England wrote to Cardinal Mazarin, after visiting Mary's house, that she was the most amusing woman in the world. So not only was Mary a looker, but had a great personality as well. Luckily for her, this winning personality convinced the French agent to request Charles II that she be repaid 40,000 pounds owed her by the crown and proposed the three of them meet in private to discuss potential royal brides.

In March 1662 she was appointed a lady of the bedchamber to the queen dowager, Henrietta Maria, effectively putting her under the royal house of Catherine of Braganza as well. Though a privy seal was issued for 20,000 pounds to her so she could repay her debts, she still found herself in financial difficulties. Before November 1664 she married Colonel Thomas Howard who was known as Northern Tom Howard. He was lieutenant of the yeoman of the guard and younger brother of Charles Howard, first earl of Carlisle. Though she remained in England when Henrietta Maria returned to France in 1665, she eventually departed for France a few years later. Once there, she played a part in the negotiations between Charles II and his sister, Henriette Anne, Duchess of Orleans. According to French diplomatic correspondence reported in March 1669, Mary told her other brother of Henrietta Anne's distrust of him in a letter.

By 1674 Mary was granted a pension of 1000 pounds a year for the rest of her life. Her daughter, who married Lord Richard Butler, had died in 1668. Her husband died 10 years later in the summer of 1678. So now this poor woman had outlived three husbands, one brother, and both of her children. Unfortunately, not much is known about her last years. Still known as the Duchess of Richmond, she died in 1685 and was buried in the Richmond tomb in Westminster Abbey with her second and third husbands and her son.

Mary Villiers (Stuart), Duchess of Richmond is a good example of why I tend to find history so intriguing. I can tell you guys a million dates: the year she was born, married, had kids, and died. I can tell you about her role in different events in history and what her reputation was. However, what I love to learn and to tell others about are the almost insignificant events that she was a part of. Learning that Charles I thought highly enough of her to send her his father's watch as his final request because he knew it might mean something to her feels more real than any other information I know about her. That is a very human moment and it is moments like that which make these people real.

In history, it can be difficult to imagine historical figures as real people who had real emotions and connections. The farther back in time they lived, the harder it can be to feel any sort of connection. However, when I learn that Mary was considered "amusing" by a French agent or that James I called her his "little grandchild", I see these people as real human beings. They felt sorrow when losing a loved one and happiness when doing something they loved. Although I've written longer biographies about far more prominent people, in a way I feel that I connected more with Mary than with most other members of the royal court. This is why I love history, and this is why it is so important in today's time. It can be hard to learn from characters or stories which seem fictional because they happened so long ago, but if we can see these people as real, we might just be able to use what we know about them to shape our own lives today.


Freda Hast, ‘Villiers , Mary, duchess of Lennox and Richmond (1622–1685)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/56054, accessed 16 Oct 2016]

Richard Lumley: Best Hair in the Game

Hello everyone! I've done it! Well, almost. I only have ten pages left of names to put in the spreadsheet! So far I've input over 700 names, dates, and job titles into this spreadsheet. I'd like to thank my friends and family for helping me through this. I couldn't have done any of it without your support.

Anyway, finishing my work on the house of Queen Catherine of Braganza means that I'll soon be moving onto another household. So this may be the last person I tell you about from her house, and who better to end it with than Richard Lumley, first earl of Scarbrough.

Richard Lumley was born in 1650, eldest son of John Lumley and his wife Mary Compton. Educated as a Catholic, he went overseas in October 1667 on a grand tour, accompanied by his mother and Richard Lassels. He accompanied the duke of York to Scotland in 1679 before becoming a volunteer with reinforcements sent to Tangier in 1680. He served as the earl of Feversham's replacement as master of the horse to Queen Catherine of Braganza, from September 11 1681 to February 23 1682. Since he had succeeded to his grandfather's Irish title, in 1681 he was made Baron Lumley of Lumley Castle. On October 25, 1684 he replaced the earl of Clarendon as treasurer to Queen Catherine. He eventually married Frances Jones, daughter of Sir Henry Jones of Aston, on March 17 1685.

Once Montmouth's rebellion began, Lumley was commissioned to raise a troop of horse in Hampshire on June 18, 1685. His men were at Ringwood in Hampshire when patrols captured Lord Grey of Wark on July 7 and Monmouth himself the next day. As a result of this, Lumley was appointed colonel of a new regiment of cavalry but was fired in 1686 because he opposed to the repeal of the Test Acts. In 1687 he converted to Protestant, making his politics whig from then on, and joined the conspiracy against James II in 1688, helping to organize the petition in support of the seven bishops and signing the June 30 invitation to William of Orange to intervene. During the Convention Parliament, he supported the idea that the throne was vacant. Following his dedication to getting William on the throne, he was made a privy councillor on February 14, 1689, gentleman of the bedchamber on February 23rd, colonel of the 1st troop of Life Guards on April 2, and lord lieutenant of co. Durhan and of Northumberland. He was created Viscount Lumley of Lumley Castle in April of 1689 and earl of Scarbrough five days later.

Lumley crossed to Ireland with William II in 1690 and fought at the Boyne. He was then transferred to the Netherlands in 1691, where he was promoted to major-general in April 1692 and lieutenant-general on October 4, 1694. He left the army in 1699, selling his colonelcy of the Life Guards to the earl of Albermarle. Queen Anne continued him in his appointments, and he was appointed a commissioner for the union with Scotland on May 10 1706. He apparently took his responsibilities very seriously. Though he lost his office in 1712 with the tory purge, he was reinstated to them by George I. He died at his home, Lumley Castle, of apoplexy on December 17 1721 and was buried in Chester-le-Street.

Lumley's story isn't nearly as long or perhaps even as interesting as some of the previous court members I've talked about. However, I find it interesting how his life played out. He was definitely a politician. He went with the tide in his political atmosphere, changing his allegiances to the whigs when he converted to Protestantism. This, in turn, put him on the side of William of Orange when he overthrew James II. It makes me curious as to how many elites during this time underwent the same change? Were these men changing to whigs because of their religion? Were some forced to change political sides if they became protestant? How did this affect the overthrow of James II? I find the political climate that he was a part of very intriguing, as one's religious preferences could end up affecting his or her entire career.


John Childs, ‘Lumley, Richard, first earl of Scarbrough (1650–1721)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2007 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17182, accessed 9 Oct 2016]