1st Duke of Grafton 1675-1690
Henry FitzRoy was born in 1663 the natural son of Charles II and Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine and later Duchess of Cleveland, one of the great beauties of the Restortion era.
Charles
II arranged a preliminary marriage in 1672 when Henry was a boy of nine,
to a five year old heiress, Isabella, the daughter of the eminent
statesman Henry Benet, Earl of Arlington, who owned Euston Park in
Suffolk. The confirmatory marriage took place in 1679 when Henry was
sixteen and Isabella twelve. The lands in Grafton had been given to
Charles's Queen, Catherine of Braganza, in 1665, as she had not produced
any heirs by 1673, a reversionary grant was made 'in consideration of
natural love and affection to his natural son'. Henry, who was was
created Duke of Grafton in 1675. The Duke was appointed Colonel of the
First Foot Guards, Vice-Admiral of England and Knight of the Garter. In
1683 he suppressed the Corsairs in Tunis. In 1690 the 27 year old Duke
took command of the ship that had been named after him accompanying the
Earl of Marlborough to Ireland. He was shot down whilst leading his
troop ashore at the siege of Cork. He died eleven days later from his
wounds. On his death he was succeeded by his only son Charles. The Will of Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton