George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield

George Henry Lee I, 2nd Earl of Lichfield (1690 – 15 February 1743) was the fourth son of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II by his mistress, the celebrated courtesan Barbara Villiers. On 14 July 1716 George Henry Lee succeeded his father as the 2nd Earl of Lichfield.

Birth and origins

George was born on 12 March 1690 in St. James Park, London.[1] He was one of the ten children and the fourth of the sons of Edward Henry Lee and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy. His father was created Viscount Quarendon and Earl of Lichfield just before his marriage. George's mother was a natural daughter of Charles II and Barbara Villiers.[2]

Family tree

George Lee, 2nd Earl, with wife, parents, and other selected relatives. Charles II 1630–1685 Barbara Villiers 1640–1709 Edward 1st Earl 1663–1716 Charlotte FitzRoy 1664–1718 George 2nd Earl 1690–1742 Frances Hales d. 1769 Robert 4th Earl 1706–1766 Catherine Stonhouse 1708–1784 George 3rd Earl 1718–1772 Diana Frankland c. 1719–1779 Henry 11th Viscount 1705–1787 Charlotte Lee d. 1794 Henrietta- Maria Phipps 1757–1782 Charles 12th Viscount 1745–1813 Marie Rogier d. 1833 Legend XXX George Lee XXX Earls of Lichfield XXX Viscounts Dillon Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

He appears below among his brothers as the fourth son:

1. Edward Henry (1681–1713), became the colonel of the Royal Regiment of Guards and never married;[3]
2. James (died 1711), became a captain in the Royal Navy and married Sarah, daughter of John Bagshaw, but the marriage stayed childless;[4]
3. Charles (died 1708), never married;[5]
4. George Henry (died 1742), the subject of this article;
5. Fitzroy Henry Lee (1699–1750), became a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy;[6] and
6. Robert Lee (1706–1776), became the 4th and last Earl.

His sisters were:

1. Charlotte (1678–1721), married Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore;[7]
2. Anne, died young;[8]
3. Elizabeth, married first Colonel Lee and secondly the Reverend Dr. Edward Young;[9] and
4. Barbara, married Sir Charles, 2nd Baronet Browne of Kiddington.[10][11]

Early life

He became heir apparent when his eldest brother, Edward Henry, died in 1713 and was given the corresponding courtesy title of Viscount Quarendon. On 14 July 1716 his father died and he became the 2nd Earl of Lichfield.[12]

Marriage and children

In about 1717 Lord Lichfield, as he was now, married Frances Hales (d. 3 February 1769), daughter of Sir John Hales, 4th Baronet of Hackington, of Woodchurch in Kent.[13]

The marriage produced at least nine children:

1. George Henry (1718–1772), his successor;
2. Charles Henry (c. 1719 – 1740)
3. Frances (1721–1723)
4. Edward Henry (c. 1723 – 1742)
5. Frances (1724–1761), married Henry Hyde, 5th Baron Hyde;
6. Charlotte (c. 1724 – 1794), married Henry Dillon, 11th Viscount Dillon;
7. Henrietta or Harriet (1726–1752), married John Bellew, 4th Baron Bellew of Duleek;
8. Mary (born c. 1728), married Cosmo Neville, Esq.; and
9. Anne (1731–1802), married Hugh Edward Henry Clifford, 5th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh.

Later life, death and succession

In 1719 Lord Lichfield was one of main subscribers in the Royal Academy of Music (1719), a corporation that produced baroque opera on stage. In 1722 he built the Oxfordshire Stately home, Ditchley, designed by James Gibbs. Lichfield was educated at St John's College, Oxford and created a D.C.L. of Oxford on 19 August 1732. On 7 August 1739 he was made Custos Brevium in the Court of Common Pleas, as well as a governor of the Foundling Hospital.

Lichfield died on 15 February 1743 in Spelsbury. He was succeeded by his son and namesake, George Henry Lee II.

Timeline
Age	Date	Event
0	1690, 12 March	Born, in London.[1]
26	1716, 14 Jul	Succeeded his father as the 2nd Earl of Lichfield.[12]
27	c. 1717	Married Frances Hales.[13]
82	1772, 17 Sep	Died and was buried at Spelsbury.

See also

• Earl of Lichfield
• Lee Baronets of Quarendon, Buckinghamshire, 1611–1776.
• Viscount Dillon

References

1. Cokayne 1893, p. 75, line 23: "... [George Lee, the 2nd Earl was] b. in St. James' Park, 12 March 1689/90;"
2. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 29: "His lordship [Edward Lee, 1st Earl] m. Lady Charlotte Fits-Roy, natural dau. of King CHARLES II., by Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland ..."
3. Cokayne 1893, p. 75, line 19: "EDWARD HENRY LEE, styled Viscount Quarendon, 2d but 1st surv. s. and H. ap., b. at Windsor 6 June 1681, Col. of the Royal Reg. of Guards. He d.v.p. and unm. 1713."
4. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 35: "James, capt. R.N., m. Sarah, dau. of John Bagshaw, and d. in 1711, s.p."
5. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 37: "Charles, d. unm. 1708."
6. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 39: "Fitzroy Henry, vice-admiral R.N., d.s.p. 1720."
7. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 41: "Charlotte, m. to Benedict Calvert, Lord Baltimore."
8. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 42: "Anne, d. young."
9. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 43: "Elizabeth, m. 1st to Col. Lee 2ndly to Rev. Dr. Edward Young."
10. Burke & Burke 1838, p. 89, right column, line 4: "The gentleman [George Browne] m. first, in 1725, Lady Barbara Lee, youngest daughter of Edward, first Earl of Lichfield and widow of Colonel Lee ..."
11. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 44: "Barbara, m. to Sir Charles Browne, Bart. of Kiddington."
12. Burke 1866, p. 317, right column, line 47: "... [the 1st Earl] d. in 1716 and was s. by his eldest surviving son, GEORGE HENRY LEE, 2nd Earl ..."
13. Cokayne 1893, p. 75, line 26: "He [George Lee, the 2nd Earl] m. Frances, da. of Sir John HALES, 4th Bart. of Woodchurch, co Kent, by his first wife "

• Betham, Rev. William (1801), The Baronetage of England: Or The History of the English Baronets, and Such Baronets of Scotland, as are of English Families; with Genealogical Tables, and Engravings of Their Coats of Arms, 1, London: William Miller
• Burke, John; Burke, John Bernard (1838), A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, London: Scott, Webster and Geary
• Burke, Bernard (1866), A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire (New ed.), London: Harrison
• Burke, Bernard (1949), A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (99th ed.), London: Burke's Peerage Ltd.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1893), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, 5 (1st ed.), London: George Bell and Sons – L to M (for Lichfield)

External links

• Genealogy of George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield on The Peerage website

Peerage of England
Preceded by Edward Lee	Earl of Lichfield 1716–1742	Succeeded by George Lee