Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave

Early life

He was the son of Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet and Eleanor, Lady Waldegrave ( Englefield), a daughter of Sir Francis Englefield, 2nd Baronet.

Career

Waldegrave inherited his father's title, becoming 4th Baronet Waldegrave, of Hever Castle, around 1684. As a result of his marriage, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Waldegrave, of Chewton, Somerset, in 1686.

He became Comptroller of the Household in 1687 and continued in this office at the King's court-in-exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, until his death in 1689. In 1688, he was appointed to succeed Bevil Skelton as the English Ambassador to France, serving until 1689.

Personal life

On 29 November 1683, he married Henrietta FitzJames (1667–1730), an illegitimate daughter of King James II and his mistress, Arabella Churchill (sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough). He had three children:

• James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave (1684–1741), who married Mary Webb, daughter of Sir John Webb, 3rd Baronet, in 1714.
• Hon. Arabella Waldegrave (1687–1740), who became a nun.
• Hon. Henry Waldegrave (1688–)

Lord Waldegrave died on 24 January 1689. After his death, his widow married Piers Butler, 3rd Viscount Galmoye.

Descendants

Through his son James, he was a grandfather of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave, and Lady Henrietta Waldegrave (who married Lord Edward Herbert, a son of the 2nd Marquess of Powis; and secondly, John Beard (a singer at Covent Garden). He was also a 7th great grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales, first wife of Charles III.

References

References

1. Weir, Alison. ''Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy'' (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), p. 262.
2. (10 September 2020). "The Unpublished Letters of Henry St John, First Viscount Bolingbroke Vol 5". Routledge.
3. (25 August 2016). "Masque and Opera in England, 1656-1688". Taylor & Francis.
4. (2004). "A Court in Exile: The Stuarts in France, 1689-1718". [[Cambridge University Press]].
5. (30 September 2015). "Montesquieu and England: Enlightened Exchanges, 1689–1755". Routledge.
6. (1903). "Dictionary of National Biography". Smith, Elder.
7. (1854). ""The" Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, of Great Britain and Ireland: For ... ; Including All the Titled Classes". Whittaker And Company.
8. Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.'' [[Wilmington, Delaware]], [[U.S.A.]]: [[Burke's Peerage]] (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 4033, and volume 2, page 1866.