proceed so far as to take a formal possession of the old baronial estates in Staffordshire and Shropshire, which happily still appertain to the family.

Sir Harris Nicolas, in order to put clearly the exact position of the several titles of Stafford which either exist or have existed in this family, thus sums up the matter: 1. The ancient barony created by writ of summons in 1298, and the earldom of 1351 were both forfeited by the attainder of Edward, Duke of Buckingham (ninth Baron and eighth Earl of Stafford), in 1522. 2. The barony of 1547 became extinct, as shown above, in or about 1640. 3. The barony of 1640 became forfeited by attainder in 1678, but is now vested in the present lord in consequence of the reversal of the attainder and the resolution. of the House of Lords. 4. The viscountcy created in 1840 was forfeited by attainder, but also became extinct by the failure of issue male. 5. The dignities of Baroness and Countess of Stafford, created in 1640 in favour of Mary, Viscountess Stafford, did not descend to her issue in consequence of the attainder of her husband, and the higher title became extinct at her death. 6. The earldom of Stafford, created in 1688 in favour of Henry Stafford Howard, became extinct in 1762 on the failure of the male line of his brothers.

86

THE DUCAL HOUSE OF RICHMOND.

F any one of my readers will take the trouble

IF

to cast his eye over the list of dukedoms in Lodge's or Burke's "Peerage," he will see that for four of the existing coronets adorned with ducal strawberry leaves-in other words, for nearly a fifth of the entire body of our dukes-King Charles II. is responsible, inasmuch as the first possessors of the titles of Richmond, Grafton, St. Albans, and Buccleuch were the sons of that sovereign by one or other of his many alliances, which I fear that I must scarcely dignify by the name of even morganatic unions. For instance, the first Duke of Buccleuch, better known in history as James Duke of Monmouth, was born to Charles by Miss Lucy Walters; the first Duke of St. Albans, by "Nell Gwynne;" the first Duke of Grafton, by Barbara

Villiers; while the founder of the ducal house of Richmond was Charles Lennox, the son of His Majesty by Mademoiselle Louise de Querouaille, a French lady, who, having been maid of honour to his sister, the Duchess of Orleans, was sent over to England by Louis XIV. with the not very creditable mission of watching over French interests at the Court of St. James's-in other words, of making our worthless Sovereign a paid pensioner under "Le Grand Monarque.”

Besides the above-named ducal titles so freely dispensed by the second Charles, it would seem that similar honours, which have since become extinct, were bestowed by him at various times. on various favourites; and the names of the Duchess of Cleveland, the Duchess of Portsmouth, and Lady Castlemaine will readily occur to the student of the history of England under the Stuarts in the list of ennobled favourites who basked in the sunshine of royalty, and whose claim to such honours, to say the least, was not based on virtue.

"In 1670," says Burnet, "the King declared a new mistress, and made her Duchess of Portsmouth. She had been maid of honour to Madame, the King's sister, and had come over with her to Dover, where the King had expressed such

a regard to her that the Duke of Buckingham,

who hated the Duchess of Cleveland, intended 'to put her on the King. He told him that it was a decent piece of tenderness for his sister to take care of some of her servants. So she was the person the King easily consented to invite over. That Duke assured the King of France that he could never reckon himself sure of the King but by giving him a mistress that should be true to his interests. It was soon agreed to. So the Duke of Buckingham sent her with a part of his equipage to Dieppe, and said he would presently follow. But he, who was the most inconstant and forgetful of all men, never thought of her more, but went to England by way of Calais. So Montague, then Ambassador at Paris, hearing of this, sent over for a yacht for her, and sent some of his servants to wait on her and to defray her charge till she was brought to Whitehall; and then Lord Arlington took care of her. So the Duke of Buckingham lost the merit he might have pretended to, and brought over a mistress whom his strange conduct threw into the hands of his enemies. The King was presently taken with her. She studied to please and observe him in everything; so that he passed away the rest of his life in a great fondness for her. He kept her at a vast charge; and she, by many fits of sickness, some believed real, and

others thought only pretended, gained of him everything she desired. She stuck firm to the French interest, and was its chief support. The King divided himself between her and Mistress Gwyn, and had no other avowed amour. But he was so entirely possessed by the Duchess of Portsmouth, and so engaged by her in the French interest, that this threw him into great difficulties, and exposed him to much contempt and distrust."

According to the records of the Herald's College, Charles Lennox was born on the 29th of July 1672, and "being of great hopes," when only three years old, was enrolled among the peers both of England and of Scotland as Duke of Richmond, and also Duke of Lennox. The King, who was present at his baptism, gave him the surname of Lennox, and his own Christian name, Charles.

At nine years old the precocious child was invested with the blue riband of the Order of the Garter, and while still in his minority, succeeded the Duke of Monmouth as Master of the Horse, the duty being performed by commissioners, while he of course drew his salary like the other courtiers around him. On the death of his father, however, he was removed from this post by James II., on account of the share which had