Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 2.djvu/67

 66 BUCKINGHAM. Lord Lieut, of Bucks, 1816. On 5 Jany. 1616/7 lie was er. EARL OF BUCKING- HAM. (*) On 14 March following he obtained a patent granting the reversion of the said Earldom, Viscountcy and Barony, failing the heirs male of his body, to [his brothers of the whole blood] "John Villiers, Kut., and Christopher Villiers, Esq.," and the heirs male of their bodies respectively. On 1 Jany. 1617/S he was a: MARQUESS OF BUCKINGlIAM( b ) and on 1 July following he obtained for his mother the title of Countess of Buckingham as abovementioned, P.O. 1617 ; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover, 1018 ; Lord Hiuit Admiral of England, 1G1!) ; Ch. Justice in Eyre, south of Trent, 1619 ; Lord Lieut, of Kent, 1620 ; Lord Lieut, of Midx., 10-22. On 18 May 1023 he was cr. EARL OF COVENTRY and DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, he being then absent with Charles, Prince of Wales, in Spain, to arrange for a Spanish alliance for that Prince. Constable of Windsor Castle, &c, 1021. He waft also High Steward of Hampton Court (1016), of Weshn., of the Honour of Grafton (1622), and of Windsor (1625). At the accession of Charles I. he was made (lent, of the Bedchamber. Ch. Commissioner of War, and Gen. of the Fleet and Army, in 1025; Ambassador to Paris, May to June, 102;". and again Nov. 1020 ; Ambassador to the the Hague Oct to Dec. 1625; High Constable for the Coronation, Feb. 1026 ; Chancellor of Cambridge, 1626, &C Finally lie obtained for his only da. Lady Mary Villiers, a patent, 27 Aug. 1627, granting her, in the event of Ins dying without male issue, the dignity of DUCHESS OF BUCKINGHAM, w ith rem. of the Dukedom to the heirs male of her body.(°) His unbounded influence at Court made him odious to the people, and was increased by the failure of an expedition he undertook to the Isle of Rhee for the relief of the Rochellers. He, however, projected another such expedition, ami had pro- ceeded to Portsmouth to embark thereon, when he was stabbed to the heart by Lieut. John Feltou. His " noble nature and generous disposition " and " courage not to bo daunted " are mentioned by " Clarendon." He m. 10 May 1620, Katharine, da. and h. of Francis (Manners), 6th Earl of Rutland, Lord Roos, by his 1st wife Frances, da. and coheir of Sir Henry Knyvltt, of Charlton, Wilts. He d. as afsd. 23 Aug, 1628, aged but 30, and was 5w, 18 Sep. (from Wallingford House, Whitehall) in Westm. Abbey. Adinon. 25 Feb. 1628/9 ; will dat. 25 June 1627, pr. 3 March 1634/5 and 14 Nov. 1663. His widow who, on the death of her Father, 17 Dec. 1632, became suo jure Baronkss Roos, m. (as his 1st wife) April 1635, Randall (MacDonneli.), Marquess or Antrim [I.] (so cr. in 1645), who d. s.p. 3 Feb. 1682. She d. before 1663. Admou. as "late of the Kingdom of Ireland," 20 Nov. 1663 to her said husband. [Chables Villiers, styled " Marquess of Buckingham and Earl of CevSKTKT,"( d ) 1st S. and h. ap. b. 17 Nov. 1625, d. 16 March 1626/7, and was bur. the 17th at Westm. Abbey.] (») Sir Edward Walker (Giirter) gives an account of the ceremonial of his Investi- ture (WA 20i), which was done "uppon short notice both to the Attoruey-Geiierall and the Lord Chauncellor." ( b ) The following note is given in " Courthope " : The secrecy with which this nobleman's elevation to a Marquessate was conducted is curious, and justifies the follow ing account of it by Camden :— "Natali Chuisti, 1618. — The Lord Chancellor sent for me before seven in the morning, and privately charged uie on the oath both of my allegiance as a subject and my oath as a King-of-Aims, to keep secret that which he was to impart unto me, namely, that the King purposed to make the Earl of Buckingham Marquess of Buckingham without ceremony, willing me to give him some precedents to that purpose, whereupon I delivered to him these." [Here follow several precedents of Peers being created without investiture.] "Upon New Year's day following the said Ear] was created Marquess of Buckingham without ceremony, only by delivering the patent, before any of the Council knew it, which the King did in his wisdom to avoid connterpositiou and competition of others." — Ifarl. MSS. 5176, f. 41 b. ( c ) The following note occurs in " Courthope " : " The event contemplated by this patent did not occur, inasmuch as the Duke her father had a son born within a few months, and the birth of this son rendered the Patent inoperative." k.( (1 ) So-called in his burial. See Chester's " Westm. Abbey Registers."