The Duke of Albemarle | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by unknown artist in collection ofTrinity College, Cambridge, purchased 1691 | |
| In office 1667 – 3 January 1670 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Hugh Pollard, Bt |
| Succeeded by | Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, Bt |
| Member of theHouse of Lords Hereditary peer | |
| In office 3 January 1670 – 6 October 1688 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1653-08-14)14 August 1653 |
| Died | 6 October 1688(1688-10-06) (aged 35) |
| Resting place | 4 July 1689 Westminster Abbey 51°29′58″N00°07′39″W / 51.49944°N 0.12750°W /51.49944; -0.12750 |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
|
| Education | Gray's Inn |
| Other titles | Earl of Torrington |
Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle (14 August 1653 – 6 October 1688) was anEnglish Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who sat in theHouse of Commons from 1667 to 1670 when he inherited his father'sdukedom and sat in theHouse of Lords.
Monck briefly served as Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and is credited with arranging the first boxing match in England.
Monck was the son and heir ofGeorge Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608–1670) by his wife Anne Clarges (d.1700), a daughter of John Clarges, "Farrier in theSavoy",[1] ofDrury Lane, Westminster. Anne's brother was SirThomas Clarges (c. 1618–1695),MP, who greatly assisted his brother-in-law, the then – before his elevation to the dukedom – General George Monck, in bringing about theRestoration of the Monarchy in 1660. She was the presumed widow of Thomas Radford, milliner, of New Exchange, Strand, Westminster, although it was said that her husband was still alive when her son was born. This left a question concerning Monck's legitimacy.
Monck was educated privately, and enteredGray's Inn in 1662.[2] From 1660 until his father's death ten years later in 1670, he was known by thecourtesy title ofEarl of Torrington, one of his father's subsidiary titles.
At the age of 13, Monck entered politics, having been elected Member of Parliament (MP) forDevon in January 1667. In 1670 he was elevated to thepeerage following the death of his father, inheriting his father's peerage titles, and thus entered theHouse of Lords when he reached 21. He became aGentleman of the Bedchamber and inherited his father's great feudal title,Lord of Bowland. He was created aKnight of the Garter, aPrivy Councillor and in 1675Lord Lieutenant of Devon, in which latter role he served for ten years. He became a titularcolonel of severalhorse regiments of theEnglish Army.[2]
In 1673 he raised a regiment as part of theBlackheath Army underMarshal Schomberg. It was intended for service in theDutch Republic, but was disbanded following theTreaty of Westminster before seeing any action.
On 6 January 1681, Monck arranged aboxing match between his butler and his butcher. This was the first recorded boxing match in England. The butcher won the match.[3]
From 1682 until his death, Monck wasChancellor of the University of Cambridge.[4] In 1685 he resigned the Lord Lieutenancy of Devon to fight against theMonmouth Rebellion, but was largely unsuccessful as a military leader. In 1686, Monck was a major investor in a treasure-seeking expedition headed byWilliam Phips, who had located the wreck of the Spanish treasure shipNuestra Señora de la Concepción in February 1687. Phips returned to London with more than £200,000 worth of treasure, of which Monck received a 25 percent share.
After serving in a few more minor positions, in 1687, Monck was appointedLieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
Monck died inJamaica[2] on 6 October 1688, aged 35. He was buried inWestminster Abbey on 4 July 1689.[5] As the Duke left no children, all his titles became extinct on his death.[2]
Monck is credited with the first boxing match in England.[3] English buccaneerAmbrose Cowley named the Duke of Albemarle's Island after him, the island in theGalapagos now known asIsabela.[6]
His Devonshire seat wasPotheridge, three miles south-east ofGreat Torrington, a grand mansion rebuilt by his fathercirca 1660[8] on the site of the formermanor house occupied by his family since, at the latest, 1287.[9] It was mostly demolished after the death of the 2nd duchess in 1734; the surviving section forms the present Great Potheridge farmhouse – inside which, however, some remnants of the former mansion remain, including two massive 17th-century classical-style doorcases, a colossalovermantel with carvedputti and trophies, and a grand staircase.[10]
In 1675 Monck purchased for £26,000 the very grand LondontownhouseClarendon House from the heirs of its builder,Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609–1674). In 1683 he resold it to a consortium of investors led bySir Thomas Bond, who demolished it and built on its siteAlbemarle Street,Bond Street andDover Street.
At the royalPalace of Whitehall in London on 30 December 1669, shortly before his father's death, Monck marriedLady Elizabeth Cavendish (d.1734), eldest daughter and co-heiress ofHenry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle. She gave birth to a son who died soon after his birth, and Monck left no further surviving children. In 1692 his widow remarried toRalph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu (1638 – c. 1709). She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 11 September 1734.[11]
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDevon 1667–1670 With:Sir John Rolle | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| New title | Colonel of the Queen's Regiment of Horse 1678–1679 | Regiment disbanded |
| Preceded by | Captain and Colonel of His Majesty's Own Troop of Horse Guards 1679–1685 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant andCustos Rotulorum of Devon 1675–1685 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Essex jointly withThe Earl of Oxford 1675–1687 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica 1687–1688 | Succeeded by Hender Molesworth,acting |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Albemarle 1670–1688 | Extinct |
