Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton

His Grace
The Duke of Grafton
KG DL

Duke of Grafton, by Allan Warren
Personal details
Born Hugh Denis Charles FitzRoy
3 April 1919
Cape Town, Union of South Africa
Died 7 April 2011(2011-04-07) (aged 92)
Euston Hall, Euston, Suffolk, England, UK
Nationality British
Spouse(s) Ann Fortune Smith (1946–2011; his death)
Children 5
Alma mater Magdalene College, Cambridge
Military service
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Unit Grenadier Guards

Hugh Denis Charles FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton KG DL (3 April 1919 – 7 April 2011) was the son of Charles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton, and his first wife Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton, second daughter of Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton. He was known until 1970 as the Earl of Euston.

Biography

He was born in 1919 in Cape Town, Union of South Africa.[1][2]

He was a descendant of Charles II of England, through Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, the illegitimate son of King Charles II by his mistress Barbara Villiers. The FitzRoys are thus a direct but illegitimate line of the House of Stuart.

Through an ancestor Anne Warren, a daughter of Adml. Sir Peter Warren, he is a descendant of the Schuyler family, the Van Cortlandt family, and the Delancey family, all from British North America.[3]

He was educated at Eton College and at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He was subsequently commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, and for three years from 1943 was Aide-de-camp to the Viceroy of India, Field Marshal Viscount Wavell.

Grafton devoted much of his life to the conservation and protection of historic buildings. He was chairman and later president of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and also chaired at various times the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, the Architectural Heritage Fund, the Church of England's Cathedral Advisory Commission and Sir John Soane's Museum.

The 11th Duke of Grafton outside Euston Hall

He was a member of the Historic Buildings Council from its foundation in 1953, and until he succeeded his father in 1970 he was the National Trust's administrator for Sussex and Kent, and later East Anglia. He was also vice-chairman of the National Portrait Gallery.

The Duke of Grafton's home was Euston Hall, near Thetford. He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1976.[4]

Death

He died in 2011 at Euston Hall, Suffolk.[5]

Marriage and children

On 12 October 1946, he married Ann Fortune Smith, (the current Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth II). The Duke and Duchess had five children:[1]

Ancestry

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Charles Mosley, ed. (2004). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage II (107 ed.). pp. 1616–19. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  2. National Portrait Gallery. "Hugh Denis Charles Fitzroy, 11th Duke of Grafton". Collections subjects. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
  3. ThePeerage.com page 245 http://www.thepeerage.com/p245.htm#i2442 Accessed March 14, 2015.
  4. The London Gazette: no. 46885. p. 6047. 27 April 1976. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  5. The Daily Telegraph (London) 10 April 2011, Death Announcements, online
  6. Dylan Lobo (19 April 2008). "Fund Manager Profile: Sarasin's Guy Monson". City Wire. According to this story, Lady Rose Monson works at Trinity Hospice, London. The Monsons' daughters are Olivia and Leonora.

Sources

External links

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Peerage of England
Preceded by
Charles Alfred Euston FitzRoy
Duke of Grafton
1970–2011
Succeeded by
Henry Oliver Charles FitzRoy
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