Lennox, Charles, 4th Duke of Richmond (1764 -1819)
Charles Lennox was born to General Lord George Lennox, the younger son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and Lady Louisa, daughter of William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian.
He was a keen cricketer, and was one of founder members of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
In 1787, at the age of 23, he was made British Army captain. He was involved in a couple of duels in 1789, one with Frederick, Duke of York. Neither man was injured.
Later in the year he married Lady Charlotte Gordon, the eldest child of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, and his wife, Jane (née Maxwell).
In 1794 and 1795 he participated in naval engagements against the French in the West Indies and Gibraltar, but was sent home when he came into conflict with his superiors.
He was also MP for Sussex, succeeding his father, from 1790, until he was elevated to the dukedom. He became the 4th Duke of Richmond on 29 December 1806, after the death of his uncle, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond.
From April 1807 until 1813 he became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
In 1818 he was appointed Governor General of British North America. The next year, while on a tour of Upper and Lower Canada, he was bitten by a fox. The injury apparently healed, but a few weeks later the first symptoms of rabies appeared. The disease developed rapidly and on 28 August he died in extreme agony. After a state funeral in Quebec City, on 4 September he was buried in the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Charles Lennox’s title was inherited by his son, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond.
Seat / Residence(s): Goodwood House