Ludovic Stuart, 2nd duke of Lennox (1574-1624), who also held other titles in the peerage of Scotland, was created earl of Richmond in 1613 and duke of Richmond in 1623. These became extinct at his death in 1624, but his Scottish honours devolved on his brother Esme, who was already earl of March in the peerage of England. (See MARCH, EARLS OF; and LENNOX.) Esme's son, James, 4th duke of Lennox (1612-1655), was created duke of Richmond in 1641, the two dukedoms as well as the lesser English and Scottish titles thus becoming again united. In 1672, on the death of his nephew Charles, 3rd duke of Rich mond and 6th duke of Lennox, whose wife was the celebrated beauty called "La Belle Stuart" at the court of Charles II. (see RICHMOND AND LENNOX, FRANCES TERESA, DUCHESS OF), his titles became extinct.
In 1675 Charles II. created his illegitimate son Charles duke of Richmond, earl of March and baron Settrington. This Charles (1672-1723), on whom his father the king bestowed the surname of Lennox, was the son of the celebrated Louise de Keroualle, duchess of Portsmouth. His son Charles, 2nd duke (1701-175o), added to the titles he inherited from his father that of duke of Aubigny in France, to which he succeeded in 1734 on the death of his grandmother the duchess of Portsmouth; these honours are still held by his descendant the present duke of Richmond.
The seven dukes of Richmond of the Lennox line have all borne the Christian name of Charles. The 2nd duke, by his marriage with Sarah, daughter of the 1st Earl Cadogan, was father of Lady Caroline Lennox, who eloped with Henry Fox, and was the mother of Charles James Fox, and of the beautiful Lady Sarah Lennox (1745-1826) with whom George III. fell in love and contemplated marriage, and who afterwards married, first, Sir Thomas Bunbury, from whom she was divorced, and secondly George Napier, by whom she was the mother of Generals Sir Charles and Sir William Napier.
Charles, 3rd duke of Richmond (1734-1806), was famous for his advanced views on the question of parliamentary reform. Having succeeded to the peerage in 1750, he was appointed British ambassador extraordinary in Paris in 1765, and in the following year he became a secretary of State in the Rocking ham administration, resigning office on the accession to power of the earl of Chatham. In the debates on the policy that led to the War of American Independence Richmond was a firm sup porter of the colonists. Richmond also advocated a policy of concession in Ireland, with reference to which he originated the famous phrase "a union of hearts." In 1779 the duke brought forward a motion for retrenchment of the civil list ; and in 1780 he embodied in a bill his proposals for parliamentary reform, which included manhood suffrage, annual parliaments and equal electoral areas. Richmond sat in Rockingham's second cabinet as
master-general of ordnance; and in 1784 he joined the ministry of William Pitt. He now developed strongly Tory opinions, and his alleged desertion of the cause of reform led to a violent attack on him by Lauderdale in 1792. Richmond died in Dec. 1806, and, leaving no legitimate children, he was succeeded in the peerage by his nephew Charles.
The 5th duke (1791-186o), while still known by the courtesy title of earl of March, served on Wellington's staff in the Penin sula, being at the same time member of parliament for Chichester. He was afterwards a vehement opponent in the House of Lords of Roman Catholic emancipation, and at a later date a leader of the opposition to Peel's free trade policy. In 1836, on inheriting the estates of his maternal uncle, the 5th and last duke of Gordon, he assumed the name of Gordon before that of Lennox. On his death in 1860 he was succeeded in his titles by his son Charles Henry, 6th duke of Richmond (1818-1903), a statesman who held various cabinet offices in the Conservative administrations of Lord Derby, Disraeli and the marquess of Salisbury; and who in 1876 was created earl of Kinrara and duke of Gordon. These honours in addition to the numerous family titles of more ancient creation passed on his death in 1903 to his son Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox (1845-1928), 7th duke of Richmond and Lennox and 2nd duke of Gordon. The 7th duke was succeeded by his son Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox ( 870-1935).
See Sir Robert Douglas, The Peerage of Scotland, edited by Sir J. B. Paul ; G. E. C., Complete Peerage, vol. vi. (London, 1895) ; Lady Elizabeth Cust, Some Account of the Stuarts of Aubigny in France (1891) . For the dukes of the creation of 1675 see also, Anthony Hamilton, Memoirs of Grammont, edited by Sir W. Scott, new edition (2 vols., 1885) ; Horace Walpole, Letters, edited by P. Cunningham (9 vols., 1891), and Memoirs of the Reign of George III., edited by G. F. R. Barker (4 vols., London, 1894) ; the earl of Albemarle, Memoirs of Rockingham and his Contemporaries (2 vols., 1852) ; The Grenville Papers, edited by W. J. Smith (4 vols., 1852) ; Earl Stanhope, Life of William Pitt (4 vols., 1861) ; Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice, Life of William Earl of Shelburne (3 vols., 1875) ; the duke of Richmond, The Right of the People to Universal Suffrage and Annual Parliaments (1817) , being an edition of the 3rd duke's famous "Letter to Lieut.-Colonel Sharman," originally published in 1783 ; Lord William Pitt Lennox, Memoir of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond (1862) .