Family and Education

bap. 15 Dec. 1628, 1st s. of Charles Berkeley†, 2nd Visct. Fitzhardinge; bro. of John*, 4th Visct. Fitzhardinge.  m. 1 Jan. 1649, Anne (d. 1704), da. of Sir Henry Lee, 1st Bt., of Quarrendon, Bucks., 2da.; 2s. illegit. by Mary Rutley.  cr. Bt. 2 July 1660; suc. fa. as 3rd Visct. Fitzhardinge 12 June 1668.1

Offices Held

Servant to Duke of Gloucester May–Sept. 1660; gent. of privy chamber (extraordinary) June 1660, (ordinary) 1668–85; treasurer of Dunkirk garrison Dec. 1660–1; jt. agent for wine licences 1661–2; v.-pres. Connaught 1662–6; PC [I] 1663–?d.; commr. customs and excise accts. [I] 1666–7; capt. indep. tp. 1667, 1685, life gds. [I] 1676–85.2

MP [I] 1665–6.

FRS 1667.

Custos rot. Som. 1675–d., ld. lt. 1689–d.; freeman, Bath 1679, high steward 1685–Aug. 1688, Oct. 1688–d.3

Biography

A Court Tory with strong Irish attachments, Berkeley had been a sympathizer of the Duke of Monmouth and had taken a stand against James II’s religious policies early in 1688. Later in the year he attended William of Orange during his progress through the West Country and entertained him at his seat at Bruton. He was rewarded with the lord lieutenancy of the county in 1689 and re-elected for Bath. On the eve of the 1690 session he was classed by Lord Carmarthen (Sir Thomas Osborne†) as a Tory, but made no mark in proceedings. He died on 13 June 1690 and was buried at St Mary’s, Bruton. In his will he decreed that his estate, excluding his family seat, was to be sold off in order to raise cash for a series of bequests including £500 to his mistress Mary Rutley, and £500 to each of their two sons who also inherited his land in co. Westmeath in Ireland.4

Ref Volumes: 1690-1715

Authors: Paula Watson / Andrew A. Hanham

Notes

• 1. Cal. Treas. Bks. viii. 601; PCC 213 Dyke.
• 2. SP 29/20/55; LC 3/2; CSP Dom. 1660–1, p. 431; 1661–2, pp. 69, 132, 377; 1667, p. 182; 1676–7, p. 287; 1685, p. 209; CSP Ire. 1666–9, pp. 114, 349; Cal. Clarendon SP, v. 281, 544; HMC Ormonde, ii. 206, 208.
• 3. Bath AO, Bath council bk. 3, p. 69.
• 4. PCC 213 Dyke.