Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland and Countess of Castlemaine, was born Barbara Villiers on 27 November 1640 (Old Style 17 November) and died on 9 October 1709. A member of the Villiers family, she became the most infamous of King Charles II of England’s many mistresses. The king fathered five of her children, all of whom he acknowledged and later granted titles. She was frequently painted, most notably by the court artist Sir Peter Lely. Her first cousin, Elizabeth Villiers (later the 1st Countess of Orkney, 1657–1733), is thought to have been the mistress of King William III, who ruled England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 to 1702. Barbara Villiers was born in the parish of St Margaret’s, Westminster, Middlesex, as the only child of William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison, and his wife Mary Bayning. Her father was a half-nephew of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham; her mother was co-heiress of Paul Bayning, 1st Viscount Bayning. On 29 September 1643, during the First English Civil War, Lord Grandison died from a wound he received on 26 July while leading a brigade of Cavaliers at the storming of Bristol. He had spent his large fortune on horses and ammunition for a regiment he raised himself, leaving his widow and daughter in difficult financial circumstances. Soon after his death, Barbara’s mother married Charles Villiers, 2nd Earl of Anglesey, a cousin of her late husband. After Charles I was executed in 1649, the impoverished Villiers family secretly shifted its allegiance to his son, Charles II. Each year on 29 May, the new king’s birthday, young Barbara and her family would go down to the cellar of their home in complete darkness and drink to his health in secret. At that time, Charles was living in The Hague, first supported by his brother-in-law, Prince William II of Orange, and later by his nephew, William III of Orange. Barbara Villiers was tall, voluptuous, with thick dark brown hair, slanting violet eyes with heavy lids, alabaster skin, and a sensuous, sulky mouth. She was considered one of the most beautiful Royalist women, but her lack of money limited her marriage options. Her first serious romance was with Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, but he was looking for a wealthy wife and married Elizabeth Butler in 1660. On 14 April 1659, she married Roger Palmer (later 1st Earl of Castlemaine), a Roman Catholic, against his family’s wishes. His father predicted she would make him one of the most miserable men alive. The Palmers joined a group of ambitious supplicants who sailed for Brussels at the end of 1659. In 1660, Barbara became the king’s mistress, and on 20 August 1660 she was granted two pennies seigniorage on every Troy pound of silver minted into coins. As a reward for her services, the king created her husband Baron Limerick and Earl of Castlemaine in 1661. These titles came with the condition that they would pass only through Roger’s heirs by Barbara, an indirect way for the king to secure an inheritance for his illegitimate children. The couple officially separated in 1662, after the birth of her first son. It has been claimed that Roger, Lord Castlemaine, did not father any of his wife’s children. Lady Castlemaine’s influence over the king rose and fell during her time as royal mistress. At her peak, her power was so great that she was called “The Uncrowned Queen,” and she was known to assert her influence with the king over the actual queen, Catherine of Braganza. This began when the queen landed at Portsmouth. Samuel Pepys noted that the customary bonfire outside Lady Castlemaine’s house was left conspicuously unlit for the queen’s arrival. In fact, Lady Castlemaine planned to give birth to her and Charles’s second child at Hampton Court Palace while the royal couple were honeymooning. Of her six children, five were acknowledged by Charles as his. He did not believe he fathered the youngest, but Lady Castlemaine forced him to legally claim paternity. The children were: Lady Anne Palmer (later FitzRoy, 1661–1722), probably Charles’s daughter, though some thought she resembled the Earl of Chesterfield; she was claimed by Charles, Chesterfield, and Palmer, and later became Countess of Sussex. Charles Palmer (later FitzRoy, 1662–1730), styled Lord Limerick and later Earl of Southampton, was created Duke of Southampton in 1675 and later became 2nd Duke of Cleveland in 1709. Henry FitzRoy (1663–1690) was created Earl of Euston in 1672 and Duke of Grafton in 1675. Charlotte FitzRoy (1664–1718) later became Countess of Lichfield and gave birth to at least 18 children. George FitzRoy (1665–1716) was created Earl of Northumberland in 1674 and Duke of Northumberland in 1683. Barbara (Benedicta) FitzRoy (1672–1737) was claimed by Barbara Villiers as Charles’s daughter, but she was probably the child of her mother’s second cousin and lover, John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough. Upon the birth of her oldest son in 1662, Barbara was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber, despite opposition from Queen Catherine and Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, the king’s chief advisor and a bitter enemy of Lady Castlemaine. Behind closed doors, Barbara and the queen feuded constantly. Her victory in gaining this position was followed by rumors of a rift between her and the king, caused by his infatuation with Frances Stuart. In December 1663, Lady Castlemaine announced her conversion from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. Historians disagree on her reasons: some think it was an attempt to strengthen her position with the king, others that it was meant to reinforce her ties with her Catholic husband. The king treated the matter lightly, saying he was interested in ladies’ bodies but not their souls.