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Duke of Grafton

Dukedom of Grafton
Quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England quarterly (Royal Arms of Charles II); 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland; the whole debruised by a baton sinister compony of six pieces argent and azure.
Creation date	11 September 1675[1]
Created by	Charles II
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Henry FitzRoy
Present holder	Henry FitzRoy, 12th Duke
Heir apparent	Alfred FitzRoy, Earl of Euston
Remainder to	the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Euston Viscount Ipswich Baron Sudbury
Seat(s)	Euston Hall

Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland.^[2] The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, who served as Prime Minister from 1768–1770.^[3]

The Duke of Grafton holds three subsidiary titles, all created in 1675 in the peerage of England: Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich, and Baron Sudbury.^[1] Between 1723 and 1936 the dukes, being descended from the 1st Duke's wife Isabella FitzRoy, 2nd Countess of Arlington, also held the titles Earl of Arlington, Viscount Thetford and Baron Arlington. Those titles fell into abeyance between the 9th Duke's sisters,^[4] with the abeyance of the barony of Arlington being ended in 1999.

The Dukes "created" and owned the London district of Fitzrovia, so named for their family name.

The title of the dukedom refers to the Honour of Grafton in the southeast of Northamptonshire, the titular village now being called Grafton Regis.

The family seat is Euston HallinSuffolk, an 11,000-acre estate straddling the Norfolk-Suffolk border.^[5] The main burial places of the senior branch of the family are in and beside the parish church of Saint Genevieve at Euston, Suffolk.

The Duke of Grafton is fourth in the order of precedence after the dukes of Norfolk, Somerset, and Richmond.

Other titles (all): Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich and Baron Sudbury (1675)

• Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690), second illegitimate son of Charles II and the Duchess of Cleveland;

Other titles (2nd–9th Dukes): Earl of Arlington, Viscount Thetford and Baron Arlington (1672)

• Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton (1683–1757), only son of the 1st Duke
  • Charles FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1714–1715), eldest son of the 2nd Duke, died young
  • George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1715–1747), second son of the 2nd Duke, predeceased his father without issue
• Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (1735–1811), eldest son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, third son of the 2nd Duke; Prime Minister, 1768–70
• George Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton (1760–1844), eldest son of the 3rd Duke
• Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton (1790–1863), eldest son of the 4th Duke
• William Henry FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton (1819–1882), eldest son of the 5th Duke, died without issue
• Augustus Charles Lennox FitzRoy, 7th Duke of Grafton (1821–1918), second son of the 5th Duke
  • Henry James FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1848–1912), eldest son of the 7th Duke, predeceased his father without issue
• Alfred William Maitland Fitzroy, 8th Duke of Grafton (1850–1930), second son of the 7th Duke
  • William Henry Alfred Fitzroy, Viscount Ipswich (1884–1918), only son of the 8th Duke, predeceased both his father and grandfather
• John Charles William FitzRoy, 9th Duke of Grafton (1914–1936), only son of William FitzRoy, Viscount Ipswich, died unmarried
• Charles Alfred Euston FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton (1892–1970), eldest son of the Rev. Lord Charles Edward FitzRoy, third and youngest son of the 7th Duke
• Hugh Denis Charles FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton (1919–2011), eldest son of the 10th Duke
  • James Oliver Charles FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1947–2009), eldest son of the 11th Duke, predeceased his father in 2009^[6]
• Henry Oliver Charles FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton^[7] (b. 1978), only son of Lord Euston

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Alfred James Charles FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (b. 2012).^[8]

Coat of arms of Duke of Grafton

Coronet The coronet of a Duke Crest On a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Lion statant guardant Or ducally crowned Azure and gorged with a Collar counter-compony Argent and of the fourth. Escutcheon The Royal Arms of Charles II, viz Quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England quarterly; 2nd, Scotland; 3rd, Ireland; the whole debruised by a Baton sinister compony of six pieces Argent and Azure Supporters Dexter: a Lion guardant Or ducally crowned Azure; Sinister: a Greyhound Argent, each gorged with a Collar counter-compony Argent and Azure. Motto Et Decus Et Pretium Recti (The ornament and recompense of virtue)

• Viscount Daventry (created for Muriel FitzRoy the widow of the Speaker Edward FitzRoy the second son of Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton).
• Baron Southampton (created for Charles FitzRoy the son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy).

• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. 160A, Fleet Street, London, England: Dean & Son. p. 414.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
• Falk, Bernard. The Royal Fitz Roys; Dukes of Grafton through Four Centuries. Hutchinson, 1950.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dukes of Grafton.

• Cracroft's Peerage page