View source for Charles FitzGerald, 1st Baron Lecale

{{Short description|Irish naval commander and politician (1756–1810)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
[[Vice-Admiral (Royal Navy)|Vice-Admiral]] '''Charles James FitzGerald, 1st Baron Lecale''' {{post-nominals|list=[[Privy Council of Ireland|PC (Ire)]]}} (30 June 1756 – 18 February 1810), styled '''Lord Charles FitzGerald''' between 1761 and 1800, was an Irish naval commander and politician.

==Background==
FitzGerald was the third son of [[James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster]], and [[Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster|Lady Emily]], daughter of [[Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond]] and the second of the famous [[Lennox Sisters]]. He was the brother of [[William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster]], [[Lord Henry FitzGerald]] and [[Lord Edward FitzGerald]]. Through his mother he was a great-great-grandson of [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]].{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} There were 19 children in his family. His sister Lady Charlotte FitzGerald took the title of Baroness Rayleigh in 1821. His brother Lord Edward FitzGerald is known as the famous Irish revolutionary. One of his numerous brothers was Lord Robert Stephen FitzGerald who is known to be a British diplomat in Switzerland 1792–1795.<ref>[https://stairnaheireann.net/2013/11/19/1773-death-of-james-fitzgerald-1st-duke-of-leinster/1773 – DEATH OF JAMES FITZGERALD, 1ST DUKE OF LEINSTER.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135228/https://stairnaheireann.net/2013/11/19/1773-death-of-james-fitzgerald-1st-duke-of-leinster/1773/ |date=16 January 2018 }} Retrieved 15 January 2018</ref>

==Political and naval career==
FitzGerald sat as a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) in the [[Irish House of Commons]] for [[County Kildare (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|County Kildare]] from 1776 to 1790, for [[Cavan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Cavan Borough]] from 1790 to 1798 and for [[Ardfert (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Ardfert]] from 1798 to the [[Act of Union, 1800|Act of Union]] in 1801. He served as [[High Sheriff of Down]] in 1783, a Commissioner of Customs between 1789 and 1792 and as Muster-Master-General of Ireland between 1792 and 1806.

He also served in the [[Royal Navy]]. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1777, and his first command was the cutter {{HMS|Tapageur|1779|2}} in 1779. He sailed her to [[Saint Lucia]], where she was wrecked in March 1780, though without loss of life. He was made [[post-captain]] on 23 May 1780. Thereafter he was captain of a number of frigates. He participated in the [[Battle of the Chesapeake]] in 1781. He was made a [[Rear-Admiral]] in 1790.

On 27 December 1800, he was raised to the [[Peerage of Ireland]] as '''Baron Lecale''', of [[Ardglass]] in the [[County Down|County of Down]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=15326 | date=6 January 1801 |page=39}}</ref> He briefly represented [[Arundel (UK Parliament constituency)|Arundel]] in the [[British House of Commons]] between January and April 1807.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

==Family==
Lord Lecale was twice married, the second time in London on 18 July 1808 to former Mrs. Julia Carton (died [[Courtlands]], [[Devon]], 6 May 1844), without issue. His only children, both illegitimate, were Henry FitzGerald, who died at sea, off [[Civitavecchia]], on 14 September 1803, and Anna Maria FitzGerald. 
Lecale converted 15th century warehouses in [[Ardglass]], [[County Down]] into a castellated house, known as [[Ardglass Castle]], at the end of the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bence-Jones|first1=Mark|title=A Guide to Irish County Houses|date=1988|publisher=Constable|location=London|isbn=0-09-469990-9|page=10}}</ref> The castle is now the home of Ardglass Golf Club.<ref name="Howland">{{cite journal |last1=Howland |first1=Michael |title=Lorrd Lecale, 1756-1810 |journal=Lecale Review |date=2014 |issue=12}}</ref>  He died in the Castle in February 1810, aged 53, when the barony became extinct.<ref name="Howland"/>
Lord Lecale's tomb is located in Bright parish church, which bears a memorial plate in his name.<ref name="Howland"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==

{{S-start}}
{{s-par|ie}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Sir Kildare Borrowes, 5th Baronet|Sir Kildare Borrowes, 5th Bt]] <br /> [[Arthur Pomeroy]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[County Kildare (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|County Kildare]]
       | with   = [[Arthur Pomeroy]] 1776–1783
       | with2  = [[John Wolfe (politician)|John Wolfe]] 1783–1790
       | years  = 1776–1790 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Lord Edward FitzGerald]] <br /> [[Maurice Bagenal St Leger Keating]] }}

{{s-bef| before = [[Thomas Nesbitt (died 1820)|Thomas Nesbitt]] <br /> [[Henry Theophilus Clements]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Cavan Borough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Cavan Borough]]
       | with   = [[Thomas Nesbitt (died 1820)|Thomas Nesbitt]]
       | years  = 1790–1798 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Thomas Nesbitt (died 1820)|Thomas Nesbitt]] <br /> [[Nathaniel Clements, 2nd Earl of Leitrim|Viscount Clements]] }}

{{s-bef| before = [[Robert Day (Irish politician, born 1746)|Robert Day]] <br /> [[Arthur Wolfe, 1st Viscount Kilwarden|Arthur Wolfe]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Ardfert (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|Ardfert]]
       | with   = [[Robert Day (Irish politician, born 1746)|Robert Day]] 1798
       | with2  = [[Lorenzo Moore (MP for Ardfert)|Lorenzo Moore]] 1798–1800
       | with3  = [[John Talbot (died 1818)|John Talbot]] 1800–1801
       | years  = 1798–[[1801 United Kingdom general election|1801]] }}
{{s-aft| after  = Parliament of the United Kingdom }}

{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Arthur Piggott|Sir Arthur Piggott]] <br /> [[Francis Wilder]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Arundel (UK Parliament constituency)|Arundel]]
       | with   = [[Arthur Piggott|Sir Arthur Piggott]]
       | years  = [[1807 United Kingdom general election|1807]] }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Arthur Piggott|Sir Arthur Piggott]] <br /> [[Francis Wilder]] }}

{{s-reg|ie}}
{{s-new | creation}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Baron Lecale]] | years=1800–1810}}
{{s-non | reason=Extinct}}
{{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzGerald, Charles}}
[[Category:1756 births|Lecale]]
[[Category:1810 deaths|Lecale]]
[[Category:Military personnel from County Kildare]]
[[Category:Barons in the Peerage of Ireland|Lecale]]
[[Category:Peers of Ireland created by George III|Lecale]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Down]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1776–1783]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1783–1790]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1790–1797]]
[[Category:Irish MPs 1798–1800]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1806–1807]]
[[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages]]
[[Category:Hereditary peers elected to the House of Commons]]
[[Category:Younger sons of dukes]]
[[Category:FitzGerald dynasty|Charles]]
[[Category:Royal Navy rear admirals|Lecale]]
[[Category:Irish officers in the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland|Lecale]]
[[Category:Politicians from County Kildare]]
[[Category:19th-century Irish politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cavan constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kerry constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kildare constituencies]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing]]