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Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough, KG, PC, FRS (15 November 1621 – 19 June 1697) was an English soldier, peer and courtier.
Styled Lord Mordaunt from 1628, he was the eldest son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough and during the English Civil War, he commanded his ailing father's troop of horse on the side of the Roundheads from 1642. When his father died a year later, Mordaunt (now Earl of Peterborough) joined the Cavaliers and fought at the battles of Bristol, Gloucester and Newbury in 1643 and Cropredy Bridge and Lostwithiel in 1644. In about December 1644, he married Lady Penelope O'Brien (the only daughter of the 5th Earl of Thomond) and they had two daughters.
When Charles married Catherine of Braganza in 1661, he acquired Tangier as part of her dowry and Peterborough was sent there as its Governor. After fortifying the town's harbour, he returned home a few years later and captained the Unicorn at the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665 and later the Prince at the Battle of Solebay in 1672.
On James II's accession in 1685, Peterborough was made Groom of the Stole and a Knight of the Garter that year. When the King fled England three years later, Peterborough was caught trying to escape with him and was stripped of all his former offices and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was unsuccessfully impeached for high treason and conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1689 and was released the next year. On his death in 1697, his earldom passed to his nephew, the Earl of Monmouth, and his barony (which was able to pass through the female line) passed to his daughter, the Duchess of Norfolk. Since she died childless, the barony returned to the earls of Peterborough until that title died out in 1814.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Luís de Almeida |
Governor of Tangier 1661–1663 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Teviot |
| Preceded by New regiment |
Colonel of the Tangier Regiment 1661–1663 |
|
| Preceded by New regiment |
Colonel of The Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse 1685–1688 |
Succeeded by Hon. Edward Villiers |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Bath |
Groom of the Stole 1685–1688 |
Succeeded by Baron Hans Bentinck |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Exeter The Earl of Westmorland |
Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire with The Earl of Exeter 1666–1673 East Northamptonshire only 1673–1678 1666–1689 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Monmouth |
| Preceded by The Earl of Gainsborough Viscount Campden |
Lord Lieutenant of Rutland 1688–1690 |
Succeeded by The Lord Sherard |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by John Mordaunt |
Earl of Peterborough 1643–1697 |
Succeeded by Charles Mordaunt |
| Baron Mordaunt 1643–1697 |
Succeeded by Mary Howard |
|
from L&M Companion (partial)
(1623-97). Governor of Tangier 1661-2; living 1665-74 in Long Acre. A close associate of the Duke of York; a commissioner of his household (from 1667)who negotiated his marriage with Mary of Modena in 1673.
His appointment to The Garrison took place on 20th April 1661. He became Colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Horse (later 2nd Dragoon Guards) on 20th June 1685 and died on 19th June 1697.
http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/001.html
John Mordaunt, was created Viscount Mordaunt of Avalon and Baron Mordaunt of Reigate, Surrey, in 1659 ;
His son Charles became the famous one
http://34.1911encyclopedia.org/P/PE/PETERBOROUGH_AND_MONMOUTH_CHARLES_MORDAUNT_EARL_OF.htm
Warrington also mentions that the Earl was a Privy Counsellor and that he was made Groom of the Stole in 1685. He was also K.G.
Henry Mordaunt.
The Earl of Peterborough bought Mortlake tapestries in the 1650’s or 1660’s. Among them were The Seizure of Cassandra by Ajax and The Daughters of Niobe.
Although not on this site a typical tapestry can be seen…
Update of 1911 Encyclopedia link above:
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Charles_Mordaunt,_earl_of_Peterborough_and_Monmouth
Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Mordaunt,_2nd_Earl_of_Peterborough