Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy. The most famous duke was probably Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, who served as Prime Minister in the 1760s.
The Duke of Grafton holds three subsidiary titles, all created in 1672 in the Peerage of England: Earl of Euston, Viscount Ipswich, and Baron Sudbury. 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, with the abeyance of barony Arlington being ended in 1999.
The title of the Dukedom refers to the Honour of Grafton in the south east of Northamptonshire, the titular village now being called Grafton Regis. The family seat is Euston Hall in Suffolk.
The Duke's eldest son is styled with the courtesy title Earl of Euston, and the eldest son of the Earl with the title Viscount Ipswich.
Read more about Duke Of Grafton: Dukes of Grafton (1675), Further Reading
Famous quotes containing the words duke of, duke and/or grafton:
“It seemed a long way from 143rd Street. Shaking hands with the Queen of England was a long way from being forced to sit in the colored section of the bus going into downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Dancing with the Duke of Devonshire was a long way from not being allowed to bowl in Jefferson City, Missouri, because the white customers complained about it.”
—Althea Gibson (b. 1927)
“A fully equipped duke costs as much to keep up as two Dreadnoughts, and dukes are just as great a terror—and they last longer.”
—David Lloyd George (1863–1945)
“... no one with a happy childhood ever amounts to much in this world. They are so well adjusted, they never are driven to achieve anything.”
—Sue Grafton (b. 1940)