Charles Radcliffe (Titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater, 1693-1746)


The youngest brother of the Earl of Derwentwater, Charles Radcliffe was a wild-philandering character in his youth, and was said to have fathered a number of illegitimate children. He was a particularly ardent Jacobite and took an active part in the Rising of 1715.

Although only twenty-two years old at the time, he was given the command of the Earl's troops, and afterwards praised for his strong leadership and courage. After being taken prisoner at Preston, he was convicted of high treason, but escaped from Newgate in December 1716. He spent the rest of his life on the Continent, marrying the wealthy Charlotte Maria Livingstone, the Countess of Newburgh, in Brussels in 1724. He remained at the centre of Jacobite intrigue, moving in 1738 with his family to Rome, and becoming a well known figure at the Court of James III.

Returning to Scotland in November 1745, with the intention of fighting for Prince Charles Edward, he was captured at sea, condemned under his former sentence, and beheaded on Tower Hill on 8 December 1746. Charles Radcliffe is remembered as being one of the bravest and most loyal supporters of the House of Stuart.