BUCKINGHAM 393 Knt., and Christopher Villiers, Esq.," and the heirs male of their bodies respectively. P.C. 4 Feb. 16 16/7. On i Jan. 1 617/8 he was cr. MARQUESS OF BUCKINGHAM, (^) and on i July following he obtained for his mother the title of Countess of Buckingham as above- mentioned. High Steward of Hampton Court 1616; of Westm. 161 8 till his death; of the Honour of Grafton 1622; and of Windsor 1625. Lord Lieut, of Bucks, 161 8 till his death ; of Kent, for a few days in May 1620; of Midx., 1622 till his death. Lord High Admiral of England 28 Jan. 1 61 8/9, (^) and Ch. Justice in Eyre, south of Trent, 1619, both till his death. On 18 May 1623 he was cr. EARL OF COVENTRY and DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, he being then absent with Charles, Prince of Wales, in Spain, to arrange a Spanish alliance for that Prince. Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover, and Constable of W^indsor Castle, all 1624 till his death. At the accession of Charles I, Mar. 1625, he was made Gent, of the Bedchamber, Ch. Commissioner of War, and Gen. of the Fleet and Army; Ambassador to Paris, May to June, 1625, and again Nov. 1626; Ambassador to the Hague Oct. to Dec. 1625; Lord High Constable for the Coronation, Feb. 1 625/6 ;() Chancellor of Cam- bridge Univ., 1626 till his death. He obtained for his only da., Lady Mary Villiers, a patent, 27 Aug. 1627, granting her, in the event of his dying without male issue, the dignity of Duchess of Buckingham, with rem. of the Dukedom to the heirs male of her body.('=) He m., 16 May 1620, Katherine, da. and h. of Francis (Manners), 6th Earl of Rutland, by his 1st wife, Frances, da. and coh. of Sir Henry Knyvett, of Charlton, Wilts. He was assassinated by Lieut. John Felton at Portsmouth, 23 Aug., and was bur. 18 Sep. 1628, (from Wallingford House, Whitehall) in Westm. Abbey, aged 'T)6.{^) Admon. 25 Feb. 1628/9; ^^^ ^^^- ^5 J'^'^^ 1627, (f) The following note is given in Courthope : " The secrecy with which this nobleman's elevation to a Marquessate was conducted is curious, and justifies the following account of it by Camden: — Natali Christi, 1 61 8. — The Lord Chancellor sent for me before seven in the morning, and privately charged me on the oath both of my allegiance as a subject and my oath as a King-of-Arms, to keep secret that which he was to impart unto me, namely, that the King purposed to make the Earl of Buckingham Marquess of Buckingham without ceremony, willing me to give him some precedents to that purpose, whereupon I delivered to him these." [Here follow several precedents of Peers being created without investiture.] "Upon New Year's day following the said Earl was created Marquess of Buckingham without ceremony, only by delivering the patent, before any of the Council knew it, which the King did in his wisdom to avoid counterposition and competition of others." — Harl. MS. 5176, f. ^ib. C") For this and other great offices of State see Appendix D to this volume. [f) As the Duke her father had a son born next year, the Patent was inoperative. (^) His unbounded influence at Court made him odious to the people, and was increased by the failure of an expedition he undertook to the Isle of R6 for the relief of Rochelle. He, however, projected another such expedition, and had pro- ceeded to Portsmouth to embark thereon, when he was stabbed to the heart by 51
