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- BIOGRAPHY
Born 17 September 1717 at St. Osyth Priory, Essex, he was styled Viscount Tunbridge until succeeding his father in 1738 to become 4th Earl of Rochford. He was educated at Eton from 1725 until 1732. From 1738 until 1755 he was a Lord of the Bedchamber.
In May 1740 he married Lucy Young who had been a Maid of Honour to Queen Caroline when Princess of Wales. Their marriage remained childless. On 17 May 1749 Horace Walpole described her as one of the court beauties: 'She is large but very handsome, with great delicacy and address. All the Royals have been in love with her; but the Duke of Cumberland was so in all the forms, till she was a little too much pleased with her conquest of his brother-in-law the Prince of Hesse.'
He became Vice-Admiral of Essex in 1748 and Envoy in Turin from 1749 until 1755. He arrived at Turin on 9 September 1749. In 1754 he was with his wife in Florence with Horace Mann, who described her as 'extremely kind' and speaks of her 'peculiar good and obliging disposition of mind'. He left Turin on 11 February 1755 and it took him only fifteen days to arrive at Berkeley Square. From 1755 until 1760 he was Groom of the Stole and First Lord of the Bedchamber.
In 1763 he was sent as Ambassador to Spain, arriving in Madrid on 6 December 1763. He quickly gained a thorough understanding of the Spanish politics and in May 1766 returned to England. Due to his personal extravagance he had to pawn his plate and jewels for £6,000 to be able to leave Madrid.
Next he went to Paris as Ambassador, arriving there on 28 October 1766. In France he had to deal with the French seizure of Corsica, then on 1 September 1768 returned to England. He was Secretary for the Northern Department from 1766 until 1770 when he was appointed the same position but for the Southern Department.
His wife died on 9 January 1773 at Berkeley Square, only fifty years old. In 1762 or 1763 he had fathered a daughter by Martha Harrison; then, by Anna Labbe known as 'Madam Johnson', he had two children, Frederick born in 1771 and Anna in 1773 or 1774.
On 3 June 1778 he was made Knight of the Garter, then died on 28 September 1781. In his will he left Madam Johnson £800 a year and his house at St. Osyth; to their two children £300 a year each; and the same amount to his daughter by Martha Harrison. However, his nephew and heir placed a caveat on his will; nevertheless, St. Osyth Priory and the bulk of his estate still went to his illegitimate son, Frederick Nassau.
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