Catherine Pegge (born ) was a long-term
mistress of
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest su ...
. She had two children by him,
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth ( 1657 – 17 October 1680), was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Catherine Pegge. He had a sister, Catherine, who is believed to have become a nun. His mother went on to marry S ...
, and
Catherine FitzCharles.
Background
Catherine was the daughter of Thomas Pegge of
Yeldersley,
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a market town in the Derbyshire Dales district in Derbyshire, England. Its population was measured at 8,377 in the 2011 census and was estimated to have grown to 9,163 by 2019. It has many historical buildings and independent sho ...
, and his wife, Catherine Kniveton, daughter of Sir Gilbert Kniveton, Baronet, and wife. Thomas and his family were exiled to Bruges during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
following his capture serving under the
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
Colonel General
Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough.
The Yeldersley branch descended from Thomas Pegge.
Royal mistress
It was during her family's exile in
Bruges
Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The area of the whole city amoun ...
that Catherine's liaison with
Charles II began, resulting in the birth of her son in 1657. Catherine had two children by Charles II:
*
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth
Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth ( 1657 – 17 October 1680), was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Catherine Pegge. He had a sister, Catherine, who is believed to have become a nun. His mother went on to marry S ...
*
Catherine FitzCharles
There are allegedly two portraits of Catherine Pegge by Sir Peter Lely, the whereabouts of which are unknown. She was said to have great beauty.
Marriage
Catherine married Sir Edward Greene of
Sampford in
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
,
Baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, on 26 July 1660. The couple had a daughter, Justinia Greene (1667–1717), one of "the English
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
Ladies" of
Pontoise
Pontoise () is a commune north of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.
Administration
Pontoise is the official (capital) of the Val-d'Oise '' département'', although in reality the ' ...
, France.
Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century
By John Nichols 1812 Sir Edward Greene died at Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
in 1676 and was interred at Sampford, Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pegge, Catherine
1630s births
Year of death missing
People from Derbyshire Dales (district)
Mistresses of Charles II of England