Charles Radclyffe
A Catholic nobleman who risked everything for the exiled Stuart dynasty, becoming a romantic martyr for the lost Jacobite cause.
1693–1746 (age 53)·English Catholic nobleman·Birthday: September 3
Biography
Born into a family of staunch Catholic faith and aristocratic privilege, Charles Radclyffe’s life was defined by a loyalty that would prove fatal. His elder brother, James, the 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, was executed for his part in the 1715 Jacobite Rising. Charles, captured at the same battle, escaped from Newgate Prison in 1716, an audacious feat that cemented his reputation. He fled to France, serving the Jacobite court in exile, but the call to restore the Stuarts never faded. In 1745, as an older man, he sailed to Scotland to join Bonnie Prince Charlie’s uprising, seeing it as his dynastic duty. Captured at sea, he was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1746. His death, following that of his brother, turned the Radclyffes into potent symbols of tragic, anachronistic devotion in an age of shifting political tides.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1693
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1693Born
1698Started school
1706Became a teenager
1709Could drive
1711Could vote
1714Turned 21
1723Turned 30
1733Turned 40
1743Turned 50
1746Died at 53
Key Achievements
- Fought for the Jacobite cause in both the major risings of 1715 and 1745.
- Executed the daring escape from Newgate Prison in 1716 after being captured following the Battle of Preston.
- Served the exiled Stuart court in France for nearly three decades as a trusted figure.
- Was recognized by Jacobites as the titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater following his brother's execution.
Did You Know?
He was the uncle of the famous beauty and courtier Maria Walpole, Countess Waldegrave.
His escape from Newgate was aided by his wife, who smuggled in tools hidden in a custard.
He was captured en route to the 1745 rising aboard the French ship 'L'Esperance'.
His execution was the last beheading carried out on Tower Hill in London.
“I am a Catholic and a subject of King James, and I will die in those principles.”
