| Robert Lee | |
| Earl of Lichfield | |
| Tenure: | 1772–1776 |
| Predecessor: | George Lee, 3rd Earl of Lichfield |
| Spouse: | Catherine Stonhouse |
| Father: | Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield |
| Mother: | Charlotte FitzRoy |
| Birth Date: | 3 July 1706 |
| Death Date: | 4 November 1776 (aged 70) |
Robert Lee, 4th Earl of Lichfield (1706–1776) was an English politician and peer, the last of the Earls of Lichfield.
Robert was born on 3 July 1706 in St. James Street, Westminster, London. He was one of the ten children and the youngest of the sons of Edward Henry Lee and his wife Charlotte FitzRoy. His father was created the 1st Earl of Lichfield just before his marriage. Robert's mother was a natural daughter of Charles II and Barbara Villiers.
Lee was MP for Oxford from 1754 to 1768, and considered a Tory.[1] Lee held the sinecure position of Custos Brevium of the Court of Common Pleas, in the royal gift.
On 29 May 1745, at St Paul's Cathedral, London, Lee married Catherine Stonhouse (1708–1784), daughter of Sir John Stonhouse, 3rd Baronet, of Radley, Berkshire. The marriage was childless.
On 17 September 1772, at the age of 66, Lee became the 4th Earl of Lichfield when the 3rd Earl, his nephew, died childless.
Lord Lichfield, as he now was, died childless on 4 November 1776, falling off his horse while hunting near Ditchley.[2] He was buried in the All Saints church in Spelsbury in an elaborate marble monument by William Tyler (architect). He was the last Earl of this, the second, creation of the title. The earldom became extinct, but the estate went to his niece Lady Charlotte Lee, eldest surviving daughter of his brother, George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield. In 1744 Charlotte had married Viscount Dillon. Their son Charles Dillon, 12th Viscount Dillon inherited the estate at his mother's death in 1794. This included the house at Ditchley, which remained the home of the Viscounts Dillon until 1934.
| Timeline | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Date | Event | |
| 0 | 1706, 3 Jul | Born, in London | |
| 1714, 1 Aug | Accession of King George I, succeeding Queen Anne | ||
| 1727, 11 Jun | Accession of King George II, succeeding King George I | ||
| 1745, 29 May | Married Catherine Stonhouse at St. Paul's Cathedral in London | ||
| 1760, 25 Oct | Accession of King George III, succeeding King George II | ||
| 1772, 17 Sep | Succeeded his nephew as 4th Earl of Lichfield | ||
| 1776, 4 Nov | Died at Ditchley | ||