Middleton, Charles Middleton, 2nd earl of

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Middleton, Charles Middleton, 2nd earl of [S] (c.1650–1719). Middleton's father came from Kincardineshire, fought against Montrose and the royalists, but changed sides and was with Charles II at the battle of Worcester in 1651. At the Restoration he was created earl of Middleton [S]. His son succeeded to the peerage in 1673, was secretary of state in Scotland 1682–4 and in England 1684–8, despite adhering to protestant views. One of James II's chief supporters, he joined him in exile at Saint-Germain in 1693 and was then attainted. He retained much of his influence at the Jacobite court until 1713, and was given a Jacobite English peerage as earl of Monmouth in 1701. Burnet described him as pleasant and conciliatory and in December 1688 he attempted to dissuade James II from fleeing the country. After 1688 he was one of the leading Compounders, who urged compromise on James. But James's declaration of April 1693 offering assurances to his erring subjects was received with suspicion. Macaulay called Middleton ‘one of the wisest and most moderate of the Jacobites’.

J. A. Cannon

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