Charles Boyle, 10th Earl Of Cork

Charles Spencer Canning Boyle, 10th Earl of Cork and 10th Earl of Orrery, was born on 24 November 1861. His place of birth was Grafton Street in London, England. He was the son of Lady Emily de Burgh and Richard Boyle, the 9th Earl of Cork. Prior to inheriting the earldom, he was styled as Viscount Dungarvan until 1904.

Boyle held various public and military positions throughout his life. On 26 September 1885, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Somerset. In 1891, he served as Grand Master of the Freemasons of Somerset.

He received his military commission as a Lieutenant in the North Somerset Yeomanry, a regiment commanded by his father, on 1 July 1881. He was promoted to the rank of captain on 5 June 1886. On 27 May 1893, he succeeded his father as lieutenant-colonel commandant of the regiment.

During the Second Boer War, which began in October 1899, Boyle participated in the military campaign in South Africa. Following early setbacks in the conflict, the British government called upon militia and yeomanry officers to reinforce the forces. Boyle left Southampton in February 1900 aboard a transport vessel and arrived in Cape Town in March of that year.

On 3 April 1901, he was seconded as a major in the Imperial Yeomanry, serving as second in command of the 22nd Battalion. He resigned his commission on 15 January 1902, at which time he was granted the honorary rank of Major in the Army. Later that month, Boyle returned to the United Kingdom aboard the SS Saxon. Subsequently, he was appointed Lieutenant-colonel on the Establishment of the North Somerset Imperial Yeomanry. On 8 August 1903, he was awarded the honorary rank of colonel. Boyle resigned his Yeomanry commission on 7 November 1903 but retained his rank.

He inherited the titles of Earl of Cork and Earl of Orrery following the death of his father, Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork, on 22 June 1904.

On 21 November 1918, Boyle married Mrs. Rosalie Gray, daughter of William Waterman de Villiers of Romsey, Hampshire. The marriage did not produce any children. Rosalie Gray died on 15 March 1930.

Apart from his military and peerage duties, Boyle was a member of the Bath and County Club. He passed away on 25 March 1925 in London. Upon his death, the earldom was succeeded by his brother, who became the 11th Earl of Cork and Orrery.

References used in this biography include Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed & Official Classes for 1903, and Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, 105th edition, published in 1970. Additional information can be found in external links such as the Hansard archives and Thom's Irish Who's Who of 1923.