Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl Of Berkeley

Charles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley, KB, PC, FRS (8 April 1649 – 24 September 1710), was a British nobleman and diplomat. He was known as Sir Charles Berkeley from 1661 to 1679 and styled Viscount Dursley from 1679 to 1698.

Born on 8 April 1649, he was the son of George Berkeley, 1st Earl of Berkeley. Berkeley received education at Christ Church, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was appointed a Knight of the Bath during the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. He was awarded a Master of Arts degree from Oxford on 28 September 1663. On 21 November 1667, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

In September 1679, when his father was elevated to the earldom, Berkeley adopted the courtesy title Viscount Dursley. During this period, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Gloucester and sat in the last two Parliaments of King Charles II in 1679 and 1681. He did not stand for election again, partly due to conflicts with the Tory corporation of Gloucester.

Berkeley opposed James II during the Glorious Revolution. Following the change of regime, he received several appointments. He was called to the House of Lords as Baron Berkeley in July 1689. In May 1689, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary to Spain, and from August 1689 to 1695, served as Ambassador to the United Provinces. He also became Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire in July 1689, a position previously held by his father.

On 3 May 1694, Berkeley was sworn into the Privy Council, and on 25 May, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. In 1695, he was appointed High Steward of the City of Gloucester and made Constable of St Briavel's Castle on 18 June 1697. As Lord Lieutenant, he commanded the Gloucestershire Militia Horse in 1697.

He succeeded to the earldom in 1698. In February 1699, he also received his father's office as Custos Rotulorum of Surrey. During his tenure as Lord Justice in Dublin in 1699–1700, his eldest son, Charles, Viscount Dursley, died of smallpox in May, and his daughter, Lady Penelope, died in September of that year.

On 7 June 1702, Berkeley's appointment as Constable was renewed, and he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and Warden of the Forest of Dean. He died in 1710, and his titles and offices were succeeded by his eldest surviving son, James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, a naval officer.

Family details include his marriage to Hon. Elizabeth Noel, daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden, on 16 August 1677. The couple had seven children: Charles Berkeley, Viscount Dursley; James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley; Colonel Hon. Henry Berkeley; Hon. George Berkeley; Lady Mary Berkeley; Lady Elizabeth Berkeley; and Lady Penelope Berkeley. His widow, after his death, funded the rebuilding of St Dunstan's Church in Cranford in 1716, including the provision of a marble font.