Paulet succeeded his father as the sixth Marquess of Winchester in 1675. He was MP for Winchester in 1660 and then for Hampshire from 1661 to 5 March 1675.[1] Before his succession to the Marquessate he was styled Lord St John.[2]
An eccentric man, hostile to Lord Halifax and afterwards to the Duke of Marlborough, he is said to have travelled during 1687 with four coaches and 100 horsemen, sleeping during the day and giving entertainments at night. His adherence in adult life to the Church of England has been described as a great blow to the Roman Catholic community: his father (with whom his relationship was never good) had openly professed the Catholic faith, and used his wealth and influence to protect the Catholics of Hampshire.[4]
In 1666 he briefly went into hiding after becoming involved in a public fracas in Westminster Hall with Sir Andrew Henley, 1st Baronet. They fought in full view of the Court of Common Pleas, and were thus guilty of contempt coram rege. Both men in time received a royal pardon. Paulet, who admitted to striking the first blow, explained that he had been "in a passion" at the time. The precise cause of the quarrel is unknown. Samuel Pepys, who recorded the incident in the great Diary, remarked that it was a pity that Henley retaliated, for otherwise, the judges might have dealt with Paulet, of whom Pepys had a poor opinion, as he deserved.[5] Despite his faults, his charm and affability made him numerous friends.
Christian, Lady St. John, died on 22 May 1653 in childbirth and was buried with her infant at Staveley, Derbyshire.[2]
Second marriage
He married as his second wife, 12 February 1655, at St. Dionis Backchurch, London, Mary (died 1 November 1680), the illegitimate daughter of Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland, widow of Henry Carey, Lord Leppington, and by her had issue:[1][6][7]
^"Charles Powlett, Duke of Bolton". Family Search: Community Trees. British Isles. Peerage, Baronetage, and Landed Gentry families with extended lineage. Histfam.familysearch.org. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
"Charles Powlett, Duke of Bolton". Family Search: Community Trees. British Isles. Peerage, Baronetage, and Landed Gentry families with extended lineage. Histfam.familysearch.org. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.