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From: Leo van de Pas <>
Subject: Lucy Walter
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 08:15:29 +1000


Amongst the ancestors of Lady Diana Spencer is the intriguing presence of Lucy Walter, mistress of Charles II. In fact there are two lines of descent from Lucy Walter for Lady Diana. both via Lucy's daughter Mary Crofts.

I would love to get some input on the paternity of Mary Crofts.

ES III/2 Tafel 367 records her amongst the children of Charles II but with the remark "not acknowledged".

In "Rival Sultanas", by H. Noel Williams, published in 1915, page 7, we can find the following
description :
When, in June 1650, Charles (II) set out for Scotland, he left his inamorata at The Hague, where her conduct in itself constituted a sufficient refutation of the supposed marriage (between Charles II and Lucy Walter). For no sooner was the prince safely out of the way, than she began to look about her for consolation and found it in the person of Colonel Henry Bennet (afterwards Earl of Arlington), whom in due course she presented with a daughter (*).
Not satisfied with the attentions paid by this gentleman, she was also generally believed to have had tender relations with Lord Taafe (afterwards second Earl of Carlingford) and Colonel Thomas Howard, brother of James, Earl of Suffolk.
On his return to the Continent in 1651, Charles wisely terminated his connection with this woman...............
Footnote (*) This daughter, Mary by name, married William Sarfield, a brother of Patrick, Earl of Lucan, and, after his death in 1675, William Fanshawe, Master of the Requests to Charles.
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What has Antonia Fraser to say about Mary Crofts? Nothing. In her book on Charles II I could not find a mention in the index for Mary Crofts, but a fair amount about Lucy Walter :
Page 92 :
Lucy Walter, mother of James Crofts, was the one who had gone from the King's embraces to lead a life of genuinely tragic dissipation. Her alleged misdeeds included procuring the abortion ot two further illegitimate children; she was also accused of murdering her maid---the charge was later dropped.

Never mind what kind of person Lucy Walter was, it is important to establish who was the father of Mary Crofts, as this leads us genealogically to Lady Diana Spencer and Prince William.

At first I wondered about the Crofts surname, both Lucy Walter's children started life as Crofts. Her son by Charles II later changed it to Scott, when he married the Buccleuch heiress.

Henry Bennet, the apparent father of Mary Crofts, his mother was Dorothy Crofts.

Please, can anyone enlighten us. Is anymore known about the paternity of Mary?
Many thanks
Leo van de Pas
Canberra, Australia

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