Hugh Rossington

Hugh Theodore Rossington, born Lord Hugh Rossington, is the 7th Duke of Welby. He is the brother of Daniel Rossington, and the father of Madalene Rossington. He is predeceased by his wife, Jane Rossington. Hugh is a NPC created by Izzie.

As with all NPCs, the PB for this character is only tentative, and can be used for an actual character.

Hugh Rossington

Portrayed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Full Name	Hugh Theodore Rossington
Title	7th Duke of Welby
Associated Noble House(s)	Dukedom of Welby
Date of Birth	September 23, 1779
Father	Theodore Rossington
Father's Rank	6th Duke of Welby
Mother	Miranda Rossington
Mother's Rank	Dowager Duchess of Welby
Town Residence
Income
School	Eton
University	Cambridge
Year Attained Title	1805
Year of Marriage	1806
Spouse	Jane Rossington
Spouse's Rank	7th Duchess of Welby
Issue	Madalene Rossington

Family

Hugh is the eldest son of Theodore and Miranda Rossington, and is the older brother of Daniel Rossington. He is the widow of Jane Rossington, and the father of Madalene Rossington. He is also the cousin of played characters Katharine Steele, Julianne Grafton and Jemima Palmer.

Hugh is the 7th Duke of Welby.

Biography (1779-1806)

As the first child of Theodore and Miranda Rossington, Hugh was everything his father had hoped for - a healthy son to become the 7th Duke of Welby, when the time came. Three years later, another son, Daniel Rossington, was welcomed into the family, and the Duke had everything he could hope for. There was no need for a daughter or another son - two children was quite enough. Theodore turned all of his attention to Hugh, showing the boy everything that would be expected of him once he became a Duke, something that Hugh took to quite well. He had always been more inclined to being bookish, and enjoyed staying indoors to learn at his father's knee. Following his education at Eton and then Cambridge, he took some time to travel the continent, returning in 1804. In 1805, Hugh and Daniel traveled to London for the season, to find Hugh a suitable wife. While Hugh found many ladies to his liking, one in particular caught his eye, and following their father's death in 1806, Hugh proposed to Jane Layton.

Marriage (1806-1809)

Jane seemed to be everything that Hugh could want in a wife - quiet, polite and beautiful. She had only tenuous claims to society through her father's side, but Hugh thought that they could be happy together. After their marriage in April 1806, Hugh found himself working hard to keep the estates in control, spending little time with Jane. Instead, his brother spent his time with Jane, something Hugh was content with. The only thing that mattered was that Jane produce an heir, and when she became pregnant in 1809, Hugh hoped for the best.

Widowhood (1809)

What would come from Jane's pregnancy would shock Hugh - not only did Jane give birth to a daughter, but she also passed away two days after giving birth. Left as widow and a father, Hugh turned to his brother for help, only to find that Daniel had left for France. While the two brothers had never been close, Hugh had hoped that his younger brother might have held some advice for him. Instead, Hugh worked harder, and one night in 1810, while uncharacteristically out drinking and cavorting, he caught Tuberculosis from a prostitute in the slums.

Present Day (1811)

Hugh spends most of his days shut up in the Welby Estate, contemplating death and his relatively short life. He feels like he is a failure to his father's legacy, that his life has been marred by mistakes. Jane should never had died, and Madalene should have been a boy. It seems like cruel fate that the Dukedom is to pass into Daniel's hands, the brother who has never been trained in the workings of a Dukedom, who has spent his life living only for pleasure. Trying to force some responsibility onto his younger brother (and heir), Hugh has demanded that Neil marry this season.