Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton (c. 1630 – 27 February 1699) was an English politician who represented Winchester and Hampshire in the House of Commons of England from 1660 to 1675. He was the son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, and his first wife, Jane Savage.
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. Before his succession to the Marquessate he was styled Lord St John.
He held the following offices:
Freeman, Winchester June 1660, Hartlepool 1670
Justice of the Peace Hampshire July 1660–?d., Yorkshire (North Riding) 1664–?85, Surrey, Middlesex and Westminster 1671–?80, (East Riding) by 1680–85
Commissioner for assessment, Hampshire August 1660–75, N. Riding 1663–75, West and East Ridings and County Durham 1673–5
Commissioner for loyal and indigent officers, Hampshire 1662
Lord Lieutenant Hampshire 1667–76, 1689–1699;
Warden of the New Forest 1668–76, 1689–1699
High Steward, Winchester 1669–84
Custos rotulorum Hampshire 1670–6, 1689–1699
Keeper of King's Lodge, Petersham 1671–?76
Commissioner for recusants, Hampshire 1675
Colonel of a Regiment of Hampshire Militia Foot and Troop of Horse by 1697–1699
Privy Councillor 22 April 1679 – 1699
Having supported the claim of William and Mary to the English throne in 1688, he was restored to the Privy Council and to the office of Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, and was created Duke of Bolton on 9 April 1689. He built Bolton Hall, North Yorkshire in 1678.
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.
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. In time, both men 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. Despite his faults, his charm and affability made him numerous friends.