Since the first duke of England was the Duke of Cornwall, the son of Edward III, 1337, I'm going to assume that the first Duchy would be the same, Duchy of Cornwall.

The Duchy of Lancaster is held by the Soverign. in Lancaster the toast, "To the Queen, Duke of Lancaster" that's "Duke" not Duchess.

No famous individual by the name of "Chris Pattern" exists. However, Chris Patten is British politician who has served as Chairman of the BBC Trust, chancellor of the University of Oxford, chancellor of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, European Commissioner for External Relations, governor of Hong Kong, chairman of the Conservative Party, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Secretary of State for the Environment, Minister of State for the Overseas Development, and a member of Parliament for Bath.

The Duchy of Lancaster was created for John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III, in the year 1362. When he died in 1399 the Duchy passed to his son, Henry Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke usurped the throne from King Richard II the same year and became King Henry IV. As king, he merged the Dukedom with the Crown and decreed that it would be personally inherited by the monarch. The present Duke of Lancaster is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - and yes, she is The Duke, not the Duchess.

Matthew Gregson has written:

'Portfolio of fragments relative to the history and antiquities, topography and genealogies of the county palatine and duchy of Lancaster' -- subject(s): Genealogy, History

A duchy