Edward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
The Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer | |
|---|---|
 The Earl of Oxford in a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, c. 1790 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 September 1726 Westminster, London |
| Died | 11 October 1790 (aged 64) Brampton Bryan Castle, Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire[1] |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Parent | Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer |
Edward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer DCL FRS (2 September 1726 – 11 October 1790), styled Lord Harley from 1741 to 1755, was a British peer and Tory politician.[2]
Harley was the eldest son of Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer and Martha Morgan, daughter of Welsh politician William Morgan. His two younger brothers were John Harley, Dean of Windsor and then Bishop of Hereford; and the politician Thomas Harley, who was Lord Mayor of London and also sat in Parliament.[3] He was educated at Westminster School (1735-44); and then Christ Church, Oxford, graduating with a Doctor of Civil Law in 1748.[4]
Harley was elected as MP for Herefordshire in at the 1747 general election, even though he was only 20 years old. Prior to the election, Lord Foley wrote to Harley's father, "As he is under age I am in great fear lest some trick should be played on him on the day of election ... which if it should happen I think would be of the most evil consequence to your family as well as to the interest of the county."[5]
He returned unopposed and took a seat on the treasury board, serving until he succeeded to his father's titles in 1755. He was High Steward of Hereford from 1755, a Lord of the Bedchamber from 1760, and Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire from 1766, all until his death. He was also Harleian Trustee at the British Museum from 1755 until his death.[5]
In 1751, he married heiress Susannah Archer, daughter of William Archer, who brought a dowry of £50,000 (equivalent to £9,923,407 in 2023). He died at the family seat of Brampton Bryan Castle at age 64. As he had no children, his titles passed to his nephew Edward Harley.[3]
References
- ^ "Death of the Earl of Oxford". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 13 October 1790. p. 2.
- ^ Burke, Edmund (1791). Dodsley's Annual Register or a View of the History, Politics and Literature for the Year 1790. J. Dodsley. p. 244. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ a b Burke, John (1833). A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. H. Colburn and R. Bentley. p. 275. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ Collins, Arthur (1813). The Peerage of England: Containing a Genealogical and Historical Account of All the Peers of that Kingdom. W. Strahan, J. F and C. Rivington. p. 266. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ a b "HARLEY, Edward, Lord Harley (1726-90)". History of Parliament Online.
- 1726 births
- 1790 deaths
- People from Herefordshire
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- British MPs 1747–54
- British MPs 1754–61
- Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain
- Lord-Lieutenants of Radnorshire
- Harley family
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- People educated at Westminster School