Jump to content

Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
In office
1727–1741
Serving with Velters Cornewall
Preceded byVelters Cornewall
Sir Edward Goodere
Succeeded byVelters Cornewall
Thomas Foley
Personal details
Born
Edward Harley

c. 1699
Died11 April 1755(1755-04-11) (aged 55–56)
Bath, Somerset
Spouse
Martha Morgan
(after 1724)
Parent(s)Edward Harley
Sarah Foley
EducationWestminster School
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (c. 1699 – 11 April 1755) was a British peer and Member of Parliament. He was the nephew of Britain's First Minister between 1710 and 1714, Robert Harley.

Early life

[edit]

Harley was the son and heir of Sarah Foley (the third daughter of Thomas Foley of Witley Court) and Edward Harley of Eywood, the Auditor of the Imprest and the next younger brother of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.[1]

Harley was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford.[2]

Career

[edit]
Brampton Bryan Hall

He was returned to Parliament as the member for Herefordshire in 1727, sitting until 1741.[3] He was known as a Hanoverian Tory.[4] He vigorously defended the past record of his uncle Robert's governments during Queen Anne's reign.[5]

He succeeded his father in 1735 to the Eywood estate at Titley, Herefordshire and his cousin Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer in 1741 to the earldom and the family seat, Brampton Bryan Hall at Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire.[3]

One of his first acts on succeeding his cousin was to auction off his predecessor's art and coin collection through the auctioneer Cock, at an art sale held under the Piazza, Covent Garden, on 8 March 1741/2 and the five following days, with six more days being required by the coins. Nearly all the leading men of the day, including Horace Walpole, attended or were represented at this sale, and the prices varied from five shillings for an anonymous bishop's "head" to 165 guineas for van Dyck's group of "Sir Kenelm Digby, lady, and son".

Personal life

[edit]

On 16 March 1724 or 1725, at St. Anne's Church, Soho, he married Martha Morgan, a daughter of Sir John Morgan of Tredegar and Martha Vaughan (a daughter and co-heiress of Gwyn Vaughan of Trebarried) and the sister of Sir William Morgan and Sir Thomas Morgan. They had several children:[1]

Lord Oxford died on 11 April 1755 and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Edward.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Oxford and Mortimer, Earl of (GB, 1711 - 1853)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford". ThePeerage.com.* Burkes Peerage (1851 edition)
  3. ^ a b "HARLEY, Edward (?1699-1755), of Eywood, Herefs". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  4. ^ Hill p.231
  5. ^ Hill, Brian W. Robert Harley: Speaker, Secretary of State and Premier Minister. Yale University Press, 1988.
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
1727–1741
With: Velters Cornewall
Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
1741–1755
Succeeded by