Edward Harley, 4th 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.[1]

The Right Honourable The Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer DCL FRS
Portrait of Lord Oxford by Sir Thomas Lawrence, c. 1790
Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
In office 1747–1755 Serving with Velters Cornewall
Preceded by	Thomas Foley Velters Cornewall
Succeeded by	Sir John Morgan, Bt Velters Cornewall
Personal details
Born	Edward Harley 2 September 1726 Westminster, London
Died	11 October 1790 (aged 64) Brampton Bryan Hall, Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Susannah Archer ​ ​ (m. after 1751)​
Relations	John Harley (brother) Thomas Harley (brother) William Morgan (grandfather)
Parents	Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer Martha Morgan
Education	Westminster School
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Early life

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.[2]

He was educated at Westminster School between 1735 and 1744; and then Christ Church, Oxford, graduating with a Doctor of Civil Law in 1748.[3]

Career

Brampton Bryan Hall

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."[4]

He returned unopposed and took a seat on the treasury board, serving until in 1755 he succeeded to his father's titles and estates, including the family seat of Brampton Bryan Castle and Hall. 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.[4]

Personal life

In 1751, he married heiress Susannah Archer, who brought a dowry of £50,000 (equivalent to £7,914,154 in 2019). Susannah was a daughter of William Archer and his second wife Susanna Newton (a daughter of Sir John Newton, 3rd Baronet of Barrs Court, Gloucestershire).[5]

He died at Brampton Bryan Hall at the age of 64.[6] As he had no children, his titles and estates passed to his nephew Edward Harley.[2]

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. "HARLEY, Edward, Lord Harley (1726-90)". History of Parliament Online.
5. "Oxford and Mortimer, Earl of (GB, 1711 - 1853)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
6. "Death of the Earl of Oxford". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 13 October 1790. p. 2.