HARLEY, EDWARD, 2ND EARL OF OXFORD, only son of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford PC KG, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord High Treasurer, and his first wife Elizabeth, dau. of Thomas Foley MP, Witley Court, Worcs.; nephew of Edward Harley (at school under Busby, qv); b. 2 Jun 1689; at school under Knipe; Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 30 Oct 1707; MA 2 Jan 1711/2; DCL 4 Jun 1730; MP New Radnor 16 Jul 1711-5, Cambridgeshire 1722 – 21 May 1724; succ. father as 2nd Earl of Oxford 21 May 1724; FRS 23 Nov 1727; High Steward of Cambridge from 1728; friend of Pope, Swift and Matthew Prior (qv), and patron of George Vertue and Oldys; added very considerably to his father’s collection of books and manuscripts; also collected pictures, prints and coins; his Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, estate was sold in 1740 to Lord Hardwicke to pay off his debts; his miscellaneous curiosities, coins, medals and portraits were sold by auction in March 1741/2; the books, pamphlets and prints were purchased the same year by the bookseller Thomas Osborne; the manuscripts were sold to the nation in 1753 and are now the Harleian MSS in the British Library; Busby Trustee 18 Feb 1725/6; the letters to him from his Oxford tutor William Stratford (qv), which make frequent allusions to the School, are calendared HMC Portland MSS, vol. vii; m. 31 Oct 1713 Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles, only dau. of John Holles, 4th Earl of Clare (afterwards 1st Duke of Newcastle); d. 16 Jun 1741. Buried Duke of Newcastle’s vault, Westminster Abbey. DNB.

HESILRIGGE, SIR ARTHUR, BART., eldest son of Sir Thomas Hesilrigge, Bart., and Frances, dau. of Sir William Gorges, Kt, Alderton, Northants; b.; at school under Osbaldeston (Wood, Athenae Oxonienses, iii, 578); Magdalene Coll. Cambridge, fellow commoner, matr. Easter 1617; adm. Gray’s Inn 29 Jan 1622/3; succ. father as 2nd baronet 11 Jan 1629; MP Leicestershire 1640-53 [check], Leicester 1654-60; a staunch Puritan and opponent of Laud; introduced bill of attainder against Strafford; promoted the “Root and branch” bill, and proposed the Militia bill; one of the five members impeached by the King 3 Jan 1641/2; raised a troop of horse for Parliament; fought at battle of Edgehill 1642, wounded at battles of Lansdowne and Roundway Down 1643; did good service at battle of Cheriton; a leader of the Independents in House of Commons after the passing of the self-denying ordinance 1645; Governor of Newcastle upon Tyne 30 Dec 1647; recaptured Tynemouth 11 Aug 1648; refused to act as one of the King’s judges 1649; accompanied Cromwell to Scotland and supported him with reserves after battle of Dunbar; member of Council of State during Commonwealth, but opposed to Cromwell’s government after dissolution of Long Parliament; refused to pay taxes not levied by Parliament, or to become a member of the Upper House 1657; opposed succession of Richard Cromwell, and intrigued with the Army against him; at his instigation Lambert was cashiered and the Rump Parliament restored; one of the five Commissioners for the Government of the Army 11 Feb 1659/60; accused of intriguing against Monk; arrested at the Restoration, and excepted by the Bill of Indemnity for pains and penalties not extending to life; m. 1st, 24 May 1624 Frances, dau. of Thomas Elmes, Lilford, Northants; m. 2nd, 26 Jun 1634 Dorothy, dau. of Fulke Greville, Thorpe Latimer, Lincs., and sister of Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, General in Parliamentary army; d. a prisoner in the Tower of London 7 Jan 1660/1. DNB.

HOWE, RICHARD, 1ST EARL HOWE, brother of George Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe (I) (qv); b. 8 Mar 1725/6; adm. Nov 1732; left 1733; went to Eton Coll.; entered Royal Navy on board HMS Pearl 16 Jul 1739; sailed in HMS Severn as far as Cape Horn with Anson 1740; present at attack on La Guaira 18 Feb 1742/3; Lieut., 8 Aug 1745; severely wounded in action with French frigates off west coast of Scotland 1 May 1746; Post Capt., 10 Apr 1746; his capture of the French ship Alcide off the mouth of the St. Lawrence river on 8 Jun 1755 was the beginning of the Seven Years’ War with France; commanded attack on Cherbourg 5 May 1759; distinguished himself at battle of Quiberon Bay 20 Nov 1759; Rear Adm., 18 Nov 1770; Vice-Adm., 7 Dec 1775; Commander-in-Chief, North American Station Feb 1776; co-operated with his brother Sir William Howe against the American colonists, but resigned command 1778 and remained out of employment until fall of North ministry in early 1782; Commander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet 2 Apr 1782; Adm., 8 Apr 1782; relieved Gibraltar against French and Spanish fleets Oct 1784 (check); Vice-Admiral of England May 1792 – Mar 1796; won brilliant victory of 1 Jun 1794 in command Channel Fleet, capturing seven French ships; Admiral of the Fleet and General of the Marines 12 Mar 1796; presided over court martial of Vice-Adm. Cornwallis Apr 1796; pacified mutineers at Portsmouth May 1797; MP Dartmouth 23 May 1757 – 20 Apr 1782; succeeded brother as 4th Viscount Howe (I) 6 Jul 1758; a Lord of the Admiralty Apr 1763 – Aug 1765; Privy Councillor 26 Jul 1765; Treasurer of the Navy 9 Aug 1765 – Mar 1770; created Viscount Howe (GB) 2 [check] Apr 1782; First Lord of Admiralty Jan – Apr 1783, Dec 1783 – Jul 1788; attacked in parliament and in print for his reductions and reforms; created Earl Howe 19 Aug 1788; received freedom of City of London 6 May 1796; KG 2 Jun 1797; the signalling code was perfected and refined by him; DL Nottinghamshire 1762, Derbyshire 1763; m. 10 Mar 1758 Mary, dau. of Chiverton Hartop, Welby, Leics.; d. 5 Aug 1799. Monument by Flaxman in St. Paul’s cathedral. DNB.

KEPPEL, AUGUSTUS, 1ST VISCOUNT KEPPEL, brother of George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle (qv); b. 25 Apr 1725; adm. May 1733; left 1735; entered Royal Navy 1735, joining HMS Oxford; served under Anson in HMS Centurion during his voyage round the world; Lieut., 25 Jul 1744; Cdr., 7 Nov 1744; Post Capt., 11 Dec 1744; on special mission to Dey of Algiers 1748-51; Commander-in-Chief, North American station 1754-5; commaned squadron sent to Goree 1758; took part in battle of Quiberon Bay 1759; commanded squadron off Belleisle 1761; Rear-Adm., 21 Oct 1762; second-in-command of expedition against Havana 1762; Vice-Adm., 24 Oct 1770; Adm., 29 Apr 1778; Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet 22 Mar 1778; court-martialled for his conduct of operations off Brest 1779, but the charge was found “malicious and ill-founded” and Keppel became the hero of the day; received freedom, City of London 11 Dec 1779; MP Chichester 15 Jan 1755-61, Windsor 1761-80, Surrey 1780 – 27 Apr 1782; a Colonel of Marines 1760-2; Groom of the Bedchamber 17 Feb 1761 – Dec 1766; a Lord of the Admiralty 21 Dec 1765 – Dec 1766; First Lord of the Admiralty 30 Mar 1782 – Jan 1783, 8 Apr – Dec 1783; Privy Councillor 30 Mar 1782; created Viscount Keppel 27 Apr 1782; d. unm. 3 Oct 1786. DNB.

LOWTHER, WILLIAM, 1ST EARL OF LONSDALE, eldest son of Rev. Sir William Lowther, Bart., Rector of Swillington, Yorks., and Anne, eldest dau. of Rev. Charles Zouch, Vicar of Sandal, Yorks.; b. 29 Dec 1757; at Felsted Sch. 1769-71; adm. 26 Mar 1771; Trinity Coll. Cambridge, adm. fellow commoner 25 Jan 1776, matr. 1776; MP Carlisle 1780-4, Cumberland 1784-90, Rutland 1796-1802; succ. father as 2nd baronet 15 Jun 1788; Ensign, 80th Foot 17 May 1794; Brevet Lieut. -Col., 1 Jan 1800; succ. cousin as 2nd Viscount Lowther 24 May 1802; Col., Royal Cumberland Militia 24 May 1802 – still 1820; Lord Lieut., Cumberland and Westmorland, from 26 Jun 1802; created Earl of Lonsdale 7 Apr 1807; KG 18 Jul 1807; a patron of the fine arts; Wordsworth dedicated his poem The Excursion to him in Jul 1814; DL Yorkshire West Riding 1796, Rutland 1797; FSA (by 1831); m. 12 Jul 1781 Lady Augusta Fane, dau. of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland (qv), and his first wife; d. 19 Mar 1844. DNB (s. v. William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale).

MARSH, MATTHEW HENRY, eldest son of Rev. Matthew Marsh, Canon Residentiary of Salisbury, and Margaret, dau. of Rev. Peter Bellinger Brodie, Rector of Winterslow, Wilts.; b. 12 Sep 1810; adm. 3 Jun 1822 (G); KS 1824; elected to Christ Church, Oxford 1828, matr. 16 May 1828, Westminster Student, subsequently Faculty Student; BA 1833; MA 1835; adm. Inner Temple 25 Jan 1833, called to bar 29 Apr 1836; KC Duchy of Lancaster Dec 1837 – Jan 1840; emigrated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1840, where he made a large fortune and was a member of the Legislative Council 1851-5; returned to England 1855; MP (Liberal) Salisbury 1857-68; DL JP Wiltshire; m. 25 Jul 1844 Eliza Mary Anne, sister of Sir William Lockyer Merewether (qv); d. 26 Jan 1881.

MURRAY, WILLIAM, 1ST EARL OF MANSFIELD, fourth son of David Murray, 5th Viscount Stormont (S), and Margery, only child of David Scott, Scotstarvet, Fifeshire; b. 2 Mar 1704/5; adm. May 1718; for his journey from Scotland to Westminster on back of his pony, and for some curious items in the account of monies disbursed on his behalf before and after admission, see Lord Campbell, Lives of the Chief Justices, ii, 313-6; KS (Capt. ) 1719; elected head to Christ Church, Oxford 1723, matr. 18 Jun 1723, Westminster Student 24 Dec 1723 – void 29 Jun 1737; BA 1727; MA 1730; defeated William Pitt (Earl of Chatham) in competition for prize offered by University for a Latin poem on the death of George I; Grand Tour; adm. Lincoln’s Inn 23 Apr 1724, called to bar 23 Nov 1730, Bencher 15 Dec 1742, Treasurer 1744; practised in Court of Chancery, and within two years of call had appeared in three appeal cases before House of Lords; KC 1742; Solicitor-Gen., 27 Nov 1742 – Apr 1754; MP Boroughbridge 29 Nov 1742 – 8 Nov 1756; his success in the House of Commons was as brilliant as his success at the bar, and he came to be regarded as the ablest government spokesman in the House; to discredit him, an old story was raked up about his toasting the Pretender in the company of James Johnson (adm. 1717/8, qv) and Andrew Stone (qv), but the Privy Council reported that there was no foundation for the charge; it was subsequently the subject of a debate in the House of Lords on 22 Mar 1753, but the Duke of Bedford’s motion for the production of the proceedings before the Privy Council was rejected by 122 votes to 5, and no further enquiry was made (Campbell, ii, 370-6; Walpole, Letters, ed. Toynbee, iii, 148; the papers relating to the charge of toasting are in the British Library, Newcastle MSS 33050, ff. 200-368); Attorney-Gen., 9 Apr 1754 – Nov 1756; defended the Duke of Newcastle’s administration against attacks by Pitt in the House of Commons; on the death in 1756 of Sir Dudley Ryder, Lord Chief Justice, Murray claimed the vacant post and a peerage; Lord Chief Justice of England 8 Nov 1756 – 4 Jun 1788; created Baron Mansfield 8 Nov 1756; Privy Councillor 19 Nov 1756; held seals of Chancellor of the Exchequer Apr – Jun 1757, Sep – Dec 1767; accepted cabinet seat in Duke of Newcastle’s second administration, without office but with disposal of the Scottish patronage, Jul 1757; created Earl of Mansfield 31 Oct 1776, with special remainder to Louisa, wife of his nephew David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont (S) (qv); owing to his approval of the Roman Catholic Relief Bill of 1778, his house in Bloomsbury Square was sacked and burned by the Gordon Rioters 7 Jun 1780; the loss of his library and MSS was lamented by William Cowper (qv) in some charming verses (Works, ed. Southey, viii, 322-3); spoke for last time in House of Lords 23 Mar 1784; after 1788 lived in retirement at Caen Wood, Highgate; received a new creation as Earl of Mansfield 1 Aug 1792, with special remainder to his nephew David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont (S) (qv); the position which he held for many years as a Cabinet minister was anomalous; in Feb 1775 he stated in the House of Lords that “he had been a Cabinet Minister part of the late reign, and the whole of the present”, but that he had ceased “to act as an efficient Cabinet minister” shortly before the formation of the Rockingham ministry (Parliamentary History, xviii, 274-5); twice refused post of Lord Chancellor, but acted as Speaker of House of Lords Jan 1770 – Jan 1771 and Feb – Dec 1783; as a parliamentary speaker Pitt was his only rival; by birth a Jacobite and by association a Tory, his politics were more or less dominated by his legal interests; his reputation as a statesman is somewhat blurred by his support of the coercing of the American colonies; as an advocate known as “the silver-tongued Murray”; his ascendancy as Lord Chief Justice is indicated by the claim that during the thirty-two years that he held office there were only two cases in which his opinion was not unanimously adopted by his colleagues, and that only two of his judgments were reversed on appeal (Campbell, ii, 395-6); Mansfield’s charges to juries on the law of libel made him unpopular with contemporary public opinion, and he was violently attacked by Junius; the founder of modern commercial law and one of the greatest of common law judges; as a young man a friend of Pope, who dedicated to him his Sixth Epistle of the First Book of Horace, and cdelebrated his charms in Book IV, Ode I; Busby Trustee 25 Feb 1741/2; m. 20 Sep 1738 Lady Elizabeth Finch, seventh dau. of Daniel Finch, 6th Earl of Winchilsea and 2nd Earl of Nottingham (qv); d. 20 Mar 1793. Buried North Transept, Westminster Abbey (monument), having expressed a desire in his will to be buried there on account of “the love I bear to the place of my early education”. DNB.

NEWDIGATE, SIR ROGER, BART., brother of Sir Edward Newdigate, Bart. (qv); b. 30 May 1719; adm. Oct 1727; KS (Capt. ) 1732; succ. brother as 5th baronet 4 Apr 1734; left Jan 1736; University Coll. Oxford, matr. 9 Apr 1736; MA 1738; DCL 13 Apr 1749; Grand Tour (France, Italy) 1738-40; of Harefield Place, Middlesex, and Arbury, Warwickshire; MP Middlesex 5 Aug 1742-7, Oxford University 31 Jan 1751-80; again travelling in Europe 1774-6; a staunch Tory, described in 1767 by Horace Walpole as a “half-converted Jacobite”; interested in architecture and classical sculpture; a benefactor of University Coll. and of the Radcliffe Library; founded Newdigate Prize for English verse at Oxford Univ. 1806; m. 1st, 31 May 1743 Sophia, dau. of Edward Conyers MP, Copped Hall, Epping, Essex; m. 2nd, 3 Jun 1776 Hester Margaretta, dau. of Edward Mundy, Shipley, Derbs.; d. 20 Nov 1806. DNB.

PAGET, HENRY WILLIAM, 1ST MARQUIS OF ANGLESEY, eldest son of Henry Paget (formerly Bayly), 1st Earl of Uxbridge, and Jane, only dau. of Very Rev. Arthur Champagné, Dean of Clonmacnoise; b. 17 May 1768; adm. 8 Sep 1777; left 1784; Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 14 Oct 1784; MA 1786; Capt., Staffordshire Militia 12 Dec 1790; raised a company of infantry from his father’s tenantry which became known as the 80th Foot, of which he became Lieut. -Col., (temp. rank) 12 Sep 1793; served with it under Duke of York in Flanders 1794; Lieut., 7th Foot 11 Mar 1795; Capt., 23rd Foot 25 Mar 1795; Maj., 65th Foot 29 May 1795; Lieut. -Col. commandant, 80th Foot 30 May 1795; 16th Light Dragoons 16 Jun 1795; Brevet Col., 3 May 1796; Lieut. -Col., 7th Light Dragoons 6 Apr 1797; commanded cavalry brigade in Duke of York’s expedition to Netherlands 1799; Col., 7th Light Dragoons 16 May 1801 – Dec 1842; Major-Gen., 29 Apr 1802; Lieut. -Gen., 25 Apr 1808; in command of cavalry which covered Sir John Moore’s retreat to Corunna 1808; commanded an infantry division in Walcheren expedition 1809; commanded allied cavalry and horse artillery at battle of Waterloo, where he lost a leg; Gen., 12 Aug 1819; Col., Royal Horse Guards, from 20 Dec 1842; Field Marshal 9 Nov 1846; MP Caernarvon 1790-6, Milborne Port 1796 – Jun 1804, 1806 – Jan 1810; succ. father as 2nd Earl of Uxbridge 13 Mar 1812; created Marquis of Anglesey 4 Jul 1815; supported Tory governments to 1829; Master-Gen. of the Ordnance (with a seat in the Cabinet) 30 Apr 1827 – 29 Jan 1828; Privy Councillor 30 Apr 1827; Lord Lieut., Ireland 27 Feb 1828 – dismissal Jan 1829, for adopting conciliatory attitude to Roman Catholic claims; LLD Trinity Coll. Dublin 6 Mar 1828; reappointed Lord Lieut. Ireland by incoming Whig government 23 Dec 1830, holding post to resignation on health grounds Sep 1833; took Whig whip in House of Lords 1830 onwards; Master-Gen. of the Ordnance (without seat in Cabinet) 8 Jul 1846 – 27 Feb 1852; Lord Lieut., Anglesey, from 28 Apr 1812, and Lord Lieut., Staffordshire, from 3 Feb 1849; GCB 2 Jan 1815; GCH 1816; KG 19 Feb 1818; Busby Trustee 27 May 1820; m. 1st, 25 Jul 1795 Lady Caroline Elizabeth Villiers, third dau. of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey; m. 2nd, 1810 Lady Charlotte Cadogan, divorced wife of Hon. Henry Wellesley (afterwards 1st Earl Cowley), and sister of Hon. William Bromley Cadogan (qv); d. 29 Apr 1854. DNB.