Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst
Encyclopedia
Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst PC (16 November 1684 – 16 September 1775), known as the Lord Bathurst from 1712 to 1772, was a British
politician.
Bathurst was the eldest son of Sir Benjamin Bathurst, by his wife, Frances, daughter of Sir Allen Apsley, of Apsley
, Sussex
, and belonged to a family which is said to have settled in Sussex before the Norman Conquest. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford
, and became Member of Parliament
for Cirencester
in May 1705, retaining his seat until December 1711, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Bathurst, of Battlesden
in the County of Bedford. As a zealous Tory
he defended Francis Atterbury
, Bishop of Rochester
, and in the House of Lords
was an opponent of Sir Robert Walpole
. After Walpole left office in 1742 he was made a Privy Councillor
and served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen Pensioners from 1742 to 1745. In August 1772, 60 years after he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Bathurst, he was created Earl Bathurst, having previously received a pension of 2000 £ a year chargeable upon the Irish revenues.
Apart from his political career Lord Bathurst is also known for his association with the poets and scholars of the time. Alexander Pope
, Jonathan Swift
, Prior
, Sterne
, and Congreve were among his friends. His name is listed as a founding governor on the royal charter
of the Foundling Hospital
, granted by King George II
in 1739. He is described in Sterne's Letters to Eliza; was the subject of a graceful reference on the part of Burke
speaking in the House of Commons; and the letters which passed between him and Pope are published in Pope's Works, vol. viii. (London, 1872).
Lord Bathurst married his cousin Catherine, daughter of Sir Peter Apsley, in July 1704. They had four sons and five daughters. She died in 1768. Lord Bathurst survived her by seven years and died in September 1775, aged 90. He was buried in Cirencester church. His son Henry
succeeded him in the earldom, having already been created Lord Apsley in 1771 on his appointment as Lord Chancellor
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician.
Bathurst was the eldest son of Sir Benjamin Bathurst, by his wife, Frances, daughter of Sir Allen Apsley, of Apsley
Apsley
Apsley is a 19th century mill town in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is a historic industrial site situated in a valley of the Chiltern Hills. It is positioned below the confluence of two permanent rivers, the Gade and Bulbourne. In an area of little surface water this was an obvious site...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and belonged to a family which is said to have settled in Sussex before the Norman Conquest. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, and became Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Cirencester
Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)
Cirencester was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. From 1571 until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and one member between 1868 and 1885...
in May 1705, retaining his seat until December 1711, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Bathurst, of Battlesden
Battlesden
Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38...
in the County of Bedford. As a zealous Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
he defended Francis Atterbury
Francis Atterbury
Francis Atterbury was an English man of letters, politician and bishop.-Early life:He was born at Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, where his father was rector. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he became a tutor...
, Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
, and in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
was an opponent of Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
. After Walpole left office in 1742 he was made a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
and served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen Pensioners from 1742 to 1745. In August 1772, 60 years after he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Bathurst, he was created Earl Bathurst, having previously received a pension of 2000 £ a year chargeable upon the Irish revenues.
Apart from his political career Lord Bathurst is also known for his association with the poets and scholars of the time. Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
, Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
, Prior
Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat.Prior was the son of a Nonconformist joiner at Wimborne Minster, East Dorset. His father moved to London, and sent him to Westminster School, under Dr. Busby. On his father's death, he left school, and was cared for by his uncle, a vintner in Channel...
, Sterne
Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne was an Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy; but he also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics...
, and Congreve were among his friends. His name is listed as a founding governor on the royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
, granted by King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
in 1739. He is described in Sterne's Letters to Eliza; was the subject of a graceful reference on the part of Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
speaking in the House of Commons; and the letters which passed between him and Pope are published in Pope's Works, vol. viii. (London, 1872).
Lord Bathurst married his cousin Catherine, daughter of Sir Peter Apsley, in July 1704. They had four sons and five daughters. She died in 1768. Lord Bathurst survived her by seven years and died in September 1775, aged 90. He was buried in Cirencester church. His son Henry
Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst PC, KC , known as the Lord Apsley from 1771 to 1775, was a British lawyer and politician. He was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1771 to 1778.-Background and education:...
succeeded him in the earldom, having already been created Lord Apsley in 1771 on his appointment as Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
.