Baron Harris
Encyclopedia
Baron Harris, of Seringapatam and Mysore in the East Indies and of Belmont in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. It was created in 1815 for the military commander General Sir George Harris
. He gained fame as Commander-in-Chief at the siege and capture of Seringapatam
and the conquest of Mysore in India
in 1799. He was also injured at the Battle of Bunker Hill
in the American Revolutionary War
. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He was a Lieutenant-General in the Army. His son, the third Baron, served as Governor of Madras and also held minor office in the second Liberal administration
of Lord Palmerston
. His son, the fourth Baron, was a Conservative
politician and served as Under-Secretary of State for India
, Under-Secretary of State for War
and Governor of Bombay. Lord Harris was also a successful cricketer. On the death of his grandson, the sixth Baron, in 1995, the line of the eldest son of the first Baron failed. The late Baron was succeeded by his fourth cousin, the seventh Baron. He was the great-great-grandson of the Hon. Michael Thomas Harris, second son of the first Baron. the title is held by his son, the eighth Baron, who succeeded in 1996.
The family seat is Belmont House near Faversham
in Kent
.
The heir presumptive
is the present holder's kinsman Rear-Admiral Michael George Temple Harris (b. 1941). He is a great-great-great grandson of the second Baron.
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. It was created in 1815 for the military commander General Sir George Harris
George Harris, 1st Baron Harris
George Harris, 1st Baron Harris GCB was a British soldier.Harris was the son of the Reverend George Harris, curate of Brasted, Kent. He was educated at Westminster School and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned to the Royal Artillery in 1760, transferring to an ensigncy in...
. He gained fame as Commander-in-Chief at the siege and capture of Seringapatam
Battle of Seringapatam
The Siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's...
and the conquest of Mysore in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1799. He was also injured at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He was a Lieutenant-General in the Army. His son, the third Baron, served as Governor of Madras and also held minor office in the second Liberal administration
Liberal Government 1859-1866
After the fall of the second of Lord Derby's short-lived attempts at governments in 1859, Lord Palmerston returned to power, this time in alliance with his former rival Lord John Russell, in what is regarded as the first Liberal government. Palmerston remained as Prime Minister until his death in...
of Lord Palmerston
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
. His son, the fourth Baron, was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and served as Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
, Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
and Governor of Bombay. Lord Harris was also a successful cricketer. On the death of his grandson, the sixth Baron, in 1995, the line of the eldest son of the first Baron failed. The late Baron was succeeded by his fourth cousin, the seventh Baron. He was the great-great-grandson of the Hon. Michael Thomas Harris, second son of the first Baron. the title is held by his son, the eighth Baron, who succeeded in 1996.
The family seat is Belmont House near Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Barons Harris (1815)
- George Harris, 1st Baron HarrisGeorge Harris, 1st Baron HarrisGeorge Harris, 1st Baron Harris GCB was a British soldier.Harris was the son of the Reverend George Harris, curate of Brasted, Kent. He was educated at Westminster School and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned to the Royal Artillery in 1760, transferring to an ensigncy in...
(1746–1829) - William George Harris, 2nd Baron HarrisWilliam Harris, 2nd Baron HarrisWilliam George Harris, 2nd Baron Harris KCH was a British soldier and peer.Harris was the son of George Harris, 1st Baron Harris.He fought under his father during the siege and capture of Seringapatam in 1799 at the age of 17...
(1782–1845) - George Francis Robert Harris, 3rd Baron HarrisGeorge Harris, 3rd Baron HarrisGeorge Francis Robert Harris, 3rd Baron Harris GCSI , was a British peer, Liberal politician and colonial administrator...
(1810–1872) - Robert George Canning Harris, 4th Baron Harris (1851–1932)
- George St Vincent Harris, 5th Baron Harris (1889–1984)
- George Robert John Harris, 6th Baron Harris (1920–1995)
- Derek Marshall Harris, 7th Baron Harris (1916–1996)
- Anthony Harris, 8th Baron Harris (b. 1942)
The heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
is the present holder's kinsman Rear-Admiral Michael George Temple Harris (b. 1941). He is a great-great-great grandson of the second Baron.