Earl of Malmesbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain

Peerage of Great Britain

The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...

. It was created in 1800 for the diplomat James Harris, 1st Baron Malmesbury

James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury

James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury GCB was an English diplomatist.-Early life :...

. The son of the grammarian and politician James Harris

James Harris (grammarian)

James Harris, FRS was an English politician and grammarian.-Life and works:He was born at Salisbury and educated at the grammar school in the Close at Salisbury, and at Wadham College, Oxford. On leaving the university he was entered at Lincoln's Inn as a student of law, though not intended for...

, he served as Ambassador to Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and also represented Christchurch

Christchurch (UK Parliament constituency)

Christchurch is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Centred on the town of Christchurch in Dorset, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 in the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

. Harris had already been created Baron Malmesbury, of Malmesbury in the County of Wiltshire, in 1788, and was made Viscount FitzHarris, of Hurn Court in the County of Southampton, at the same time he was given the earldom.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He sat as 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 Helston

Helston (UK Parliament constituency)

Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...

, Horsham

Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)

Horsham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...

, Heytesbury

Heytesbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Heytesbury was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire which elected two Members of Parliament. From 1449 until 1707 it was represented in the House of Commons of England, and then in the British House of Commons until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Reform Act 1832.-History:The borough...

 and Wilton

Wilton (UK Parliament constituency)

Wilton was the name of a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1295 to 1707, then in the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of the Parliament of the...

. His eldest son, the third Earl, was a prominent 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. He served as Foreign Secretary in 1852 and from 1858 to 1859 and was also Lord Privy Seal

Lord Privy Seal

The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...

 and Leader of the House of Lords

Leader of the House of Lords

The Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council,...

. Lord Malmesbury died childless and was succeeded by his nephew, the fourth Earl. He was the son of Admiral the Hon. Sir Edward Harris, second son of the second Earl.

His eldest son, the fifth Earl, served as a Lord-in-Waiting

Lord-in-Waiting

Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...

 (government whip 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....

) from 1922 to 1924 in the Conservative administrations

Conservative Government 1922-1924

Members of the Cabinet are shown in bold face....

 of Andrew Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin

Stanley Baldwin

Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...

 and was later Chairman of the Hampshire County Council

Hampshire County Council

Hampshire County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Hampshire in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are district councils, and town and parish councils...

. He was succeeded by his only son, the sixth Earl. He was Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire

Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. Since 1688, all the Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Hampshire.*William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester 1551–?*William Paulet, 3rd Marquess of Winchester bef...

 from 1973 to 1982. As of 2010 the titles are held by his only son, the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 2000.

Two other members of the Harris family have also gained distinction. The aforementioned the Hon. Sir Edward Harris (1808–1888), second son of the second Earl, was an Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, held several diplomatic posts and represented Christchurch in Parliament. The Right Reverend the Hon. Charles Amyand Harris (1813–1874), third son of the second Earl, was a clergyman and served as Bishop of Gibraltar

Bishop of Gibraltar

The Bishop of Gibraltar may refer to the ordinary of the Roman Catholic or Anglican Diocese of Gibraltar:*Roman Catholic Bishop of Gibraltar*Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar...

 from 1868 to 1873.

The present family seat is Greywell Hill House, near Basingstoke

Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...

, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

. The former seat was Heron Court (or Hern Court or Hurn Court) near Christchurch, Dorset

Christchurch, Dorset

Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...

 (although within the historic county boundaries of Hampshire).

Earls of Malmesbury (1800)

• James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury
  James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury
  James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury GCB was an English diplomatist.-Early life :...
  
   (1746–1820)
• James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury
  James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury
  James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury was a British peer, styled Viscount FitzHarris from 1800 to 1820....
  
   (1778–1841)
• James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury
  James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury
  James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury GCB, PC , styled Viscount FitzHarris from 1820 to 1841, was a British statesman of the Victorian era.-Background and education:...
  
   (1807–1889)
• Edward James Harris, 4th Earl of Malmesbury (1842–1899)
• James Edward Harris, 5th Earl of Malmesbury (1872–1950)
• William James Harris, 6th Earl of Malmesbury (1907–2000)
• James Carleton Harris, 7th Earl of Malmesbury (b. 1946)

The heir apparent is the present holder's eldest son James Hugh Carleton Harris, Viscount FitzHarris (b. 1970)