Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Encyclopedia
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 1711 for the statesman Robert Harley, with remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to those of his grandfather, Sir Robert Harley. He was made Baron Harley, of Wigmore in the County of Hereford, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Great Britain and with similar remainder as for the earldom. Harley was the eldest son of Sir Edward Harley
Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)
Sir Edward Harley KB was an English Parliamentarian.He was born in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Robert Harley, KB and his third wife Brilliana, the daughter of Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway...
and the grandson of the aforementioned Sir Robert Harley. The style Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was chosen because the ancient earldom of Oxford
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
, held for many centuries by the de Vere family, had become dormant but not extinct in 1703. Harley claimed the title because of his relationship through marriage to the previous holders, the de Veres. Despite its form (unique in the history of the peerages of the British Isles), it was a single peerage.
Lord Oxford and Mortimer was succeeded by his only son, Edward, the second Earl. Edward's only son, Henry Cavendish Harley, Lord Harley, died as an infant in 1725. He was succeeded according to the special remainder by his first cousin, Edward Harley, the third Earl. He was the son of Edward Harley
Edward Harley (1664–1735)
Edward Harley , of Eywood, Titley, Herefordshire, Auditor of the Imprests was the second son of Edward Harley and younger brother of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. He married Sarah Foley, third daughter of Thomas Foley...
, brother of the first Earl. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward, the fourth Earl. He notably served as a Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
and Lord-Lieutenant of Radnorshire. He was childless and was succeeded by his nephew, Edward, the fifth Earl. He was the son of the Right Reverend John Harley, second son of the third Earl. The fifth Earl was succeeded by his second and only surviving son, Alfred, the sixth Earl. He died childless in 1853 when the titles became extinct.
Several other members of the Harley family may also be mentioned. Sir Robert Harley, grandfather of the first Earl, served as Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Master was the highest officer in the Royal Mint. Until 1699, appointment was usually for life. Its holder occasionally sat in the cabinet...
under Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. Brilliana, Lady Harley, wife of Sir Robert Harley, was a celebrated letter-writer. Sir Edward Harley
Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)
Sir Edward Harley KB was an English Parliamentarian.He was born in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Robert Harley, KB and his third wife Brilliana, the daughter of Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway...
, father of the first Earl, represented Herefordshire
Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885...
and Radnor
Radnor (UK Parliament constituency)
Radnor or New Radnor was a constituency in Wales between 1542 and 1885; it elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliaments of England , Great Britain and the United Kingdom , by the first past the post electoral...
in Parliament. Henrietta Harley, Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, wife of the second Earl, was the daughter and heiress of John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Lady Margaret Harley
Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland , styled Lady Margaret Harley before 1734, Duchess of Portland from 1734 to her husband's death in 1761, and Dowager Duchess of Portland from 1761 until her own death in 1785...
, daughter and only surviving child of the second Earl, was the wife of William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland
William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland
William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland KG , styled Viscount Woodstock from 1709 to 1715 and Marquess of Titchfield from 1715 to 1726, was a British peer....
and the mother of Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, KG, PC was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility—Duke,...
. Edward Harley
Edward Harley (1664–1735)
Edward Harley , of Eywood, Titley, Herefordshire, Auditor of the Imprests was the second son of Edward Harley and younger brother of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. He married Sarah Foley, third daughter of Thomas Foley...
, brother of the first Earl and father of the third Earl, 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 Leominster
Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)
Leominster was, until 2010, a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.From 1295 to 1868, it was a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election. Under the Reform Act 1867 its...
and Droitwich
Droitwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Droitwich was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of England in 1295, and again from 1554, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...
. Robert Harley, brother of the third Earl, also represented Leominster in Parliament. The Right Reverend John Harley, second son of the third Earl and father of the fifth Earl, was Bishop of Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...
. The Honourable Thomas Harley
Thomas Harley
The Honourable Thomas Harley was a British politician.Harley was a younger son of Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. He became an alderman of London, Sheriff of London in 1764 and Lord Mayor of London in 1767...
, third son of the third Earl, was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
. Jane Harley, Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, wife of the fifth Earl, was a patron of the Reform movement and a lover of Lord Byron.
Earls of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1711)
- Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1661–1724)
- Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , styled Lord Harley between 1711 and 1724, was a British politician, bibliophile, collector and patron of the arts.-Background:...
(1689–1741)- Henry Cavendish Harley, Lord Harley (1725–1725)
- Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was a British peer.Harley was the son of Edward Harley and his wife Sarah Foley. He succeeded his cousin Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer in the earldom in 1741...
(1699–1755) - Edward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , styled Lord Harley from 1741 to 1755, was a British peer....
(1726–1790) - Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl MortimerEdward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was an English nobleman.Harley was the son of John Harley...
(1773–1849)- Edward Harley, Lord Harley (1800–1828)
- Alfred Harley, 6th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1809–1853)