Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
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Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans GCB
, DL
, LL.D, PC (29 August 1798 – 7 October 1877), styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.
, Devon
, the son of William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans
and his first wife, Lady Georgina (13 April 1769 - 4 March 1806), daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
. He was educated at Westminster School
from 1809–1811, and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford
on 13 December 1815.
for Liskeard
that year. Beginning his career as a Tory, he remained loyal to Robert Peel, and served as a Junior Lord of the Treasury
from 1827 until 1830. Out of parliament between 1832 and 1837, he served in Peel's second government first as Chief Secretary for Ireland
and later as Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. He brokered the so-called Lord Eliot Convention
in Spain, which aimed to end the indiscriminate executions by firing squad of prisoners of both sides of the First Carlist War
. When the debate over the Corn Laws
broke the Conservative Party he followed Peel, and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
in Lord Aberdeen
's coalition government. He was twice Lord Steward
under Lord Palmerston. In 1860, he accompanied the Prince of Wales on his tour of Canada
and the USA.
, at St James Church, Westminster, on 2 September 1824. They had six sons and two daughters:
Lord St Germans died at St Germans on 7 October 1877, aged 79. He was the great-grandfather of Margaret Eliot (1914-2011), the mother of Peter
and Jane Asher
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, LL.D, PC (29 August 1798 – 7 October 1877), styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.
Background and education
St Germans was born in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, the son of William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans
William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans
William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans , known as William Elliot until 1823, was a British diplomat and politician....
and his first wife, Lady Georgina (13 April 1769 - 4 March 1806), daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician.-Background:...
. He was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
from 1809–1811, and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
on 13 December 1815.
Political career
St Germans became the Secretary of Legation at Madrid on 21 November 1821. He became Member of ParliamentMember 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 Liskeard
Liskeard (UK Parliament constituency)
Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- History :...
that year. Beginning his career as a Tory, he remained loyal to Robert Peel, and served as a Junior Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
from 1827 until 1830. Out of parliament between 1832 and 1837, he served in Peel's second government first as Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
and later as Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. He brokered the so-called Lord Eliot Convention
Lord Eliot Convention
The Lord Eliot Convention, or simply the Eliot Convention or Eliot Treaty , was an April 1835 agreement brokered by Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans between the two opposing sides of the First Carlist War...
in Spain, which aimed to end the indiscriminate executions by firing squad of prisoners of both sides of the First Carlist War
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
. When the debate over the Corn Laws
Corn Laws
The Corn Laws were trade barriers designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign imports between 1815 and 1846. The barriers were introduced by the Importation Act 1815 and repealed by the Importation Act 1846...
broke the Conservative Party he followed Peel, and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
in Lord Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he...
's coalition government. He was twice Lord Steward
Lord Steward
The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household, in England, is an important official of the Royal Household. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government...
under Lord Palmerston. In 1860, he accompanied the Prince of Wales on his tour of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the USA.
Family life
Lord St Germans married Lady Jemima Cornwallis (24 December 1803, Brome, Suffolk - 2 July 1856, Dover Street, London ), daughter of Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Marquess CornwallisCharles Cornwallis, 2nd Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Marquess Cornwallis , styled Viscount Brome until 1805, was a British Tory politician....
, at St James Church, Westminster, on 2 September 1824. They had six sons and two daughters:
- Lady Louisa Susan Cornwallis Eliot (17 December 1825 – 15 January 1911), married Walter Ponsonby, 7th Earl of BessboroughWalter Ponsonby, 7th Earl of BessboroughWalter William Brabazon Ponsonby, 7th Earl of Bessborough was a British peer and member of the House of Lords. He was the fifth son of John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough and his wife Lady Maria Fane...
and was the mother of Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of BessboroughEdward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of BessboroughEdward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, KP, CB, CVO was a British peer.-Biography:Ponsonby was the eldest son of Rev. Walter Ponsonby and his wife, Louisa, the daughter of Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans...
. - Edward John Cornwallis Eliot, Lord Eliot (2 April 1827 – 26 November 1864), born LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, educated at EtonEton CollegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
from 1839–1843, matriculated at Christ Church, OxfordChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
on 21 October 1844, styled Lord Eliot from January 1845, commissioned a Cornet and Sub-lieutenant, 1st Regiment of Life Guards1st Regiment of Life GuardsThe 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated with the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards to form the Life...
and subsequently Captain of that Regiment, 1852, died unmarried at Port EliotPort EliotPort Eliot in St Germans, Cornwall, is the seat of the Eliot family, whose current head is Peregrine Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans. Port Eliot comprises a house with its own church which is the parish church of St Germans. An earlier church building was the cathedral for the whole of Cornwall...
. - Captain Hon. Granville Charles Cornwallis Eliot (9 September 1828 – 5 November 1854), officer Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, killed at the Battle of InkermanBattle of InkermanThe Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
. - William Gordon Cornwallis Eliot, 4th Earl of St GermansWilliam Eliot, 4th Earl of St GermansWilliam Gordon Cornwallis Eliot, 4th Earl of St Germans , known as Lord Eliot from 1864 to 1877, was a British diplomat and Liberal politician.-Life and career:...
(14 December 1829 - 19 March 1881) - Hon. Ernest Cornwallis Eliot (28 April 1831 – 23 January 1832)
- Lady Elizabeth Harriet Cornwallis Eliot (September 1833 – 16 March 1835)
- Henry Cornwallis Eliot, 5th Earl of St GermansHenry Eliot, 5th Earl of St GermansHenry Cornwallis Eliot, 5th Earl of St Germans Henry Cornwallis Eliot was born in London on 11 February 1835 to Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans and his wife Jemima née Cornwallis .Henry was educated at Eton College from 1845 - 1847, and served as a Midshipman in the Royal Navy in the...
(11 February 1835 – 24 September 1911) - Colonel Hon. Charles George Cornwallis Eliot, CVO (16 October 1839 – 22 May 1901), courtier and soldier, succeeded Alpin McGregor as a Gentleman Usher Daily Waiter to Queen Victoria in 1899, married on 26 October 1865 Constance Rhiannon Guest, daughter of Sir John Josiah Guest, BtJohn Josiah GuestSir Josiah John Guest, 1st Baronet, known as John Josiah Guest, was a Welsh engineer and entrepreneur.-Life:Born in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, as the son of Thomas Guest, a partner in the Dowlais Iron Company...
and Lady Charlotte GuestLady Charlotte GuestLady Charlotte Elizabeth Guest, , later Lady Charlotte Schreiber, was an English businesswoman and translator...
.
Lord St Germans died at St Germans on 7 October 1877, aged 79. He was the great-grandfather of Margaret Eliot (1914-2011), the mother of Peter
Peter Asher
Peter Asher is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a record producer.-Early life:He was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital, a child actor and...
and Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
.