Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Harley KB (21 October 1624 – 18 December 1700) 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
. Educated at Shrewsbury, Gloucester, and Magdelen Hall, Oxford, he studied law, but took up arms in the Parliamentary cause against the King in 1642, though disapproving of military supremacy in the nation. He was shot in the arm during a skirmish in Gloucestershire in August 1644. By 1646 he was a member of Parliament for his native county, but his opposition to Cromwell
brought about his banishment from it for 10 years, though he was rewarded at the Restoration by Charles II
, who made him Governor of Dunkirk (1660). Despite his changes of front (for he was against the Stuarts once more at the revolution of 1688
), Harley was a conscientious upholder of the rights of the people, who showed their appreciation by sending him continuously to Parliament. Though a churchman himself, he fought against any form of persecution of the dissenters, was without party prejudice, and was remembered more for his practical benefactions than for such theoretical performances as A Scriptural and Rational Account of the Christian Religion (1695).
He married and had two sons, Robert Harley (later Earl of Oxford
) and Edward Harley
(1664–1735); and two daughters Elizabeth and Abigail.
He was born in Brampton Bryan
Brampton Bryan
Brampton Bryan is a small village and civil parish situated in north Herefordshire, England close to the Shropshire and Welsh borders.Brampton Bryan lies mid-way between Leintwardine and Knighton on the A4113 road. The village has had a complex history and its buildings reflect this...
, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Robert Harley, KB and his third wife Brilliana, the daughter of Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway PC was an English soldier and statesman.-Life:He was the son and heir of Sir John Conway of Arrow, and his wife Ellen or Eleanor, daughter of Sir Fulke Greville of Beauchamp's Court, Warwickshire....
. Educated at Shrewsbury, Gloucester, and Magdelen Hall, Oxford, he studied law, but took up arms in the Parliamentary cause against the King in 1642, though disapproving of military supremacy in the nation. He was shot in the arm during a skirmish in Gloucestershire in August 1644. By 1646 he was a member of Parliament for his native county, but his opposition to Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
brought about his banishment from it for 10 years, though he was rewarded at the Restoration by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, who made him Governor of Dunkirk (1660). Despite his changes of front (for he was against the Stuarts once more at the revolution of 1688
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
), Harley was a conscientious upholder of the rights of the people, who showed their appreciation by sending him continuously to Parliament. Though a churchman himself, he fought against any form of persecution of the dissenters, was without party prejudice, and was remembered more for his practical benefactions than for such theoretical performances as A Scriptural and Rational Account of the Christian Religion (1695).
He married and had two sons, Robert Harley (later Earl 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...
) and 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...
(1664–1735); and two daughters Elizabeth and Abigail.
Sources
- Edward Harley at thePeerage.com