John Alexander Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath (1 March 1831 – 20 April 1896), styled Viscount Weymouth between March and June 1837, was a British diplomat and a peer for almost sixty years.

Background and education

Born in St James's, he was the son of Henry Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath

Henry Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath

Henry Frederick Thynne, 3rd Marquess of Bath , styled Lord Henry Thynne until January 1837 and Viscount Weymouth between January and March 1837, was a British naval commander and politician....

 and his wife Harriet, second daughter of Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...

. He succeeded his father as Marquess

Marquess

A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...

 in June 1837, aged only six. Lord Bath was educated at Eton College

Eton College

Eton 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"....

 and 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...

. He was a devout Anglo-Catholic and a determined opponent of the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874

Public Worship Regulation Act 1874

The Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced as a Private Member's Bill by Archbishop of Canterbury Archibald Campbell Tait, to limit what he perceived as the growing ritualism of Anglo-Catholicism and the Oxford Movement within the Church...

 which sought to suppress Ritualism in the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

.

Career

He held the office of Envoy Extraordinary

Diplomatic rank

Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...

 for the coronation of King Pedro V of Portugal

Pedro V of Portugal

* Duke of Barcelos* Marquis of Vila Viçosa* Count of Ourém* Count of Barcelos* Count of Arraiolos* Count of Guimarães-Honours:* Knight of the Garter* Knight of the Golden Fleece-Ancestry:...

 on 27 May 1858, and Envoy Extraordinary for the coronation of the Emperor Franz Joseph I

Franz Joseph I of Austria

Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...

 as King of Hungary

King of Hungary

The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...

 on 25 July 1867.

From 1874 to 1893, he was a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery and a trustee of the British Museum

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

 in 1883. He was Chairman of Wiltshire County Council and having been a Deputy Lieutenant

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....

 of Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

 from 1853, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire

Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire. From 1750, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Wiltshire.-Lord Lieutenants of Wiltshire:*William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke 1551 – 17 March 1570...

 in 1889, a post he held until his death in 1896.

Family and death

He married Frances Isabella Catherine Vesey, daughter of Thomas Vesey, 3rd Viscount de Vesci

Thomas Vesey, 3rd Viscount de Vesci

Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Vesey, 3rd Viscount de Vesci , was an Irish peer and Conservative politician.-Background:...

, on 20 August 1861. They had six children:

• Sir Thomas Henry Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath
  Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath
  Thomas Henry Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath KG, CB, PC, JP , styled Viscount Weymouth until 1896, was a British landowner and Conservative politician. He held ministerial office as Under-Secretary of State for India in 1905 and Master of the Horse between 1922 and 1924...
  
   (1862–1946)
• Lady Alice Emma Thynne (c. 1863–1942), married Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 8th Baronet.
• Lady Katherine Georgina Louisa Thynne (c. 1865–1933), married Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
  Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
  Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....
  
   and had issue.
• Lord John Boteville Thynne (1867–1887), died young and unmarried.
• Lady Beatrice Thynne (1867–1941), died unmarried.
• Lieut.-Col. Lord Alexander George Thynne (1873–14 September 1918), who was a Member of Parliament for Bath, commanded the 6th Bn. of the Wiltshire Regiment, was awarded the Croix de Guerre (France), was killed in action, and died unmarried.

Lord Bath died in 1896, aged 65 in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and was buried at Longbridge Deverill

Longbridge Deverill

Longbridge Deverill is a village and civil parish about south of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. The village is one of the Lower Deverills....

, Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

.

Titles

• John Alexander Thynne, Lord Thynne 1831–1837
• John Alexander Thynne, Viscount Weymouth 1837
• John Alexander Thynne, Marquess of Bath 1837–1896

External links