Regency Personalities Series-Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley

Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley
7 December 1794 – 10 March 1870

Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley was the fourth son of Frederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley, and Mary, daughter of William Cole. The validity of his parents’ marriage was the subject of some controversy, and in 1811 the House of Lords decided that Berkeley and six of his twelve siblings were born out of wedlock. His brothers included William Berkeley, 1st Earl FitzHardinge, Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge, Grantley Berkeley and Craven Berkeley. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.

Berkeley was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for Bristol in 1837, a seat he held until his death in 1870. He was a longstanding advocate of secret ballot reform, which was finally adopted after his death in 1872.

Berkeley died in March 1870, aged 75. And is buried in St Dunstan’s churchyard in Cranford, Middlesex.

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Regency Personalities Series-Grantley Berkeley

Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

Grantley Berkeley
10 February 1800 – 20 February 1881

Grantley Berkeley

Grantley Berkeley was the sixth son of Frederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley, by Mary Cole, daughter of William Cole. He was the brother of William Berkeley, 1st Earl FitzHardinge,Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge, Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley, Thomas Berkeley, 6th Earl of Berkeley and Craven Berkeley and the nephew of Sir George Cranfield-Berkeley. He was educated at Corpus Christi College and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He joined the Coldstream Guards and afterwards the 82nd Regiment of Foot.

Berkeley sat as Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire West from 1832 to 1852 as a Whig. In 1836 he proposed the admission of ladies to the gallery of the House of Commons; this was granted in 1841. After 1852 he devoted himself largely to field sports and writing.

He established a summer seaside residence in the Mudeford-Highcliffe area, occupying Beacon Lodge, on the clifftop just east of Highcliffe Castle (then still being built). He did not own it – it was rented by other VIPs such as the Bishop of London in 1837, but he seems to have spent most summers here for at least two decades (presumably when the Commons was in recess).

Berkeley was the author of a number of books, including Berkeley Castle, Sandron Hall, or the Days of Queen Anne (1840), and My Life and Recollections, 4 volumes, (1865–66).

An aristocratic snob, and (as a younger brother) an earl manqué whose godfather was the Prince Regent, he was ‘known for his vanity and arrogance’.

In 1836, Berkeley assaulted magazine publisher James Fraser over a review he published in Fraser’s Magazine of Berkeley Castle. He subsequently fought a duel with the review’s author William Maginn. Three rounds of shots were fired, but no one was struck.

Berkeley married Caroline Martha Benfield (1804–1873), daughter of Paul Benfield (1741–1810) and wife Mary Frances, née Swinburne (1771–1828), on 16 August 1824. Their two sons Swinburne and Edward died in 1865 and 1878 respectively. Berkeley died on 20 February 1881, aged 81.

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Regency Personalities Series-Craven Berkeley

Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

Craven Berkeley
May 1805 – 1 July 1855

Craven Berkeley was the seventh son of Frederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley, and Mary, daughter of William Cole. He was the younger brother of William Berkeley, 1st Earl FitzHardinge, Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge and Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley (born to the same mother but declared illegitimate according to a decision by the House of Lords) and also of the Hon. Grantley Berkeley.

Craven entered Parliament for Cheltenham in 1832, a seat he held until 1847. In the 1847 general election the seat was won by Sir Willoughby Jones, but his election was declared void in May the following year. Berkeley was elected in his place in June 1848 but his election was declared void two months later. In 1852 he was again successfully returned for the constituency, and held the seat until his death three years later.

Berkeley married firstly Augusta, daughter of Sir Horace St Paul, 1st Baronet and widow of George Henry Talbot, in 1839. They had one daughter. After Augusta’s death in April 1841, aged 28, he married secondly Charlotte, daughter of General Denzil Onslow, in 1845. Berkeley died in July 1855, aged 50. His daughter Louisa Mary succeeded as 15th Baroness Berkeley in 1882. Charlotte Berkeley died in January 1897.

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