Sir Bernard Eric Edward Barrington (5 June 1847 – 24 February 1918) was a British civil servant who was principal private secretary to three Foreign Secretaries.

Career

The Honourable Bernard Eric Edward Barrington, youngest son of

William Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington William Keppel Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington (6 October 1793 – 9 February 1867), styled The Honourable from 1814 until 1829, was a British businessman and politician. Early life Born in London on 6 October 1793, Barrington was the eldest ...

, was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and joined the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

(FCO) in 1867. He was

Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

to two

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

Arthur Otway Sir Arthur John Otway, 3rd Baronet PC (8 August 1822 – 8 June 1912) was a British barrister and Liberal politician as well as a champion of administrative reform regarding India. Background, education and early life Otway was born in Edinbu ...

and Viscount Enfield, 1868–1874. In 1874 he became précis writer to the

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

, the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end ...

, and continued under Derby's successor,

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

. He accompanied Salisbury to the

Congress of Berlin The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...

in 1878 and was given the

diplomatic rank Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

of Second Secretary for the purpose. When Salisbury became Prime Minister for the first time in 1885, Barrington became

Principal Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

to the new Foreign Secretary, Lord Iddesleigh, 1885–86. He was Principal Private Secretary to Lord Salisbury (in his role as Foreign Secretary) in 1886–92 and 1895–1900, and then to the

Marquess of Lansdowne Marquess of Lansdowne is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1784, and held by the head of the Petty-Fitzmaurice family. The first Marquess served as Prime Minister of Great Britain. Origins This branch of the Fitzmaurice famil ...

1900–05. When

Sir Edward Grey Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey, was a British Liberal statesman and the main force behind British foreign policy in the era of the First World War. An adhe ...

succeeded Lord Lansdowne as Foreign Secretary in December 1905 Barrington was appointed Assistant Under-Secretary for Africa, but retired in July 1907. :Save during the short period when he was attached to the special British Embassy that attended the Congress of Berlin in 1878, the whole career of Sir Eric Barrington was passed in the Foreign Office. He was a distinguished representative of the class of higher permanent officials who are the custodians of tradition and the wardens of continuity in the great Departments of State. The public at large knows little or nothing of their work. From time to time their names appear as the recipients of a C.B. or a K.C.B., but their contact with the world, outside the walls of their office, is limited and intermittent. Their names and qualities are, as a rule, far better known to foreign Governments and to foreign diplomatists than to their own fellow-countrymen. Their reward consists in the confidence of their chiefs and the esteem of their colleagues. Though they sometimes wield great influence, they have no direct responsibility, and the chief guarantee against any misuse of their powers lies in their own patriotism and conscientiousness.
— ''The Times'', 26 February 1918 Barrington was appointed Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in the

1889 Birthday Honours The 1889 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen, and we ...

. He was promoted to a Knight Commander (KCB) in the order in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902, and received the knighthood in a private audience with King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

on 2 August, during the King′s convalescence on board HMY ''Victoria and Albert''.

References

BARRINGTON, Hon. Sir (Bernard) Eric (Edward)
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrington, Eric 1847 births 1918 deaths Younger sons of viscounts People educated at Eton College Principal Private Secretaries to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath