Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot (

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, 8 July 1727 – 17 February 1804,

Port Eliot Port Eliot in the parish of St Germans, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, is the ancestral seat of the Eliot family, whose present head is Albert Eliot, 11th Earl of St Germans. Port Eliot comprises a stately home with its own church, which ...

, Cornwall) was an English official and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1748 to 1784, when he was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

as Baron Eliot.

Life and career

He was born to Richard Eliot (c.1694 – 19 November 1748) and Harriot Craggs (c.1704 – January 1769), the illegitimate daughter of the

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

and Secretary of State, James Craggs (9 April 1686 – 2 March 1721) and the noted actress,

Hester Santlow Hester Santlow (married name Hester Booth; c. 1690 – 1773) was a noted British dancer and actress, who has been called "England's first ballerina". She was influential in many spheres of theatrical life. Life Hester Santlow was born circa 16 ...

. His sister Anne, who married Captain Hugh Bonfoy, was a noted beauty who was painted twice by

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

. Another sister, Elizabeth, married

Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers (29 June 1725 – 30 January 1806), known as Sir Charles Cocks, 1st Baronet, from 1772 to 1784, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1747 to 1784. Life Cocks was the son of John Cocks and ...

. In 1742, he matriculated at

St Mary Hall, Oxford St Mary Hall was a medieval academic hall of the University of Oxford. It was associated with Oriel College from 1326 to 1545, but functioned independently from 1545 until it was incorporated into Oriel College in 1902. History In 1320 ...

but did not graduate. During 1747–1748, he travelled in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, b ...

, principally the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

, Germany and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. On 19 November 1748, he succeeded his father. From 1748–1768 he was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members ofte ...

for St Germans, Cornwall, the place of his family estate

. In succession, he became Member of Parliament (MP) for

Liskeard Liskeard ( ; kw, Lyskerrys) is a small ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, South West England. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) east ...

(1768–1774), for St Germans (1774–1775), and for Cornwall (1775–1784). In 1751, Edward was appointed

Receiver General A receiver general (or receiver-general) is an officer responsible for accepting payments on behalf of a government, and for making payments to a government on behalf of other parties. See also * Treasurer * Receiver General for Canada * Rece ...

of the

Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...

. From 1760 until 1776, Edward was one of the eight Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, and in 1775 he again became Receiver General of the Duchy. However, in 1776 he notably voted against the employment of

Hessian A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse. Hessian may also refer to: Named from the toponym * Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire **Hessian (boot), a style of boot ** Hessian ...

Troops, and resigned from the

Board of Trade and Plantations The Commissioners for Trade and Plantations was a body formed by the British Crown on 15 May 1696 to promote trade and to inspect and improve the plantations of the British colonies. It was the successor of various previous bodies set up in the seve ...

, and from the government. On 13 January 1784, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Eliot, of St Germans in the County of Cornwall, and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in ...

on 2 February 1784. On 15 Apr 1789, according to the stipulation in his Craggs-estate inheritance, he changed his surname from Eliot to Craggs (on occasion using "Craggs Eliot" instead of Edward Craggs Lord Eliot). At the same time, the Eliot arms were quartered with those of the Craggs family and used by Edward and his sons. Eliot was an acquaintance of Dr Samuel Johnson and a friend and patron of

Family

On 25 September 1756, he married Catherine Elliston (September 1735 – 23 February 1804), daughter of Captain Edward Elliston and Catherine Gibbon, the aunt of

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is k ...

, at St James' Church, Westminster. Together, they had four children: #Edward James Eliot (9 August 1757 – September 1757) # Edward James Eliot (24 August 1758 – 17 September 1797) # John Eliot, 1st Earl of St Germans (30 September 1761 – 17 November 1823) # William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans (1 April 1767 – 19 January 1845) Eliot died at his

estate on 17 February 1804, and he was buried at St Germans, Cornwall

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eliot, Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron 1727 births 1804 deaths Alumni of St Mary Hall, Oxford Barons Eliot Peers of Great Britain created by George III Craggs-Eliot, Edward Politicians from Cornwall People from St Germans, Cornwall Edward Craggs-Eliot British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784