Grenville Charles Lennox Berkeley (alternatively Charles Lennox Grenville Berkeley) (30 March 1806 – 25 September 1896), also known as C. L. Grenville Berkeley, was a British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician. He served as

Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade in the United Kingdom was a member of Parliament assigned to assist the Board of Trade and its President with administration and liaison with Parliament. It replaced the Vice-President of the Board o ...

from 1853 to 1856.

Background and early life

Berkeley was born in London, England, the younger son of Admiral the Honourable Sir George Cranfield Berkeley, third son of

Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley, KT (18 February 1715 – 9 January 1755) was the son of Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, and the former Lady Louisa Lennox. Biography He was made an ensign in the 1 ...

. His mother was Lady Emilia Charlotte Lennox, daughter of

Lord George Lennox General Lord George Henry Lennox (29 November 1737 – 25 March 1805) was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1790. Early life He was the second son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and ...

. Sir George Berkeley was his elder brother. He became a lieutenant in the

28th Foot The 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire Regi ...

in 1825, promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1826 but was placed on half-pay in 1827.W. R. Williams. ''The Parliamentary History of the County of Worcester''.
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Political career

Berkeley unsuccessfully contested Western Gloucestershire at the 1847 general election, and was elected as the

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 of ...

(MP) for

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

at a by-election in September 1848, after the result of a by-election in June that year had been voided after an

election petition An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election. Outcomes When a petition is lodged against an election return, there are 4 possible outcomes: # The election is declared void. The result is q ...

.Craig, page 84 At the 1852 general election, Berkeley stepped aside in favour of

Craven Fitzhardinge Berkeley Craven FitzHardinge Berkeley (May 1805 – 1 July 1855) was a British Whig politician. Background Berkeley was the seventh son of Frederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley, and Mary, daughter of William Cole. He was the younger brother of Willi ...

, the winner of the 1848 by-election, but stood instead in

Evesham Evesham () is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesha ...

, where he won the seat.Craig, page 123 In early 1853 he was appointed

Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor Law Board The Poor Law Board was established in the United Kingdom in 1847 as a successor body to the Poor Law Commission overseeing the administration of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The new body was headed by a President, and with the Lord President of ...

Lord Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, (28 January 178414 December 1860), styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a British statesman, diplomat and landowner, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite politician and specialist in ...

, a post he held until 1856, the last year under the premiership of

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

. Craven Berkeley died in 1855 and Charles Berkeley

resigned Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

his Evesham seat on 6 July 1855 through appointment as

Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds Appointment to the position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds is a procedural device to allow Members of Parliament to resignation from the British House of Commons, resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. S ...

, to contest the resulting vacancy in Cheltenham. He won the Cheltenham by-election in July 1855, but held the seat for less than a year, until he resigned on 2 May 1856 (again through taking the Chiltern Hundreds), to become a Commissioner of Customs, and office he retained until November 1886.

Family

Berkeley married Augusta Elizabeth Leigh, daughter of James Henry Leigh and sister of

Chandos Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh Chandos Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh (27 June 1791 – 27 September 1850) was a British landowner and minor poet. He was Lord of the Manor of Hunningham. Early life Leigh was the son of James Henry Leigh, of Adlestrop, Gloucestershire, the son of Jame ...

, in 1827. They had two daughters Alice (24 June 1829-9 April 1919) and Georgina Louisa (4 January 1831-22 December 1919). Berkeley died in September 1896, aged 90.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Grenville 1806 births 1896 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 Grenville Politics of Cheltenham