Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington,
PC (c. 1708 – 14 January 1772), was the
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
. He was a member of the
Whig Party in the
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
and was known for his wit and writing.
Family
Born the second son of
Anthony Henley, Robert Henley was from a wealthy family in Hampshire. His grandfather, Sir Robert Henley, had been Master of the Court of the King's Bench, essentially a
defence counsel
In a civil proceeding or criminal prosecution under the common law or under statute, a defendant may raise a defense (or defence) in an effort to avert civil liability or criminal conviction. A defense is put forward by a party to defeat a ...
.
Henley's father Anthony Henley was educated at Oxford and interested in literature. When he moved to
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 majo ...
, he became the friend of the Earls of Dorset and Sunderland, as well as a friend of Swift, Pope, and Burnet. After becoming a married man, Anthony Henley had been the Member of Parliament for Andover in 1698. He died in August, 1711 and was succeeded in turn by his eldest son, Anthony and his second son, Robert.
Early life
![Northington Grange - Hampshire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Northington_Grange_-_Hampshire.jpg)
Henley was educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
and attended
St. John's College in Oxford.
He gained a fellowship at the
All Souls College
All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...
in 1727, entered the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
to study law in 1729 and was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
on 23 June 1732. He succeeded his elder brother in 1746, inheriting
The Grange, Northington
The Grange is a 19th-century country house-mansion and English Garden, English landscape park near Northington in Hampshire, England. It is currently owned by the John Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton, Baring family, Baron Ashburton, Barons Ashburton. ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
which had been built for his grandfather by
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings.
As the most notable archit ...
.
Career
He was elected a Member of Parliament for
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
in 1747 and became Recorder of the town in 1751. He was appointed
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
and knighted in 1756 and promoted the next year to
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of Sta ...
, the last person to receive this title. Although as Lord Keeper he presided over the House of Lords, he was not made a peer until 1760 when he became Baron Henley of Grange in the
County of Southampton
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire is ...
. When
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
ascended to power, Henley was appointed
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
in 1761 and made Earl of Northington in 1764.
The delay in raising him to the peerage was due to the hostility of
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089)
* ...
, who resented Henley's former support of the
Prince of Wales's faction, known as the
Leicester House party; and it was in order that he might preside as
Lord High Steward
The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor.
The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...
at the trial of the
Earl Ferrers
Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers, Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley (died 1622) of Astwell Castle ...
for murder in 1760 that he then received his patent. He resigned from his position in 1767 and died at his residence in Hampshire on 14 January 1772.
Personal life
In 1743, Henley had married Jane Huband who was the daughter of Sir John Huband of Ipsley of
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
. He had three sons and five daughters. The names of his daughters were:
* Lady Catherine Henley (d. 9 Jan 1779);
* Lady Bridget Henley (d. 13 March 1796), married 1)
Robert Lane and 2) Capt. Hon. John Tollemache (30 March 1750 – 25 September 1777);
* Jane Henley (d. February 1823);
* Lady Elizabeth Henley (d. 20 August 1821);
* Mary Henley (1753–1814), married 1)
Edward Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier
Lieutenant General Edward Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier KB (1740 – 14 June 1782) was a British soldier and courtier. He was the illegitimate son of Col. Francis Augustus Ligonier, the brother of John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier.
He served with ...
, and 2)
Thomas Noel, 2nd Viscount Wentworth
Thomas Noel, 2nd Viscount Wentworth (18 November 1745 – 17 April 1815) was a British politician who succeeded to a peerage before he could take his seat in the House of Commons, having just been elected in 1774.
Early life
Wentworth was the onl ...
.
He was succeeded by his son
Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington
Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington (3 January 1747 – 5 July 1786), was a British politician.
He was born the eldest son of Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington, and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He succee ...
.
Cases
*''
Vernon v Bethell
''Vernon v Bethell'' (1762is an English property law case, where it was affirmed that there could be no clog on the equity of redemption. In justifying this rule, Lord Henley LC made the famous observation that,
The case stands for the princi ...
'' (1762) 28 ER 838, "necessitous men are not, truly speaking, free men, but, to answer a present exigency, will submit to any terms that the crafty may impose upon them."
*''
Shanley v Harvey
Slavery at common law in the British Empire developed slowly over centuries, and was characterised by inconsistent decisions and varying rationales for the treatment of slavery, the slave trade, and the rights of slaves and slave owners. Unlike ...
'' (1763) 2 Eden 126, 127, as “soon as a man sets foot on English ground he is free.”
*''
Brown v Peck'' (1758) 1 Eden 140, provisions discouraging cohabitation were void against public policy, as where a will promised £5 a month to a beneficiary to split up from her husband, or £2 otherwise. She was entitled to the £5.
*''
Hussey v. Dillon'' 2 Amb 603, 604, testament and meaning of "grandchildren"
*1 Eden 5, “The Court has always in cases of this nature considered the question of consent with great latitude, adhering to the spirit and not the letter. The maxim Qui tacet satis loquitur has therefore been respected, and constructive consents have been looked upon as entitled to as much regard as if conveyed in express terms.”
*''
Earl of Buckinghamshire v Drury''
*''
Pike v Hoare'', 2 Eden, 182; Amb. 428, on conflict of laws, a will affecting lands in the Colonies “is not triable” in this country.
*''
Burgess v Wheate'' 1 Eden, 251
Notes
References
*''A memoir of the life of Robert Henely, earl of Northington, lord high chancellor of Great Britain''
*''The Complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdoms, Extant, Extinct or Dormant''
*''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage''
*''re: Penancoet Family''
*''Complete Baronetage''
*''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage''
*''A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northington, Robert Henley, 1st Earl Of
1708 births
1772 deaths
People educated at Westminster School, London
Alumni of St John's College, Oxford
Members of the Inner Temple
Henley, Robert
Henley, Robert
Henley, Robert
Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain
Lord chancellors of Great Britain
Lord High Stewards
Lord-Lieutenants of Hampshire
Lord Presidents of the Council
Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
Peers of Great Britain created by George II
Barons Henley