Sir William Augustus Curzon Barrington (28 January 1842 – 23 February 1922
[) was a British diplomat.
]
Background
Born at Beckett Hall
Beckett Hall (or Beckett House) is a country house at Shrivenham in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire). The present house dates from 1831.
History
This manor is first mentioned in the Domesday survey, and was acquired by ...
in Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, he was the third 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 ...
and his wife Jane Elizabeth, fourth daughter of Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth
Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (8 February 1775 – 7 March 1855), known as Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet, from 1791 to 1821, was a British peer and Tory politician.
Early life
Liddell was the son of Sir Henry Liddell, 5th Ba ...
. His older brothers were George Barrington, 7th Viscount Barrington
George William Barrington, 7th Viscount Barrington, PC (14 February 1824 – 6 November 1886), was a British Conservative politician. He held office under Lord Salisbury as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard between 1885 and 1886 and as Captai ...
and Percy Barrington, 8th Viscount Barrington
Percy Barrington, 8th Viscount Barrington (22 April 1825 – 29 April 1901), was a British soldier and landowner.
Early life
Barrington was born in London on 22 April 1825. He was the second son of William Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington, ...
. Having been previously in private schools in Cheam
Cheam () is a suburb of London, England, south-west of Charing Cross. It is divided into North Cheam, Cheam Village and South Cheam. Cheam Village contains the listed buildings Lumley Chapel and the 16th-century Whitehall. It is adjacent to ...
and in Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
, Barrington received his further education in Germany, in schools at Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
and at Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
.
Diplomatic career
Barrington joined the Diplomatic Service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to ...
in 1860. After four years he was promoted to a 3rd secretary and in 1870 to a 2nd secretary. He was sent as secretary of legation to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
in 1883 and was transferred to Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
as consul-general two years later.
Barrington arrived as secretary of embassy in Madrid in 1888 and exchanged to Vienna after four years. In 1896, he became Envoy Extraordinary Minister Plenipotentiary to the Argentine Republic and simultaneously to the Republic of Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(KCMG) in the New Year Honours list 1901, and was knighted and invested as such by 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 a ...
in person in February 1901.
In March 1902 he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the King of Sweden and Norway, but he did not take up the position until that Autumn; after he was received by King Edward VII in early September, he arrived in Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
the following month. He served there until 1904.
Later life
He was unmarried and died in 1922.
Styles and Honours
Styles
*1842-1900: The Honourable William Barrington
*1901-1922: The Honourable Sir William Barrington, KCMG
Honours
*KCMG : - ''1 January 1901'' - New Year Honours list
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrington, William
1842 births
1922 deaths
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Younger sons of viscounts
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Sweden
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Argentina
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Paraguay