William Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton PC, PC (I) (d. 24 March 1741), was a British politician and judge, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley family. He was

Master of the Rolls in Ireland The Master of the Rolls in Ireland was a senior judicial office in the Irish Chancery under English and British rule, and was equivalent to the Master of the Rolls in the English Chancery. Originally called the Keeper of the Rolls, he was respons ...

between 1696 and 1731 and also held political office as

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...

from 1710 to 1714 and as

First Lord of Trade The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. This is a committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centu ...

from 1714 to 1715.

Background

Berkeley was the third son of John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, by Christiana, daughter of Sir Andrew Riccard. Charles, who held the title for two years, and John, an Admiral who held the title for 16 years were his elder brothers. He lived a much longer life. He was born on an unknown date between John's 1663 birth and 23 March 1672, all dates which would make him a septuagenarian per his funerary monument.

Political and judicial career

In 1696 Berkeley was appointed

and sworn of the

Irish Privy Council His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal execu ...

. The following year he succeeded his elder brother in the barony. In 1710 he was admitted to the English Privy Council and appointed

. He was made

in 1714, a post he held until 1715. He remained Master of the Rolls in Ireland during this period and continued in this post until 1731.

Family

Lord Berkeley of Stratton married Frances, daughter of Sir John Temple and Jane Yarner; her sister Jane married his elder brother. They had several children, including the Honourable Frances, who married William Byron, 4th Baron Byron, and was the mother of William Byron, 5th Baron Byron, and of Admiral

John Byron Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...

. Lady Berkeley of Stratton died in July 1707. Lord Berkeley of Stratton remained a widower until his death at

Bruton Bruton ( ) is a market town, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the River Brue and the A359 between Frome and Yeovil. It is 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, 10 ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, in March 1741. He was succeeded by his eldest son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Notes and references

Notes References {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley of Stratton, William Berkeley, 4th Baron 17th-century births 1741 deaths 17th-century English politicians 18th-century British politicians 17th-century Irish judges 18th-century Irish judges Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Year of birth unknown Masters of the Rolls in Ireland Presidents of the Board of Trade Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster 4