Berkeley Basil Moreton, 4th

Earl of Ducie Earl of Ducie is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Thomas Reynolds Moreton, 4th Baron Ducie. History The Moreton family descends from Edward Moreton, who in the 17th century married Elizabeth, daughter o ...

(18 July 1834 – 7 August 1924), was a

British peer A Peerage is a form of crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary and lifetime titled appointments of various ranks, which form both a constituent part of the legislative process and the British hono ...

and a politician and pastoralist in Australia. He was a Member of both the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

and the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

Early life

Berkeley Basil Moreton was born on 18 July 1834 at

Woodchester Woodchester is a Gloucestershire village in the Nailsworth (or Woodchester) Valley, a valley in the South Cotswolds in England, running southwards from Stroud along the A46 road to Nailsworth. The parish population taken at the 2011 census w ...

, Gloucestershire, England, the son of

Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie Henry George Francis Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie (8 May 1802 – 2 June 1853), styled the Hon. Henry Reynolds-Moreton from 1808 to 1837 and the Lord Moreton from 1837 to 1840, was a British Whig politician, agriculturalist and cattle br ...

and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Sherborne. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

and attended university at

Magdalen College Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Australian years

Berkeley Moreton arrived in Australia on 27 November 1855. Moreton became a grazier on Wetheron Station in the

North Burnett Region The North Burnett Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia in the northern catchment of the Burnett River. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the ear ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. He became known in the area as a good horseman and horsebreeder, for providing hospitality, and for being handy with his hands in a fight. In 1862 he married Emily Eleanor, daughter of John Kent, Esq.,

F.R.G.S. The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

Commissioner of Crown Lands Mitchell District, and Late Assistant Commissary General to H.M. Forces. In 1869 his brother Seymour married another of John Kent's daughters. Several children were born to Berkeley Moreton and his wife while at Wetheron Station. On 30 August 1870, he became a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former Electoral dis ...

when he was elected to the seat of Burnett; that term finished on 24 October 1871. On 7 November 1873, he again became a

when he was elected to the seat of Maryborough; that term finished on 16 March 1875. In March 1880, he was the founding chairman of the Rawbelle Divisional Board, a local government area surrounding the town of

Gayndah Gayndah () is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. In the , the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 p ...

. On 1 October 1883, he became a

for the third time when he was elected (again) to the seat of Burnett, which he held until 12 May 1888. During this period, he briefly held the role of Queensland Postmaster-General from 17 March 1885 to 22 April 1885. This was followed by three years as the Secretary for Public Instruction from 17 April 1885 to 13 June 1888, which was partly concurrent by his two-year stint as Colonial Secretary from 1 April 1886 to 13 June 1888. On 25 May 1888, he was appointed to be a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by t ...

. Although such appointments were for life, he chose to resign on 25 June 1891. On 17 July 1901, he was appointed again for life to the

; this appointment ended on 23 March 1922 when the Council was abolished.

Peerage

On 28 October 1921, Berkeley Moreton's brother

Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Earl of Ducie Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

, died and Berkeley Moreton became the 4th

. As the third Earl had a son

Henry Reynolds-Moreton, Lord Moreton Henry Haughton Reynolds-Moreton, Lord Moreton DL (4 March 1857 – 28 February 1920), was a British Liberal Party politician. Moreton was the son of Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Earl of Ducie, and his wife Julia (née Langston). He entered Par ...

, Berkeley Moreton had not expected to inherit the title, but that changed on 28 February 1920 when his nephew Henry Reynolds-Moreton predeceased his father, the third Earl. He left Queensland for England on 23 February 1922 to take possession of the Gloucestershire estate and take his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. Moreton died in 1924 and was buried in St Leonard's Churchyard,

Tortworth Tortworth is a small village and civil parish, near Thornbury in Gloucestershire, England. It has a population of 147 as of 2011. It lies on the B4509 road, which crosses the M5 motorway to the west of Tortworth. History In the Domesday Book of ...

.Some Memorial Inscriptions - Tortworth, Gloucestershire
— Wishful Thinking. Retrieved 27 January 2016.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducie, Berkeley Moreton, 4th Earl Of 1834 births 1924 deaths People from Woodchester People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford English landowners Moreton, Berkeley Basil Moreton, Berkeley Basil Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Pre-Separation Queensland