Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis, (7 March 1754 – 16 May 1839), known as the Lord Clive between 1774 and 1804, was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1774 to 1794 when he was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

Baron Clive Earl of Powis (Powys) is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 in favour of William Herbert, 3rd Baron Powis, a descendant of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1501–15 ...

Early life

Powis was the eldest son of

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British East ...

("Clive of India"), and Margaret born Maskelyne. He was born at Queen Square,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and he was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

Political career

Clive succeeded his father as Baron Clive of

Plassey, County Clare In 1761, Major-General Robert Clive (1725-1774) gave orders for his estate in County Clare, centred on the townland of Ballykilty near the village of Quin, to be renamed Plassey: 'the name of the place (now Palashi) where we gained our great ...

in 1774. However, as this was an

Irish peerage The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

, it did not entitle him to a seat in the

British 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, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest extant institutions in the world, its origi ...

(although it did entitle him to a seat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

). At the 1774 general election he was elected as member of parliament for

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

, a seat he held until 1794. He was a member of the

Board of Agriculture The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 ( 52 & 53 Vict. c. 30) and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Boar ...

in 1793. On 13 August 1794, Clive was created Baron Clive, of Walcot in the County of Shropshire, in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

, and consequently took his seat in the House of Lords. Almost certainly this was a belated act of contrition by the Crown for the lack of recognition to his father. In 1797, he was placed in charge of the Shropshire Militia, which was the first English militia to be posted in Scotland, to address potential civil unrest. A force of 1000 men, they arrived at

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...

on 21 September 1797 and the company were billeted in

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; , ) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1541. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Pala ...

until 9 October, after which they moved to Edinburgh, the main seat of possible unrest and home of previous disturbance such as the Dundas Riots. On arrival in Edinburgh they were inspected at St Anne's Yard by

Lord Adam Gordon Major Lord Adam Granville Gordon (1 March 1909 – 5 July 1984) was a British royal courtier. Gordon was the second son of Lt.-Col. Granville Cecil Douglas Gordon (1883–1930), who was later an equerry to the Duke of Connaught, and Viole ...

in his capacity as Commander in Chief of the Scottish Armies. Clive had a distinguished career in India where he was

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...

from 1798 to 1803, returning home to the thanks of both Houses of Parliament. On 14 May 1804, he was further created Baron Powis of

Powis Castle Powis Castle () is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country house near Welshpool, in Powys, Wales. The seat of the Herbert family, Herbert family, earls of Powis, the castle is known for its formal gardens and for its interiors, the former ...

co Montgomery, Baron Herbert of Chirbury, County Shopshire, Viscount Clive of Ludlow, County Shopshire, and Earl of Powis, County Montgomeryshire, a revival of the title which had become extinct on the death of his brother-in-law,

George Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis George Edward Henry Arthur Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis (7 July 1755 – 16 January 1801), styled Viscount Ludlow until 1772, was a British peer. Early life Herbert was born at Finchley, Middlesex, the son of Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis, by ...

, in 1801. Edward Clive also served as

Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Shropshire was always held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, but after the Restoration, its lieutenants were appointed sep ...

from 1775 to 1798 and from 1804 to 1839 and as

Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire The following is a list of people who have held the title of Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire. After 1761, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974 and replaced by the Lord Lie ...

from 1804 to 1830. He was Recorder of the boroughs of

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

in 1775, and

in 1801. He was colonel of the Shropshire Militia in 1775 and of the South Shropshire Militia in 1809;R. G. Thorne
CLIVE, Edward, 2nd Baron Clive (1754–1839), of Walcot, Salop.
in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790–1820'', 1986. along with the other

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

colonels he was granted brevet rank as colonel in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in 1794.

Family

Before his elevation to the Earldom of Powis, he married Lady Henrietta Herbert of

, daughter of

Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (before 9 April 1703Baptism date. – 10 September 1772), known as Henry Herbert until 1743 and as The Lord Herbert of Chirbury between 1743 and 1748, was a ...

, in 1784. Their children were: * Lady Henrietta Antonia Herbert (d. 1835); married

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet Colonel Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet (25 October 1772 – 6 January 1840) was a Wales, Welsh landowner and Tory Party (UK), Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1794 to 1840. Biography Williams-Wynn was the son of Sir ...

. *

Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis, Knight of the Garter, KG (22 March 1785 – 17 January 1848), styled Viscount Clive between 1804 and 1839, was a British peer and Tory (British political party), Tory politician. He was the grandson of Cliv ...

(1785–1848), who inherited

* Lady Charlotte Florentia Herbert (1787–1866); married

Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland (20 April 178511 February 1847), styled Earl Percy until 1817, was a British aristocrat and Tory politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under the Duke of Wellington from 1829 to 1830. Backgr ...

, and was the governess of the future

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. * Robert Henry Clive (1798–1854); a politician. m Lady Harriet Windsor, 13th Baroness Windsor Lord Powis lived at

Walcot, Shropshire Walcot is a small village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The village is situated equidistant between Shrewsbury and Wellington. Surrounding villages include Allscott, Withington, and Wrockwa ...

, an estate purchased by his father from the Walcot family in 1764. Lady Powis died on 3 June 1830, aged 71. Lord Powis survived her by nine years and died at his London home, 45

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...

, on 16 May 1839, aged 85. He was buried at Bromfield Parish Church, near his

Oakly Park Oakly Park, Bromfield, Shropshire, England is a country house dating from the 18th century. In the early 19th century, the house was restored and extended by Charles Robert Cockerell, Surveyor to the Bank of England for his friend Robert Henry ...

property. His obituary in the ''Annual Register'' calls him: :''Remarkable for his physical vigour, and though he spent some years in India and lived freely, he might be seen, when about eighty, digging in his garden at six o'clock in the morning in his shirt sleeves. He was apparently well the day before his death.''

References

* *

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Powis, Edward Clive, 1st Earl of 1754 births 1839 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Clive, Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Earls of Powis Peers of Great Britain created by George III Lord-lieutenants of Montgomeryshire Lord-lieutenants of Shropshire Lords Lieutenant of Ireland Clive, Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

People educated at Eton College Hereditary peers elected to the House of Commons