Edward William Vernon Harcourt DL JP (26 June 1825 – 19 December 1891) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

naturalist and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician.

Life

Harcourt was born in

Stanton Harcourt Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and about west of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Sutton, north of the village. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 960. Arch ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, the son of Matilda Mary Gooch and the Rev. William Vernon Harcourt who was a scientist, and grandson of Edward Harcourt,

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

. His brother was the politician Sir William Vernon Harcourt,

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1843.

Career

Harcourt was a J.P. for

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 ...

and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, and a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire and

High Sheriff of Oxfordshire The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

in 1875. He was Commanding Officer and later Honorary Colonel of the 1st Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. He was a member of Royal Commission for organizing the Volunteer Force in 1862, and was 15 years President of National Artillery Association. He was the author of ''Sketch of Madeira'' (1851) and ''Sporting in Algeria'' (1859), published under the name of "Edward Vernon Harcourt". The former was dedicated to his mother-in-law, Harriet Holroyd, Countess of Sheffield. He inherited

Nuneham House Nuneham House is an eighteenth century villa in the Palladian style, set in parkland at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire, England. It is currently owned by Oxford University and is used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual U ...

and Park in 1871 and had a new Nuneham Courtenay parish church built in 1872–74. He served as Member of

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 ...

for

from 1878 to 1885 and for Henley from 1885 to 1886.

Personal life

In 1849, Harcourt was married to Lady Susan Harriet Holroyd (1829–1894), the daughter of

George Holroyd, 2nd Earl of Sheffield George Augustus Frederick Charles Holroyd, 2nd Earl of Sheffield FRS (16 March 1802 – 5 April 1876), styled Viscount Pevensey from 1816 to 1821, was a British Conservative politician. Sheffield was the son of John Baker-Holroyd, 1st Earl of She ...

and Harriet Holroyd, Countess of Sheffield. Together, they were the parents of: * Edith Harcourt (d. 1944), who married

Murray Finch-Hatton, 12th Earl of Winchilsea Murray Edward Gordon Finch-Hatton, 12th Earl of Winchilsea and 7th Earl of Nottingham (28 March 1851 – 7 September 1898), styled the Hon. Murray Finch-Hatton until 1887, was a British Conservative politician and agriculturalist. His country re ...

, in 1875.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. * Aubrey Harcourt (1852–1904), who died unmarried. Harcourt died at Nuneham Park on 19 December 1891. His son died in 1904 and the Nuneham estates passed to Harcourt's brother, Sir William, who died shortly thereafter and his son,

Lewis Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt (born Reginald Vernon Harcourt; 31 January 1863 – 24 February 1922), was a British Liberal Party politician who held the Cabinet post of Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1910 to 1915. Lord ...

References

External links

* 1825 births 1891 deaths English naturalists English ornithologists Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire Deputy Lieutenants of Oxfordshire Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1820s-stub