Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon and 2nd Earl of Rochester, PC (June 1672 – 10 December 1753), styled Lord Hyde from 1682 to 1711, was an English Army officer and Tory politician who sat in the English and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

from 1692 until 1711 when he succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Rochester.

Early life

Hyde was the son of the 1st Earl of Rochester and Lady Henrietta Boyle, daughter of the 1st Earl of Burlington. He was educated at Eton from 1683 to 1687. From 1687 to 1690 he travelled abroad to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. In 1690 he was Governor of the Merchant Adventurers. He joined the army and was guidon and major in the

2nd Troop of Horse Guards {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The 2nd Troop of Horse Guards was originally formed in 1659 for Spanish service as Monck's Life Guards. It was successively renamed 3rd, or The Duke of Albemarle's Troop of Horse Guards (1660), 3rd, or The Lord G ...

in October 1691 and cornet and major from December 1691 and served as a volunteer in Flanders in 1691 and 1692. He married Jane Leveson-Gower, daughter of

Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet (c. 1647 – 22 December 1691) was an England, English politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Born William Gower, he was the second son of Sir Thomas Gower, 2nd Baronet and Frances, daughter and coheir o ...

, on 8 March 1692. She served as a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

at the court of Queen Anne.

Career

Hyde was returned by his father as Member of Parliament for Launceston on the Granville interest at a by-election on 15 November 1692. He then resigned his army commission. He was returned for Launceston again at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ov ...

. He voted against fixing the price of

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

at 22 shillings, and against the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

of Sir John Fenwick, on 25 November 1696. After his return at the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' su ...

, he was classed as a Country supporter. In 1700, he was awarded DCL at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

together with his father in a specially called convention. He was returned unopposed at the first general election of 1701, and was blacklisted for opposing preparations for war with France. He was returned unopposed again at the second general election of 1701 and supported the motion of 26 February 1702 which vindicated the Commons' proceedings in impeaching Whig ministers. At the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Briti ...

he was returned again unopposed. From 1703 to 1710 he was first clerk of writs in Chancery. He was absent from the vote on the Tack in 1704 and was classed as a sneaker. He was returned unopposed as a Tory at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...

and voted against the court candidate for speaker on 25 October 1705. He was returned again as a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

. He told for the Tories in two election disputes and voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. He was returned again for Launceston at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

. In September 1710 he became joint vice-treasurer and paymaster-general for Ireland. He was also appointed to the

Privy Council of Great Britain The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former m ...

in 1710. However, he succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Rochester on 2 May 1711 and vacated his seat in the House of Commons. He continued to serve the Tory ministry 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 ...

. As Lord Rochester he received several appointments in 1711. He was

Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. Since 1742, all the Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall. Lord Lieutenants * John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1554 * John Bourchier, 2nd ...

to 1714, a Commissioner for building fifty new churches to 1715, Keeper of Richmond New Park to 1727, and High Steward of Oxford University from 1711 for the rest of his life. In 1719 he was one of main subscribers in the Royal Academy of Music (1719), a corporation that produced

baroque opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

on stage. He succeeded his cousin as 4th

Earl of Clarendon Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The family seat is Holywell House, near Swanmore, Hampshire. First creation of the title The title was created for the first time in the Peer ...

on 31 March 1723.

Later life and legacy

By his wife Jane, he had children: * Hon. Henrietta Hyde (bur. 5 July 1710) * Hon. Edward Hyde (bur. 17 November 1702) * Hon. Laurence Hyde (b. 6 October 1703; bur. 27 May 1704) * Hon. Ann Hyde (bur. 2 November 1709) * Lady Jane Hyde (d. January 1723/1724), married

William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex (11 January 16978 January 1743) was an English courtier and diplomat. Early life He was the son of the 2nd Earl of Essex and Lady Mary Bentinck. His younger sister, Lady Mary Capel, married Alan Brodrick, 2 ...

on 27 November 1718 * Lady Catherine Hyde (c. 1701 – 17 July 1777), married

Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry, 2nd Duke of Dover, (24 November 169822 October 1778) was a Scottish nobleman, extensive landowner, Privy Council of Great Britain, Privy Counsellor and Vice Admiral of Scotland. Life Charles was born ...

on 10 March 1720 * Lady Charlotte Hyde (c.1707 – 17 March 1740) *

Henry Hyde, Viscount Cornbury Henry Hyde, Viscount Cornbury (28 November 1710 – 28 May 1753), styled Viscount Hyde from 1711 until 1723 and Viscount Cornbury thereafter, also 5th Baron Hyde in his own right, was a British author and politician who sat in the House of Common ...

(1710–1753) Lord Rochester died on 10 December 1753, and was buried at Wootton Bassett. His last surviving son Henry Hyde, Lord Cornbury died nine months before him and consequently both earldoms became extinct.

References

External links

The Correspondence of Henry Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, Henry Hyde Clarendon, Great Britain, 1828
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarendon, Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of 1672 births 1753 deaths People educated at Eton College English expatriates in Belgium Hyde, Henry Hyde, Lord Hyde, Henry Hyde, Lord Hyde, Henry Hyde, Lord 4 Lord-lieutenants of Cornwall Hyde, Henry Hyde, Lord

Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon and 2nd Earl of Rochester, Privy Council of Great Britain, PC (June 1672 – 10 December 1753), styled Lord Hyde from 1682 to 1711, was an English Army officer and Tory politician who sat in the English House of ...

Hyde, Henry Hyde, Lord Hyde, Henry Hyde, Lord Earls of Rochester British Life Guards officers