John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield (12 November 1802 – 17 August 1879) was a British peer and diplomatist.

Cokayne George Edward Cokayne (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911) was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standard ...

et al., ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition re ...

'', volume II, p.194

Background

Bloomfield was the eldest son of

Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield Lieutenant General Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield (13 April 1768 – 15 August 1846) was a British Army officer who saw action at the Battle of Vinegar Hill in June 1798 during the Irish Rebellion. He was Member of Parliament (MP) ...

and his wife Hariott, the oldest daughter of Thomas Douglas, of Grantham., (John Dougla
listed in the peerage is incorrect

Career

From 1824, Bloomfield was attaché at

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

and was transferred as secretary of legation to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

in the following year. He was sent to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1826 and came as secretary of embassy to

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1839. Five years later, he was promoted to

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of Diplomatic rank#Special envoy, diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an au ...

. In 1846, he succeeded his father as baron and in 1848, he was awarded a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB). Bloomfield was appointed ambassador to Berlin in 1851 and on this occasion was advanced to a Knight Commander (KCB). In 1858, he was further honoured as a Knight Grand Cross (GCB). He reached his highest post as ambassador to Vienna in 1860 and was sworn of the Privy Council. . He represented Britain at many official functions, helped organize international conferences, and gathered information on Austria-Hungary, Prussia and nearby smaller nations, sending daily reports to London. He supported the British policy of noninvolvement and saw the Emperor as essential to the balance of power and stability in continental Europe. On his retirement in 1871, he was created Baron Bloomfield, ''of Ciamaltha in the County of Tipperary'', this time in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

, which entitled him to a seat in the House of Lords. He represented

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

as a Deputy Lieutenant.

Marriage and family

On 4 September 1845, Bloomfield had married Georgiana Liddell, the 16th and youngest child of

Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (8 February 1775 – 7 March 1855), known as Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet, from 1791 to 1821, was a British peer and Tory politician. Early life Liddell was the son of Sir Henry Liddell, 5th ...

and a former maid of honour to

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 ...

. The couple had no children. Lord Bloomfield had an extramarital daughter named Thecla born in 1833 by Swedish actress

Emilie Högquist Emilie Sophie Högquist or Högqvist (29 April 1812 – 18 December 1846) was a Sweden, Swedish stage actress. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has been referred to as the first celebrity within Swedish drama and known as the ...

, and a son Albert whose birthdate is unknown. Albert was not mentioned after Emilie Högquist came under the protection of King Oscar I of Sweden.

Death

John Arthur Douglas, Lord Bloomfield died without legitimate heir in 1879 at his home, Ciamhaltha, near

Newport, County Tipperary Newport (, formerly ) is a town in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Owney and Arra. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Newport's population was 2,183. Location Newport is locat ...

and his titles became extinct.Geni record in world family tree
/ref> Bloomfield was buried in his family's vault at Borrisnafarney parish Church, beside the Loughton Demense and

Moneygall Moneygall () is a village in County Offaly, bordering County Tipperary, in Ireland. It is situated on the R445 road between Dublin and Limerick. There were 374 people living in the village as of the 2022 census. Moneygall has a Catholic church ...

, in

County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

. An impressive memorial exists in the church in his memory.

Bloomfield Mausoleum

Th
Borrisnafarney Parish Church
in th
Bloomfield Mausoleum
located 1.5 miles from the village of Moneygall beside the Loughton Estate in County Offaly, Ireland. '' "The interior name plaques, that commemorate those who lie there, ensure that history will not forget them: they read 'Thomas Ryder Pepper 1828; Mrs Bloomfield 1828; Mrs Ryder Pepper 1841; Lieutenant General Benjamin Baron Bloomfield 1846;" ''

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloomfield, John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron 1802 births 1879 deaths Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Austria-Hungary Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Russian Empire Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Deputy lieutenants of Tipperary Diplomatic peers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Pages of Honour Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria