John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley
FRS (3 May 1772 – 14 March 1840), known as 2nd Baron Boringdon from 1788 to 1815, was a British peer and politician.
Origins
Morley was the only son of
John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon
John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon (1735 – 27 April 1788) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British peer and Member of Parliament.
Origins
Parker was the eldest son of John Parker (1703–1768) of Boringdon Hall, Plympton, and Saltram House, by ...
, of
Boringdon Hall
Boringdon Hall is a 16th-century Grade I listed manor house in the parish of Colebrook, about two miles north of Plympton, Devon.
Description
The oldest parts of the present house were said by John Britton (1771–1857) to have been built about ...
,
Plympton
Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient Stannary, stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down riv ...
, of Court House,
North Molton
North Molton is a village, parish and former Manorialism, manor in North Devon, England. The population of the parish in 2001 was 1,047, decreasing to 721 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. An electoral ward with the same name also ...
, and of Saltram, all in Devon, and his second wife
Theresa Robinson, daughter of
Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham
Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, (c. 169530 September 1770), of Newby, Yorkshire, was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1727 and 1761.
Early life
Robinson was a younger son of Sir William Robin ...
. His mother died when he was three years old and his father when he was fifteen. His parents had employed the architect
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...
to complete the interior of
Saltram House
Saltram House is a listed building, grade I listed George II of Great Britain, George II era house in Plympton, Devon, England. It was deemed by the architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner to be "the most impressive country house in Devon". ...
, rebuilt by his own father John Parker as one of the grandest houses in Devon. The Parker family had risen to prominence in the mid-16th century as the bailiff of the
manor of North Molton
North Molton is an historic Manorialism, manor in Devon, England.
Descent of the manor La Zouche
North Molton was a manor within the royal demesne (known as Nortmoltone in 1086) until it was granted to a member of the la Zouche family by John o ...
, Devon, under
Baron Zouche
Baron Zouche is a title which has been created three times, all in the Peerage of England.
Genealogy
The la Zouche family descended from Alan la Zouche (d. 1190), lord of the manor of North Molton in North Devon, England, originally called ...
of Haryngworth.
Education
He was educated locally at
Plympton Grammar School
Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Ply ...
(which his father's friend the painter Sir
Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...
(1723–1792) had also attended) within walking distance of Saltram House, and at
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 ...
.
Career
Morley took 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 ...
on his 21st birthday in 1793. He was an active member of the House of Lords, initially supporting government policies until the death of
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...
in 1806.
After Pitt's death he supported
George Canning
George Canning (; 11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as foreign secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the U ...
, with whom he corresponded on political matters for many years.
In 1815 he was created Viscount Boringdon, of North Molton in the County of Devon, and Earl of Morley, in the County of Devon.
After Canning's death in 1827 he began to support the
Whigs, and voted for the
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), enacted by the Whig government of Pri ...
.
Apart from his involvement in national politics, Morley was also a great benefactor to public works in his home county of
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
and was a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
. He made only minor additions to the family seat at Saltram, including the porch and enlargement of the library, 1818–20.
Marriage and children
Morley married twice:
*Firstly in 1804 to Lady Augusta Fane, second daughter of
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, (1 June 175915 December 1841), styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primari ...
, from whom he was divorced by
Act of Parliament in 1809, after which she remarried to Sir
Arthur Paget.
[ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.588, pedigree of Parker] By his first wife he had one son, who died young:
**
Henry Villiers Parker, Viscount Boringdon
Henry Villiers Parker, Viscount Boringdon (28 May 1806 – 1 November 1817) was a British nobleman.
Life
He was the son and heir apparent of John Parker, who had him painted by Benjamin Burnell in 1813. His mother was Lady Augusta Fane, s ...
(28 May 1806 – 1 November 1817)
*Secondly in 1809 he married
Frances Talbot (1782–1857), only daughter of Thomas Talbot of Gonville and Wymondham, by whom he had one son and one daughter:
[Vivian, p.588]
**
Edmund Parker, 2nd Earl of Morley (1810–1864), only son and heir, a lord-in-waiting 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 ...
.
**Caroline Parker, (1814-1818)
Death
Lord Morley died at his seat of
Saltram House
Saltram House is a listed building, grade I listed George II of Great Britain, George II era house in Plympton, Devon, England. It was deemed by the architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner to be "the most impressive country house in Devon". ...
in March 1840, aged 67, and was succeeded in his titles by his only son
Edmund Parker, 2nd Earl of Morley (1810-1864).
References
References
*
*
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
*
David Beamish's Peerage Page
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, John Parker, 1st Earl Of
1772 births
1840 deaths
1
Fellows of the Royal Society
Devon Militia officers