William Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton PC, PC (I) (died 24 March 1741), was a British politician and judge, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley family. He was Master of the Rolls in Ireland between 1696 and 1731 and also held political office as

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. Excluding the prime minister, the chancellor is the highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the prime minister ...

from 1710 to 1714 and as

First Lord of Trade The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centur ...

from 1714 to 1715.

Background

Berkeley was the third son of

John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1602 – 26 August 1678) of Berkeley House in Westminster and of Twickenham Park in Middlesex, was an English royalist soldier, politician and diplomat, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley f ...

, by Christiana, daughter of Sir Andrew Riccard. Charles, a naval captain who held the title for two years, and John, an admiral who held the title for 16 years, were his elder brothers. William lived a much longer life. He was born on an unknown date between John's 1663 birth and 23 March 1672 which would have made William a septuagenarian by the time of his death in 1741.

Political and judicial career

In 1696 Berkeley was appointed Master of the Rolls in Ireland and sworn of the

Irish Privy Council His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal execut ...

. The following year he succeeded his elder brother in the barony. In 1710 he was admitted to the English Privy Council and appointed

. He was made

in 1714, a post he held until 1715. He remained Master of the Rolls in Ireland during this period and continued in this post until 1731.

Family

Lord Berkeley of Stratton married Frances, daughter of Sir John Temple and Jane Yarner; her sister Jane having married his elder brother. Lord Berkeley and his wife had several children, including the Honourable Frances, who married

William Byron, 4th Baron Byron William Byron, 4th Baron Byron (4 January 1669/70 – 8 August 1736) was an English nobleman, politician, peer, and Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark. Early life Byron was the only surviving son of William Byron, 3rd ...

, and was the mother of

William Byron, 5th Baron Byron William Byron, 5th Baron Byron (5 November 1722 – 19 May 1798), was a British nobleman, peer, politician, and great-uncle of the poet George Gordon Byron who succeeded him in the title. As a result of a number of stories that arose after a ...

, and of Admiral John Byron. Lady Berkeley of Stratton died in July 1707. Lord Berkeley of Stratton remained a widower until his death at

Bruton Bruton ( ) is a small market town, and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the River Brue and the A359 between Frome and Yeovil. It is south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, north-west of Gillingham ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, in March 1741. He was succeeded by his eldest son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Notes and references

Notes References {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley of Stratton, William Berkeley, 4th Baron 17th-century births 1741 deaths 17th-century English politicians 18th-century British politicians 17th-century Irish judges 18th-century Irish judges Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Year of birth unknown Masters of the Rolls in Ireland Presidents of the Board of Trade Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster 4