| The Right HonourableBaron HenleyGCB PC FRS | |
|---|---|
| Minister Plenipotentiary to Bavaria | |
| In office 1776–1779 | |
| Envoy Extraordinary to Denmark | |
| In office 1779–1783 | |
| Minister Plenipotentiary to Saxony | |
| In office 1783–1791 | |
| Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia | |
| In office 1791–1793 | |
| Ambassador to Austria | |
| In office 1793–1794 | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary to Spain | |
| In office 1794–1794 | |
| Envoy Extraordinary to Austria | |
| In office 1794–1799 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1752 West Auckland, County Durham |
| Died | 6 December 1830 (aged 78) Gumley Hall, Leicestershire |
| Resting place | Watford, Northamptonshire |
| Spouse | Lady Elizabeth Henley |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Eton College Christ Church, Oxford |
Morton Frederick Eden, 1st Baron Henley GCB PC FRS (8 July 1752 – 6 December 1830), was a British diplomat and peer.
Early life and education
Eden was the fifth son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet and Mary Davison, youngest daughter of William Davison of Beamish, County Durham. His three eldest brothers were Sir John Eden, 4th Baronet, Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet of Maryland, and William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland.
He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
Career
From 1776 to 1779, Eden was Minister to Bavaria, then to Copenhagen 1779–1782, Dresden 1783–1791, Berlin 1791–1793 and Vienna 1793–1794. From 1794 to 1795, he was Ambassador to Spain, and returned as Minister to Vienna in 1794–1799. He then retired with a pension of £2000.
Eden was knighted in 1791 and admitted to the Privy Council in 1794. In 1799, Eden was created Baron Henley (Henly), of Chardstock, in the Peerage of Ireland, in honour of his wife's family. Her brother, Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington, died without heirs in 1786, and his earldom and subsidiary title of Baron Henley in the Peerage of Great Britain had become extinct. The Irish peerage did not allow Henley to sit in the House of Lords.
Marriage and issue
On 7 August 1783, Eden married Lady Elizabeth Henley (the youngest daughter of the 1st Earl of Northington) and they had four children:
- Hon. Frederick Eden (19 August 1784 – 5 November 1823), barrister; died unmarried at his chambers at Inner Temple
- Hon. Robert Eden (1789–1841), succeeded his father
- Hon. Rev. William Henley (7 November 1792 – 4 May 1859), Rector of Bishopsbourne, Kent; married in 1820 Anna Maria Yelverton, daughter of William Kellam and widow of the 19th Lord Grey de Ruthyn
- Hon. Mary Jane (22 November 1795 – 12 September 1843); married in 1824 Sir Edmund Cradock-Hartopp, 2nd Baronet
Lord Henley died in 1830 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Robert, who adopted the surname Henley.
References
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 1270. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ^ Smith & Thorne (2008).
- "No. 15153". The London Gazette. 29 June 1799. p. 655.
- Mosley 2003, p. 1866
- Mosley 2003, p. 1867
- "Deaths". Yorkshire Gazette. 15 November 1823. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- Smith, G. B.; Thorne, Roland (2008). "Eden, Morton, first Baron Henley". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8453. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
External links
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byHugh Elliot | British Minister to Bavaria 1776–1779 |
Succeeded byHon. John Trevor |
| Preceded byRalph Woodford | British Minister to Denmark 1779–1782 |
Succeeded byHugh Elliot |
| Preceded bySir John Stepney, Bt | British Minister to Saxony 1783–1791 |
Succeeded byHugh Elliot |
| Preceded byJoseph Ewart | British Minister to Prussia 1791–1793 |
Succeeded byThe Lord Malmesbury |
| Preceded byThe Earl of Elgin | British Minister to Austria 1793–1794 |
Succeeded byThe Earl Spencer |
| Preceded byThe Lord St Helens | British Ambassador to Spain 1794–1795 |
Succeeded byThe Lord Cardiff |
| Preceded byThe Earl Spencer | British Minister to Austria 1794–1799 |
Succeeded byThe Lord Minto |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| New creation | Baron Henley 2nd creation 1799–1830 |
Succeeded byRobert Henley |
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- 1752 births
- 1830 deaths
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- Barons in the Peerage of Ireland
- Peers of Ireland created by George III
- Diplomatic peers
- Eden family
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
- People educated at Eton College
- Younger sons of baronets
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Ambassadors of Great Britain to Denmark
- Ambassadors of Great Britain to Spain
- Ambassadors to Bavaria
- Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Holy Roman Emperor
- Barons Henley
- Peerage of Ireland baron stubs