John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates
_-_John_Parker_II_(1772%E2%80%931840),_1st_Earl_of_Morley_-_872550_-_National_Trust.jpg){kind=link}
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, of Boringdon Hall, Plympton, of Court House, North Molton, and of Saltram, all in Devon, and his second wife Theresa Robinson, daughter of Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham. His mother died when he was three years old and his father when he was fifteen. His parents had employed the architect Robert Adam to complete the interior of Saltram House,[1] rebuilt by his own father John Parker[2] 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, Devon, under Baron Zouche of Haryngworth.[3]
Education
He was educated locally at Plympton Grammar School (which his father's friend the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) had also attended) within walking distance of Saltram House,[4] and at Christ Church, Oxford.Template:Sfn
Career
Morley took his seat in the House of Lords 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 in 1806. After Pitt's death he supported George Canning, 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. Apart from his involvement in national politics, Morley was also a great benefactor to public works in his home county of Devon and was a Fellow of the Royal Society.Template:Sfn He made only minor additions to the family seat at Saltram, including the porch and enlargement of the library, 1818–20.[5]
Marriage and children
Morley married twice:
- Firstly in 1804 to Lady Augusta Fane, second daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, from whom he was divorced by Act of Parliament in 1809, after which she remarried to Sir Arthur Paget.[6] Template:Sfn By his first wife he had one son, who died young:
- Henry Villiers Parker, Viscount Boringdon (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:[7]
- Edmund Parker, 2nd Earl of Morley (1810–1864), only son and heir, a lord-in-waiting to Queen Victoria.[7]
- Caroline Parker, (1814-1818)
Death
Lord Morley died at his seat of Saltram House in March 1840, aged 67, and was succeeded in his titles by his only son Edmund Parker, 2nd Earl of Morley (1810-1864).
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "template wrapper". Template:Link note
- ↑ Pevsner, p.710
- ↑ The early genealogy of the Parker family as given in the heraldic visitations of Devon appears unreliable. A deed exists which records that in 1550 Edmund Parker, "gent" the son and heir apparent of John Parker of North Molton, Esquire, was granted by John la Zouche, 8th Baron Zouche (of Haryngworth), 9th Baron St Maur (c. 1486–1550), by deed of gift, the office of bailiff of the manor of North Molton and lands called "Legh" for the term of his life. (Plymouth & West Devon Record Office 69/M/2/93, dated 28 March 1550)
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.711
- ↑ 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
- ↑ a b Vivian, p.588
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
References
- Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- Template:Cite DNB
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- David Beamish's Peerage Page