Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt
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Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt (1714 - September, 1777), was a British diplomatist and general. He succeeded his grandfather as Viscount Harcourt in 1727.
Harcourt was educated at Westminster School. In 1745, having raised a regiment, he received a commission as a colonel in the army; and in 1749 he was created Earl Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt. He was appointed governor to the prince of Wales, afterwards George III, in 1751; and after the accession of the latter to the throne he was appointed, in 1761, special ambassador to Mecklenburg-Strelitz to negotiate a marriage between King George and the princess Charlotte, whom he conducted to England.
After holding a number of appointments at court and in the diplomatic service, he was promoted to the rank of general in 1772; and in October of the same year he succeeded Lord Townsend as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, an office which he held till 1777. His proposal to impose a tax of 10% on the rents of absentee landlords had to be abandoned owing to opposition in England; but he succeeded in conciliating the leaders of Opposition in Ireland, and he persuaded Henry Flood to accept office in the government.
Resigning in January 1777, he retired to Nuneham Park, where he died in the following September, apparently by drowning in a well while trying to rescue his dog. He married, in 1735, Rebecca, daughter and heiress of Charles Samborne Le Bas, of Pipewell Abbey, Northamptonshire, by whom he had two daughters and two sons, George Simon and William, who succeeded him as 2nd and 3rd earl respectively.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Horace Walpole, Memoirs of the Reign of George II (3 vols., 2nd ed., London, 1847), Memoirs of the Reign of George III (4 vols., London, 1845, 1894)
- Henry Grattan, Memoirs of the Life and Times of the Right Hon. H. Grattan (5 vols, London, 1839-1846)
- Francis Hardy, Memoirs of J Caulfield, Earl of Charlemout (2 vols., London, 1812)
- Sir John Bernard Burke, Genealogical History of Dormant and Extinct Peerages (London, 1883)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New office |
Master of the Horse to Queen Charlotte 1761–1763 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Weymouth |
| Preceded by The Earl of Northumberland |
Lord Chamberlain to Queen Charlotte 1763–1768 |
Succeeded by The Earl De La Warr |
| Preceded by The Viscount Townshend |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1772–1776 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Buckinghamshire |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Rochford |
British Ambassador to France 1768–1772 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Stormont |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Earl Harcourt 1749–1777 |
Succeeded by George Simon Harcourt |
| Preceded by Simon Harcourt |
Viscount Harcourt 1727–1777 |
|
