Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst

Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst PC KC (20 May 1714 – 6 August 1794), known as The Lord Apsley from 1771 to 1775, was a British lawyer and politician. He was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain from 1771 to 1778.

The Right Honourable The Earl Bathurst PC KC
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
In office 23 January 1771 – 3 June 1778
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	Lord North
Preceded by	In Commission
Succeeded by	The Lord Thurlow
Lord President of the Council
In office 24 November 1779 – 27 March 1782
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	Lord North
Preceded by	The Earl Gower
Succeeded by	The Earl Camden
Personal details
Born	(1714-05-20)20 May 1714
Died	6 August 1794(1794-08-06) (aged 80)
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford

Background and education

Bathurst was the eldest son of Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, and his wife Catherine (née Apsley). Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, he was called to the bar, Lincoln's Inn, in 1736. He practised on the Oxford circuit and became a King's Counsel in 1745 after several years sitting in King's Bench.[1]

Political and judicial career

In April 1735 he had been elected member of parliament for Cirencester, and was rewarded for his opposition to the government by being made solicitor-general in 1745 and, then attorney-general to Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1748.[1] Frederick died in 1751, but Bathurst was asked to carry on in the same office for Prince George.

Resigning his seat in parliament in April 1754 he was made a judge and bencher of the Court of Common Pleas in the following month.[1] Bathurst remained opposed to the Whigs, despite the ill-fated attempt by the Tories to capitalise from Walpole's fall.

He was admitted to the Privy Council when the death of the Lord Chancellor's death left the post vacant with no candidate. Appointed one of the three commissioners of the Great Seal of England he was favourite for the post and, later allowed as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in January 1771; he was on the occasion raised to the peerage as Baron Apsley, in the County of Sussex. He was roundly abused in rhyme and doggerel by satirical writings of Whigs Lord Brougham and Lord Lyndhurst. The best they could say about him was that he was "not disagreeable", but ridiculed his ability at the bar, and mocked a Tory as incompetent. In January 1774 he was instrumental in writing the Intolerable Acts which he supported in parliament and the courts, most notably the Boston Port Act which gave rise to the Boston Tea Party and revolution. The judge was not a war-monger nor had he any experience of soldiering; but perception was political. In 1777 after the American Frigates had defeated once or twice, Bathurst worried that Great Britain might lose her control of the coast line urged peace preliminaries in order to save the colonies in the West Indies. He was a personal friend of Admiral William Howe, who was known to him since boyhood. Having succeeded his father as second Earl Bathurst in September 1775, he resigned his office somewhat unwillingly in July 1778 to enable Lord Thurlow to join the cabinet of Lord North. In November 1779 he was appointed Lord President of the Council, and left office with North in March 1782.[1]

In 1771 the construction of Apsley House was started. A neo-classical facade made of brick with five bays. It had large light and airy sash windows and in the centre of the house a large sweeping circular staircase of exquisite design. The house was remodelled by the Duke of Wellington when he was prime minister between 1828 and 1830, when it was encased in Bath stone. But Lord Bathurst sold the house to the south of Hyde Park, also known as no.1 London removing his estates to the country as befitted a fox hunting Tory. Lord Bathurst used the proceeds to invest into more acreage at Cirencester Park which was planted with trees for landscaping and hunting.

King George III held faith with Bathurst as the Speaker for the House of Lords. A former treasury commissioner he had the sinecure of a tellership of the Exchequer. It entailed some duties but the job was worth £1,200 per annum. More importantly for the succession to the estates he was able to secure a tellership for his son by 1790. He continued to plant a new garden into his retirement. Then in 1788 a sick King George decided he would take the waters at Cheltenham with Queen Charlotte. En route the royal family stopped during July at Cirencester Park. Lord Bathurst developed the Sapperton tunnel the following year for a new canal dug to connect the Severn with the Thames. During the reign hundreds of local acts of Parliament authorised construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, and infrastructures.

Lord Bathurst letters show he was kindly man with a reserved temperament. He was good patrician master taking care of his workers, he paid more than most employers, and ensured they saw a doctor if necessary. But Bathurst's moral philosophy earned enemies among the whigs, particularly from Horatio Walpole, the journalist of Strawberry Hill, who bore a grudge for the attacks on the Walpole ministry.

Family

Lord Bathurst married firstly Anne James in 1754, but she died in 1758 without issue. He married secondly Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen, in 1759. He died at Oakley Grove near Cirencester on 6 August 1794,[1] aged 80, and was succeeded in the earldom by his son from his second marriage, Henry. Lady Bathurst died in 1807. Apsley House, in Hyde Park, known as "Number One London", was built for him by Robert Adam. It was sold in 1807 to the first Marquess of Wellesley, who sold it in 1817 to his famous brother, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

See also

• Bathurst (surname)
• Earl Bathurst
• List of Lord Chancellors

Notes

1. Chisholm 1911.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bathurst, Earls". Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 520.

External links

• The Peerage

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Thomas Master	Member of Parliament for Cirencester 1735–1754 With: Thomas Master 1735–1747 Thomas Master 1747–1749 John Coxe 1749–1754	Succeeded by Benjamin Bathurst John Dawnay
Political offices
Preceded by In Commission	Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain 1771–1778	Succeeded by The Lord Thurlow
Preceded by The Earl Gower	Lord President of the Council 1779–1782	Succeeded by The Lord Camden
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Allen Bathurst	Earl Bathurst 1775–1794	Succeeded by Henry Bathurst
New creation	Baron Apsley 1771–1794