Edward James Eliot
Encyclopedia
The Honourable
Edward James Eliot (24 August 1758 – 20 September 1797) was an English Member of Parliament.
Eliot was born in Cornwall
, the son of Edward Craggs-Eliot
(1727–1804), politician, created Baron Eliot in 1784.
He went to Pembroke College, Cambridge
in 1775, becoming friends with the future Prime Minister
, William Pitt the Younger
, and was awarded MA in 1780. He was elected Member of Parliament
for St Germans
, Cornwall from 1780 and for Liskeard
from 1784. He soon became a Treasury
minister
from 1782, and was a member of the government
of the Younger Pitt from 1783, being appointed King's Remembrancer
in the Exchequer of pleas
in 1785.
He married Harriot Pitt, the younger daughter of William Pitt the Elder and sister to the Younger Pitt, in 1785. She died a year later, but was survived by their daughter Harriot Hester.
After Harriot’s death, Eliot moved to Broomfield, near Clapham
, where he came into contact with the Clapham Sect
of evangelical reformers, whose cause he espoused. He had been a friend of William Wilberforce
for some years, and the pair of them had accompanied Pitt to France
. Now he found himself living close to Wilberforce and other leading members of the group dubbed ‘the Saints’. He began to take an active part in their reforming causes, including the abolition
of the slave trade, prison reform
and poor relief
, the Proclamation Society, and Bishop Porteus’
Sunday Observance bill. He was active in lobbying the cause of the Clapham Sect in parliament and acted as a mediator
between Wilberforce and Pitt in their campaigns.
In 1793, having resigned from the Treasury on health grounds, Eliot was appointed joint commissioner for Indian affairs. He became an investor in the British East India Company
stock, and was expected to become governor-general of Bengal
. However, he suffered from a recurring chronic stomach disorder which made it impossible for him to take up that office.
Eliot died at Port Eliot
, Cornwall on 20 September 1797, and was buried at St Germans on 3 October. He had remained close to Pitt and Wilberforce, who both lamented his passing. His brother John
succeeded to the barony and in 1815 was created Earl of St Germans
.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Edward James Eliot (24 August 1758 – 20 September 1797) was an English Member of Parliament.
Eliot was born in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, the son of Edward Craggs-Eliot
Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot
Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot was born to Richard Eliot and Harriot Craggs , the illegitimate daughter of the Privy Counsellor and Secretary of State, James Craggs and Hester Santlow, the noted...
(1727–1804), politician, created Baron Eliot in 1784.
He went to Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
in 1775, becoming friends with the future Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
, and was awarded MA in 1780. He was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for St Germans
St Germans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Germans was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1562 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
, Cornwall from 1780 and for Liskeard
Liskeard (UK Parliament constituency)
Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- History :...
from 1784. He soon became a Treasury
Treasury
A treasury is either*A government department related to finance and taxation.*A place where currency or precious items is/are kept....
minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
from 1782, and was a member of the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of the Younger Pitt from 1783, being appointed King's Remembrancer
King's Remembrancer
The Queen's Remembrancer is an ancient judicial post in the legal system of England and Wales. Since the Lord Chancellor no longer sits as a judge, the Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position in continual existence...
in the Exchequer of pleas
Exchequer of pleas
The Exchequer of Pleas or Court of Exchequer was a court that followed equity, a set of legal principles based on natural law, and common law, in England and Wales. Originally part of the curia regis, or King's Council, the Exchequer of Pleas split from the curia during the 1190s, to sit as an...
in 1785.
He married Harriot Pitt, the younger daughter of William Pitt the Elder and sister to the Younger Pitt, in 1785. She died a year later, but was survived by their daughter Harriot Hester.
After Harriot’s death, Eliot moved to Broomfield, near Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, where he came into contact with the Clapham Sect
Clapham Sect
The Clapham Sect or Clapham Saints were a group of influential like-minded Church of England social reformers based in Clapham, London at the beginning of the 19th century...
of evangelical reformers, whose cause he espoused. He had been a friend of William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
for some years, and the pair of them had accompanied Pitt to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Now he found himself living close to Wilberforce and other leading members of the group dubbed ‘the Saints’. He began to take an active part in their reforming causes, including the abolition
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
of the slave trade, prison reform
Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-History:Prisons have only been used as the primary punishment for criminal acts in the last couple of centuries...
and poor relief
Poor relief
Poor Relief refers to any actions taken by either governmental or ecclesiastical bodies to relieve poverty experienced by a population. More specifically, the term poor relief is often used to discuss how European countries dealt with poverty from the time just around the end of the medieval era to...
, the Proclamation Society, and Bishop Porteus’
Beilby Porteus
Beilby Porteus , successively Bishop of Chester and of London was an Anglican reformer and leading abolitionist in England...
Sunday Observance bill. He was active in lobbying the cause of the Clapham Sect in parliament and acted as a mediator
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
between Wilberforce and Pitt in their campaigns.
In 1793, having resigned from the Treasury on health grounds, Eliot was appointed joint commissioner for Indian affairs. He became an investor in the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
stock, and was expected to become governor-general of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. However, he suffered from a recurring chronic stomach disorder which made it impossible for him to take up that office.
Eliot died at Port Eliot
Port Eliot
Port Eliot in St Germans, Cornwall, is the seat of the Eliot family, whose current head is Peregrine Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans. Port Eliot comprises a house with its own church which is the parish church of St Germans. An earlier church building was the cathedral for the whole of Cornwall...
, Cornwall on 20 September 1797, and was buried at St Germans on 3 October. He had remained close to Pitt and Wilberforce, who both lamented his passing. His brother John
John Eliot, 1st Earl of St Germans
John Eliot, 1st Earl of St Germans , known as the Lord Eliot from 1804 to 1815, was a British politician....
succeeded to the barony and in 1815 was created Earl of St Germans
Earl of St Germans
Earl of St Germans, in the County of Cornwall, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for John Eliot, 2nd Baron Eliot, with remainder to his younger brother the Hon. William Eliot and the heirs male of his body. He had earlier represented Liskeard in Parliament...
.