Gathorne Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook
Encyclopedia
Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook GCSI
PC (1 October 1814 – 30 October 1906), known as Gathorne Hardy until 1878, was a prominent British
Conservative politician
. He held office in every Conservative government between 1858 and 1892 and notably served as Home Secretary
from 1867 to 1868 and as Secretary of State for War
from 1874 to 1878.
, of Bradford
, and Isabel, daughter of Richard Gathorne. His father was the main owner of the Low Moor ironworks and also represented Bradford
in Parliament. He was educated at Shrewsbury School
and Oriel College, Oxford, and was called to the Bar, Inner Temple
, in 1840. He established a successful legal practice on the Northern Circuit
, but was denied when he applied for silk
in 1855.
. However, after his father's death in 1855 he was able to concentrate fully on a political career, and in 1856 he was elected for Leominster
. Only two years later, in 1858, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs in the second administration
of the Earl of Derby
. He remained in this office until the government fell in June 1859.
In 1865 Hardy reluctantly agreed to stand against William Ewart Gladstone
in the Oxford University constituency
. However, he defeated Gladstone by a majority of 180, which greatly enhanced his standing within the Conservative party. The Conservatives returned to office under Derby in 1866, and Hardy was now appointed President of the Poor Law Board, with a seat in the cabinet. He was admitted to the Privy Council
at the same time. During his tenure in this office he notably carried a poor law amendment bill through parliament. Cranbrook also supported the Reform Act of 1867
, which significantly increased the electorate. In 1867 he succeeded Spencer Walpole
as Home Secretary
and was forced to deal with the Fenian Rising
of that year.
The next year, Benjamin Disraeli succeeded Derby as Prime Minister, but the Conservative government resigned later in 1868, and the Liberals
came to power under Gladstone. In opposition, Hardy occasionally acted as opposition leader in the House of Commons
when Disraeli was absent. In 1874 the Conservatives returned to office under Disraeli, and Hardy was appointed Secretary of State for War
. He served in this post for more than four years and oversaw the army reforms initiated by his Liberal predecessor Edward Cardwell
. In 1876 Disraeli was raised to the peerage as Earl of Beaconsfield and moved to the House of Lords
. Hardy had expected to become Conservative leader in the House of Commons, but was overlooked in favour of Sir Stafford Northcote
.
as Secretary of State for India
, and the following month he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Cranbrook, of Hemsted in the County of Kent. At the same time he assumed his mother’s maiden surname of Gathorne in addition to that of Hardy at the request of his family. At the India Office
he was forced to deal with the Second Afghan War in 1878, aimed at restoring British influence in Afghanistan
. A peace deal was struck in May 1879, but war again erupted after the British resident, Sir Louis Cavagnari, was murdered by mutinous Afghan troops. British troops under Frederick Roberts
managed once again to restore British control. However, the situation was still volatile when Cranbrook, along with the rest of the government, resigned in April 1880.
In June 1885 the Conservatives, now under the leadership of Lord Salisbury, returned to power, and Cranbrook was made Lord President of the Council
. For two weeks in early 1886 he again served as Secretary of State for War. The government fell in January 1886 but soon returned to office in July of the same year. Cranbrook was once again appointed Lord President of the Council, in which office he was mainly concerned with education. He also served briefly as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
in August 1886. He declined the post of Foreign Secretary in 1886 owing to his inability to speak foreign languages, and also refused the viceroyalty of Ireland. He remained as Lord President of the Council until the second Salisbury ministry fell in 1892. Shortly after, he was further honoured when he was made Baron Medway, of Hemsted in the County of Kent, and Earl of Cranbrook, in the County of Kent. In opposition, Cranbrook was a strong opponent of the Second Home Rule Bill, which was heavily defeated in the House of Lords. He retired from public life after the 1895 general election
.
. His third son the Hon. Alfred Gathorne-Hardy
was also a politician.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
PC (1 October 1814 – 30 October 1906), known as Gathorne Hardy until 1878, was a prominent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative politician
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. He held office in every Conservative government between 1858 and 1892 and notably served as Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
from 1867 to 1868 and as Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
from 1874 to 1878.
Background and education
Gathorne Hardy was the third son of John HardyJohn Hardy (MP)
John Hardy was a British businessman and Member of Parliament.Hardy was the main owner of the Low Moor ironworks and also represented Bradford in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1837 and from 1841 to 1847. He married Isabel, daughter of Richard Gathorne...
, of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, and Isabel, daughter of Richard Gathorne. His father was the main owner of the Low Moor ironworks and also represented Bradford
Bradford (UK Parliament constituency)
Bradford was a parliamentary constituency in Bradford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until it was abolished for the 1885 general election....
in Parliament. He was educated at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
and Oriel College, Oxford, and was called to the Bar, Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, in 1840. He established a successful legal practice on the Northern Circuit
Northern Circuit
The Northern Circuit dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit encompassed the whole of the North of England but in 1876 it was divided. That part to the west of the Pennines retained the old name. The land to the east became the territory of...
, but was denied when he applied for silk
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1855.
Political career, 1847–1878
Hardy had unsuccessfully contested Bradford in the 1847 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1847
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
. However, after his father's death in 1855 he was able to concentrate fully on a political career, and in 1856 he was elected for Leominster
Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)
Leominster was, until 2010, a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.From 1295 to 1868, it was a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election. Under the Reform Act 1867 its...
. Only two years later, in 1858, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs in the second administration
Conservative Government 1858-1859
After the collapse of Lord Palmerston's first government, the Tory leader Lord Derby again formed a minority government, with Benjamin Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The government oversaw the establishment of Crown rule in India, but was still not strong enough to retain power, falling...
of the Earl of Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
. He remained in this office until the government fell in June 1859.
In 1865 Hardy reluctantly agreed to stand against William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
in the Oxford University constituency
Oxford University (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxford University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.-Boundaries, Electorate and Electoral System:...
. However, he defeated Gladstone by a majority of 180, which greatly enhanced his standing within the Conservative party. The Conservatives returned to office under Derby in 1866, and Hardy was now appointed President of the Poor Law Board, with a seat in the cabinet. He was admitted to the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
at the same time. During his tenure in this office he notably carried a poor law amendment bill through parliament. Cranbrook also supported the Reform Act of 1867
Reform Act 1867
The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised the urban male working class in England and Wales....
, which significantly increased the electorate. In 1867 he succeeded Spencer Walpole
Spencer Walpole
Sir Spencer Walpole KCB was an English historian and civil servant.-Background:He came of the younger branch of the family of the famous Whig prime minister, Robert Walpole, being descended from his brother, the 1st Baron Walpole...
as Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
and was forced to deal with the Fenian Rising
Fenian Rising
The Fenian Rising of 1867 was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland, organised by the Irish Republican Brotherhood .After the suppression of the Irish People newspaper, disaffection among Irish radical nationalists had continued to smoulder, and during the later part of 1866 IRB leader James...
of that year.
The next year, Benjamin Disraeli succeeded Derby as Prime Minister, but the Conservative government resigned later in 1868, and the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
came to power under Gladstone. In opposition, Hardy occasionally acted as opposition leader in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
when Disraeli was absent. In 1874 the Conservatives returned to office under Disraeli, and Hardy was appointed Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
. He served in this post for more than four years and oversaw the army reforms initiated by his Liberal predecessor Edward Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell PC, PC , FRS was a prominent British politician in the Peelite and Liberal parties during the middle of the 19th century...
. In 1876 Disraeli was raised to the peerage as Earl of Beaconsfield and moved to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Hardy had expected to become Conservative leader in the House of Commons, but was overlooked in favour of Sir Stafford Northcote
Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh
Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh GCB, PC , known as Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt, from 1851 to 1885, was a British Conservative politician...
.
Political career, 1878–1895
Two years later, in April 1878, he succeeded Lord SalisburyRobert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
as Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
, and the following month he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Cranbrook, of Hemsted in the County of Kent. At the same time he assumed his mother’s maiden surname of Gathorne in addition to that of Hardy at the request of his family. At the India Office
India Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
he was forced to deal with the Second Afghan War in 1878, aimed at restoring British influence in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. A peace deal was struck in May 1879, but war again erupted after the British resident, Sir Louis Cavagnari, was murdered by mutinous Afghan troops. British troops under Frederick Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
managed once again to restore British control. However, the situation was still volatile when Cranbrook, along with the rest of the government, resigned in April 1880.
In June 1885 the Conservatives, now under the leadership of Lord Salisbury, returned to power, and Cranbrook was made Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
. For two weeks in early 1886 he again served as Secretary of State for War. The government fell in January 1886 but soon returned to office in July of the same year. Cranbrook was once again appointed Lord President of the Council, in which office he was mainly concerned with education. He also served briefly as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
in August 1886. He declined the post of Foreign Secretary in 1886 owing to his inability to speak foreign languages, and also refused the viceroyalty of Ireland. He remained as Lord President of the Council until the second Salisbury ministry fell in 1892. Shortly after, he was further honoured when he was made Baron Medway, of Hemsted in the County of Kent, and Earl of Cranbrook, in the County of Kent. In opposition, Cranbrook was a strong opponent of the Second Home Rule Bill, which was heavily defeated in the House of Lords. He retired from public life after the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
.
Family
Lord Cranbrook married Jane, daughter of James Orr, in 1838. They had four sons and five daughters. One son and two of their daughters predeceased them. Lord Cranbrook died in October 1906, aged 92, and was succeeded by his eldest son JohnJohn Gathorne-Hardy, 2nd Earl of Cranbrook
John Stewart Gathorne-Hardy, 2nd Earl of Cranbrook , known as Lord Medway from 1892 to 1906, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament....
. His third son the Hon. Alfred Gathorne-Hardy
Alfred Gathorne-Hardy
Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy , styled The Honourable from 1878, was a British Conservative Member of Parliament....
was also a politician.