Henry Hyde, Viscount Cornbury
Encyclopedia
Henry Hyde, Viscount Cornbury (28 November 1710 – 28 May 1753), styled Viscount Hyde from 1711 until 1723 and Viscount Cornbury thereafter, also 5th Baron Hyde in his own right, was a British author and politician.
The only son of Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon
to survive to adulthood, Hyde was educated at Christ Church, Oxford
, from which he received a DCL
. He was an author of some talent, and both Swift
and Pope
praised his character.
A Tory
like the rest of his family, Cornbury involved himself in a Jacobite
intrigue in 1733. Walpole
's Excise
Scheme of 1733 provoked great political unrest, and Cornbury thought the time right for a French-sponsored invasion by the Old Pretender
. He was able to persuade the comte de Chavigny, the French ambassador to Britain, and Chauvelin
, the French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
, to endorse an invasion of southern England, which, Cornbury claimed, would result in a Jacobite rising in the country and the overthrow of the Hanoverian
s. However, the scheme was quashed in the royal cabinet by Cardinal Fleury
, and Chavigny, some of whose activities had come to the attention of the British government, was recalled. Thereafter, Cornbury avoided Jacobite politics and devoted himself to the cultivation of taste.
In 1737, he was returned as a Member of Parliament
for Oxford University
, for which he sat until 1750. In that year, he was elevated to the House of Lords
by a writ in acceleration in his father's title of Baron Hyde. Cornbury died in Paris
in 1753, predeceasing his father by six months; accounts differ on whether he died from a fall from a horse or by his own hand. He married Lady Frances Lee, daughter of George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
, on 9 November 1737, but had no children.
The only son of Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon
Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon
Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon and 2nd Earl of Rochester, PC was an English nobleman and politician. He was styled Lord Hyde from 1682 to 1711.-Life:...
to survive to adulthood, Hyde was educated at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, from which he received a DCL
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
. He was an author of some talent, and both Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
and Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
praised his character.
A Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
like the rest of his family, Cornbury involved himself in a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
intrigue in 1733. Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
's Excise
Excise
Excise tax in the United States is a indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state and local governments and are far from uniform throughout the United States...
Scheme of 1733 provoked great political unrest, and Cornbury thought the time right for a French-sponsored invasion by the Old Pretender
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
. He was able to persuade the comte de Chavigny, the French ambassador to Britain, and Chauvelin
Germain Louis Chauvelin
Germain Louis Chauvelin , marquis de Grosbois, was a French politician, serving as garde des sceaux and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under Louis XV.-Life:...
, the French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for...
, to endorse an invasion of southern England, which, Cornbury claimed, would result in a Jacobite rising in the country and the overthrow of the Hanoverian
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
s. However, the scheme was quashed in the royal cabinet by Cardinal Fleury
André-Hercule Cardinal de Fleury
André-Hercule de Fleury, Bishop of Fréjus was a French cardinal who served as the chief minister of Louis XV.-Biography:...
, and Chavigny, some of whose activities had come to the attention of the British government, was recalled. Thereafter, Cornbury avoided Jacobite politics and devoted himself to the cultivation of taste.
In 1737, he was returned as a 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 Oxford University
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:...
, for which he sat until 1750. In that year, he was elevated 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....
by a writ in acceleration in his father's title of Baron Hyde. Cornbury died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1753, predeceasing his father by six months; accounts differ on whether he died from a fall from a horse or by his own hand. He married Lady Frances Lee, daughter of George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
George Henry Lee I, 2nd Earl of Lichfield was the sixth son of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II by his mistress, the celebrated courtesan Barbara Villiers. On 14 July 1716 George Henry Lee succeeded his father as the 2nd...
, on 9 November 1737, but had no children.