Robert Henry Meade
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Henry Meade GCB
(16 December 1835 – 8 January 1898) was a British civil servant
and the Head of the Colonial Office
between 1892 and 1897.
Meade was the second son of the 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam
and Lady Elizabeth Herbert. Clanwilliam, an Irish peer, had served as Private Secretary to Lord Castlereagh
and subsequently as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Meade was educated at Harrow
and at Exeter College, Oxford
. He formed a close and affectionate relationship with his mother’s brother, Sidney Herbert
. In 1859, he sat the examination for the Foreign Office, which he entered as a third class clerk. The work of a junior clerk in the Foreign Office at the time was tedious, consisting mostly of the copying of confidential documents, but the hours were short (11.00 am to 5.00 pm) and the holidays long. Meade escaped this routine in 1860, when he was chosen to accompany Lord Dufferin
on his mission to Syria
as Commissioner, and again in 1861-1862, when he accompanied the Prince of Wales
on an Eastern tour. Following his return, he was in attendance on the Queen
during her visit to Coburg
later in 1862. In June 1864 Meade was appointed as Private Secretary to Lord Granville
.
In 1868, Meade followed Lord Granville
to the Colonial Office
, becoming Assistant Under-Secretary in 1871 and Permanent Under-Secretary
in 1892. In December 1896, he fell and broke his leg, an injury from which he never recovered: it forced his retirement in March 1897 and he died soon after, in January 1898.
Lord Ripon
, the Liberal Colonial Secretary
between 1892 and 1895, wrote to him in 1895:
“Experience of forty years of public service in many departments under varying circumstances enables me to say with perhaps some claim to authority that I have never known a public servant so loyal, so trusty, so indefatigable in work, so prudent in counsel as you have proved yourself to be.”
Edward Hamilton
wrote in his diary on the occasion of Meade’s death: “He had great personal charm and throughout his extraordinary fateful life his pluck never failed him.”
Meade married, first, Lady Mary Elizabeth Lascelles (the daughter of the 3rd Earl of Harewood
), who died in 1866. Their daughter, Mary, died in 1897. He married, secondly, Caroline Georgiana Grenfell (the daughter of Charles William Grenfell MP), who died in 1881. They had one son, Charles Francis Meade
(1881-1975).
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(16 December 1835 – 8 January 1898) was a British civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
and the Head of the Colonial Office
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
between 1892 and 1897.
Meade was the second son of the 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam
Richard Meade, 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam
Richard Charles Francis Christian Meade, 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam GCH was a British ambassador.The only son of the 2nd Earl of Clanwilliam , Lord Clanwilliam was educated Eton and afterwards joined the Diplomatic Service.He attended Lord Castlereagh's suite at the Congress of Vienna in 1814 and was...
and Lady Elizabeth Herbert. Clanwilliam, an Irish peer, had served as Private Secretary to Lord Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
and subsequently as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Meade was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and at Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
. He formed a close and affectionate relationship with his mother’s brother, Sidney Herbert
Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea
Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea PC was an English statesman and a close ally and confidante of Florence Nightingale.-Early life:...
. In 1859, he sat the examination for the Foreign Office, which he entered as a third class clerk. The work of a junior clerk in the Foreign Office at the time was tedious, consisting mostly of the copying of confidential documents, but the hours were short (11.00 am to 5.00 pm) and the holidays long. Meade escaped this routine in 1860, when he was chosen to accompany Lord Dufferin
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society...
on his mission to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
as Commissioner, and again in 1861-1862, when he accompanied the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
on an Eastern tour. Following his return, he was in attendance on the Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
during her visit to Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
later in 1862. In June 1864 Meade was appointed as Private Secretary to Lord Granville
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG, PC FRS , styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman...
.
In 1868, Meade followed Lord Granville
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
Granville George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville KG, PC FRS , styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman...
to the Colonial Office
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, becoming Assistant Under-Secretary in 1871 and Permanent Under-Secretary
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State....
in 1892. In December 1896, he fell and broke his leg, an injury from which he never recovered: it forced his retirement in March 1897 and he died soon after, in January 1898.
Lord Ripon
George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon
George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC , known as Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later.-Background...
, the Liberal Colonial Secretary
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
between 1892 and 1895, wrote to him in 1895:
“Experience of forty years of public service in many departments under varying circumstances enables me to say with perhaps some claim to authority that I have never known a public servant so loyal, so trusty, so indefatigable in work, so prudent in counsel as you have proved yourself to be.”
Edward Hamilton
Edward Walter Hamilton
Sir Edward Hamilton was political diarist and one time private secretary to William Ewart Gladstone when in 1880 when Gladstone became Prime Minister for the second time...
wrote in his diary on the occasion of Meade’s death: “He had great personal charm and throughout his extraordinary fateful life his pluck never failed him.”
Meade married, first, Lady Mary Elizabeth Lascelles (the daughter of the 3rd Earl of Harewood
Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood
Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1839 to 1841, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
), who died in 1866. Their daughter, Mary, died in 1897. He married, secondly, Caroline Georgiana Grenfell (the daughter of Charles William Grenfell MP), who died in 1881. They had one son, Charles Francis Meade
Charles Francis Meade
Charles Francis Meade was an English mountaineer and author.-Origins:Born in England , Meade was the only surviving child of the Hon. Sir Robert Henry Meade and Caroline Georgiana Grenfell...
(1881-1975).
Sources
- Unknown author, Robert Meade 1835-64: The Early Years of a Victorian Civil Servant
- http://www.proni.gov.uk/records/private/clanwm.htm