Thomas Foley, 4th Baron Foley
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry Foley, 4th Baron Foley (11 December 1808 – 20 November 1869) was a British
peer and Liberal
politician. He held office in every Whig/Liberal
government between 1833 and 1869.
, and Lady Lucy Anne FitzGerald. James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster
, and Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster
, were his maternal great-grandparents, and through the latter he was a descendant of King Charles II
.
Lord Foley married Lady Mary Charlotte Howard, daughter of Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk, in 1849. He died in November 1869, aged 60, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Henry Thomas Foley
. Lady Foley died in 1897.
In 1837, he sold Witley Court
and the heavily encumbered Great Witley
estate to trustees of William, Lord Ward
for £890,000. No longer having to pay interest on the debts charged on that estate, he was left considerably better off, as a result of the sale.
in 1830, a seat he held until 1832, when he was returned for the newly created constituency of West Worcestershire. In April the following year he succeeded as fourth Baron Foley on the early death of his father and took his seat in the House of Lords
. He also succeeded his father as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, despite being only 24 years of age.
He remained in this post until the government fell in 1834, and held the same office under Lord Melbourne
from 1835 to 1841, under Lord John Russell
from 1846 to 1852 and 1865 to 1866, under Lord Aberdeen
from 1852 to 1855, under Lord Palmerston
from 1859 to 1865 and under William Ewart Gladstone
from 1868 to 1869. However, Lord Foley was never a member of the cabinet
. Apart from his political career he was also Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire
between 1837 and 1839.
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...
peer and Liberal
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...
politician. He held office in every Whig/Liberal
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...
government between 1833 and 1869.
Family and estate
Foley was the son of Thomas Foley, 3rd Baron FoleyThomas Foley, 3rd Baron Foley
Thomas Foley, 3rd Baron Foley PC , was a British peer and Whig politician. He served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen Pensioners under Lord Grey between 1830 and 1833.-Background:...
, and Lady Lucy Anne FitzGerald. James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster
James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster
Lieutenant-General James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, etc. PC , styled Lord Offaly until 1744 and known as The Earl of Kildare between 1744 and 1761 and as The Marquess of Kildare between 1761 and 1766, was an Irish nobleman, soldier and politician.-Background:Leinster was the son of Robert...
, and Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster
Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster
Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster , known before 1747 as Lady Emily Lennox, from 1747 to 1761 as The Countess of Kildare and from 1761 to 1766 as The Marchioness of Kildare, was the second of the famous Lennox sisters, daughters of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and illegitimately...
, were his maternal great-grandparents, and through the latter he was a descendant of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
Lord Foley married Lady Mary Charlotte Howard, daughter of Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk, in 1849. He died in November 1869, aged 60, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Henry Thomas Foley
Henry Thomas Foley, 5th Baron Foley
Henry Thomas Foley, 5th Baron Foley , was a British peer.Foley was the son of Thomas Henry Foley, 4th Baron Foley, and Lady Mary Charlotte Howard, the daughter of Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk. When his father died in 1869, he inherited his title and wealth.In 1872, Foley purchased a...
. Lady Foley died in 1897.
In 1837, he sold Witley Court
Witley Court
Witley Court in Worcestershire, England is a Grade 1 listed building and was once one of the great houses of the Midlands, but today it is a spectacular ruin after being devastated by fire in 1937. It was built by Thomas Foley in 1655 on the site of a former manor house near Great Witley...
and the heavily encumbered Great Witley
Great Witley
Great Witley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the northwest of the county of Worcestershire, England...
estate to trustees of William, Lord Ward
William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley
William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley , known as The Lord Ward from 1835 to 1860, was a British landowner and benefactor.-Background and education:...
for £890,000. No longer having to pay interest on the debts charged on that estate, he was left considerably better off, as a result of the sale.
Political career
He was elected to the House of Commons for WorcestershireWorcestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
Worcestershire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented until 1832 by two Members of Parliament, traditionally referred...
in 1830, a seat he held until 1832, when he was returned for the newly created constituency of West Worcestershire. In April the following year he succeeded as fourth Baron Foley on the early death of his father and took his seat in 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....
. He also succeeded his father as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, despite being only 24 years of age.
He remained in this post until the government fell in 1834, and held the same office under Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
from 1835 to 1841, under Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
from 1846 to 1852 and 1865 to 1866, under Lord Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he...
from 1852 to 1855, under Lord Palmerston
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
from 1859 to 1865 and under 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...
from 1868 to 1869. However, Lord Foley was never a member of the cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
. Apart from his political career he was also Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire
Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire. Since 1719, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire.-Lord Lieutenants of Worcestershire to 1974:...
between 1837 and 1839.