Thomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon
Encyclopedia
Thomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon, PC, FRS (8 February 1790-7 February 1866) was a British
Whig politician, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer
from 1835 to 1839.
, a descendant of the Spring Baronets
. He was a great grandson of Sir Stephen Rice
(1637–1715), Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and a leading Jacobite
, and Sir Maurice FitzGerald, 14th Knight of Kerry
. Spring-Rice was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
, and later studied law at Lincoln's Inn
, but was not called to the Bar.
in 1820, and then sat for Cambridge
from 1832 to 1839. He was Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
under George Canning
and Lord Goderich
in 1827 and then served as joint Secretary to the Treasury
from 1830 to 1834 under Lord Grey
. In June 1834 Grey appointed Spring Rice Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
, with a seat in the cabinet, a post he retained when Lord Melbourne
became Prime Minister
in July. The Whig government fell in November 1834, but returned to office under Melbourne already in April the following year. Spring Rice was made Chancellor of the Exchequer
, a post he held until 1839. However, he was disappointed in not being elected Speaker of the House of Commons
in 1835 and 1838, when the office was vacant. In 1839 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Monteagle of Brandon, in the County of Kerry, a title intended earlier for his ancestor Sir Stephen Rice. Lord Monteagle of Brandon was also Comptroller of the Exchequer from 1835 to 1865. He differed from the government as regards the exchequer control over the treasury, and the abolition of the old exchequer was already determined upon when he died.
Spring Rice was a dogmatic figure, described by Lord Melbourne as "too much given to details and possessed of no broad views".
, British Ambassador to the United States from 1912 to 1918. A monument still stands today in the People's Park in Limerick, in honour of Spring Rice, who was well regarded locally. His statue adorns a tall column at the centre of a public park.
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...
Whig politician, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
from 1835 to 1839.
Background
Spring-Rice was the son of Stephen Edward Rice (d.1831), of Mount Trenchard, Co. Limerick, and Catherine Spring, daughter and heiress of Thomas Spring of Ballycrispin, County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, a descendant of the Spring Baronets
Spring Baronets
The Spring Baronetcy, of Pakenham in the County of Suffiolk, is a title in the Baronetage of England.-History:The Spring family were major landowners in East Anglia between the late 15th and the early 18th centuries, when the family’s wealth and status began to go into decline...
. He was a great grandson of Sir Stephen Rice
Stephen Rice (judge)
Sir Stephen Rice was chief baron of the exchequer in Ireland, a supporter of James II.-Early life:He was a younger son of James Rice of Dingle, County Kerry, by Phillis Fanning of Limerick...
(1637–1715), Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and a leading 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...
, and Sir Maurice FitzGerald, 14th Knight of Kerry
Maurice Fitzgerald, 14th Knight of Kerry
Sir Maurice FitzGerald , M.P., D.L., 14th Knight of KerryHe was the eldest son of Sir John Fitzgerald, 13th Knight of Kerry and Honora O'Brien, daughter of Connor O'Brien, 2nd Viscount Clare. He lived at Ballinruddery Castle, County Kerry and fought on the Catholic side during the Battle of the...
. Spring-Rice was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and later studied law at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, but was not called to the Bar.
Political career
He was elected to Parliament for Limerick CityLimerick City (UK Parliament constituency)
Limerick City was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland. It returned one MP 1801–1832, two MPs 1832–1885 and one thereafter. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801...
in 1820, and then sat for Cambridge
Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridge is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
from 1832 to 1839. He was Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
-Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782-present:*April 1782: Evan Nepean*April 1782: Thomas Orde*July 1782: Henry Strachey*April 1783: George North*February 1784: Hon. John Townshend*June 1789: Scrope Bernard*July 1794: The Hon...
under George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
and Lord Goderich
Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich
Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon PC , styled The Honourable F. J. Robinson until 1827 and known as The Viscount Goderich between 1827 and 1833, the name by which he is best known to history, was a British statesman...
in 1827 and then served as joint Secretary to the Treasury
Secretary to the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are several Secretaries to the Treasury, who are junior Treasury ministers nominally acting as secretaries to HM Treasury. The origins of the office are unclear, although it probably originated during Lord Burghley's tenure as Lord Treasurer in the 16th century. The...
from 1830 to 1834 under Lord Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
. In June 1834 Grey appointed Spring Rice Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies . The Department was created in 1801...
, with a seat in the cabinet, a post he retained when 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...
became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
in July. The Whig government fell in November 1834, but returned to office under Melbourne already in April the following year. Spring Rice was made Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, a post he held until 1839. However, he was disappointed in not being elected Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
in 1835 and 1838, when the office was vacant. In 1839 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Monteagle of Brandon, in the County of Kerry, a title intended earlier for his ancestor Sir Stephen Rice. Lord Monteagle of Brandon was also Comptroller of the Exchequer from 1835 to 1865. He differed from the government as regards the exchequer control over the treasury, and the abolition of the old exchequer was already determined upon when he died.
Spring Rice was a dogmatic figure, described by Lord Melbourne as "too much given to details and possessed of no broad views".
Family
Lord Monteagle of Brandon was married twice. He married firstly Theodosia, daughter of Edmund Pery, 1st Earl of Limerick, in 1811. They had five sons and three daughters. After his first wife's death in 1839 he married secondly Marianne, daughter of John Marshall, in 1841. Lord Monteagle of Brandon died in February 1866, aged 75. He was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Thomas Spring Rice, the son of his eldest son Hon. Stephen Edmund Spring Rice (1814–1865). Lord Monteagle of Brandon's second son Hon. Thomas William Spring Rice was the father of the diplomat Sir Cecil Spring RiceCecil Spring-Rice
Sir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice GCMG GCVO , was a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1912 to 1918.-Early life:...
, British Ambassador to the United States from 1912 to 1918. A monument still stands today in the People's Park in Limerick, in honour of Spring Rice, who was well regarded locally. His statue adorns a tall column at the centre of a public park.