Henry Carteret, 1st Baron Carteret

Henry Frederick Carteret, 1st Baron Carteret PC (1735–1826) was a British politician.

He was the second son of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Viscount Weymouth, and his second wife Louisa, daughter of John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville. He was thus younger brother of Thomas Thynne, 3rd Viscount Weymouth, later Marquess of Bath. ["Burke's Peerage" (1939 edn), "s.v." Bath, Marquess. ]

He was awarded a Master of Arts degree in 1753, after studying at St John's College, Cambridge, and later a D.C.L. in 1769.Roland Thorne, ‘Carteret , Henry Frederick, first Baron Carteret of Hawnes (1735–1826)’, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" (Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/64139] , accessed 9 Aug 2008]

In 1757, he was encouraged by his friend Lord Gower to enter Parliament for Staffordshire, when that seat became vacant on the death of Gower's uncle, Hon. William Leveson-Gower. In 1761, he was elected for the Herefordshire borough of Weobley, which he represented until 1770. [rayment-hc]

In 1762, his brother sought an office for him, leading to his appointment as Clerk Comptroller of the Green Cloth (worth £1000 per year). ['The household below stairs: Clerks of the Green Cloth 1660-1782', "Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (revised): Court Officers, 1660-1837" (2006), pp. 403-40. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43848&strquery=Green_Cloth British History online] , accessed 09 August 2008. ] He lost this office when the Grenville government fell in 1765, entering into opposition. After his brother returned to office as Secretary of State in 1767, Thynne was able to return to the Board of Green Cloth in 1768 as Master of the Household, a post worth over £900 that he held until 1771. [ [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43847 British History online] , accessed 09 August 2008. ]

He was made a member of the Privy Council in 1770. In 1771 (after his brother had left office, he was given the office of joint Postmaster General, which he held until 1789. This was worth £3000 per year, and he thereupon retired from the House of Commons.

In 1776, he changed his name to Carteret, when he succeeded to Hawnes Park, Bedfordshire on the death of his uncle Robert Carteret, 3rd Earl Granville. He also succeeded him as Bailiff of Jersey, a post (for life) long held by heads of the Carteret family. He was created Baron Carteret, of Hawnes, in 1784, reviving his uncle's second title. He gave up the postmastership in 1789, when his brother became Marquess of Bath.

In 1810, he married his mistress of many years, Eleanor Smart, but there were no children. He lived until 1826, being succeeded as baron by his nephew Lord George Thynne in accordance with a special remainder in the patent when he was created baron.

References