Charles Arbuthnot

The Right Honourable Charles Arbuthnot
Rt Hon Charles Arbuthnot
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
In office 1823 – 9 April 1827
Monarch	George IV
Prime Minister	The Earl of Liverpool
Preceded by	William Huskisson
Succeeded by	The Earl of Carlisle
In office 11 February 1828 – 2 June 1828
Monarch	George IV
Prime Minister	The Duke of Wellington
Preceded by	William Sturges Bourne
Succeeded by	Viscount Lowther
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 2 June 1828 – 15 November 1830
Monarch	George IV
Prime Minister	The Duke of Wellington
Preceded by	The Earl of Aberdeen
Succeeded by	The Lord Holland
Personal details
Born	14 March 1767 (1767-03-14) Rockfleet, County Mayo
Died	18 August 1850 (1850-08-19) Apsley House, Piccadilly, London
Nationality	British
Political party	Tory
Spouse(s)	(1) Marcia Clapcott-Lisle (1774-1806) (2) Harriet Fane (1793-1834)

Charles Arbuthnot (14 March 1767 – 18 August 1850) was a British diplomat and Tory politician. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807 and held a number of political offices. He was a good friend of the Duke of Wellington. His second wife, Harriet, became a hostess at Wellington's society dinners, and wrote an important diary cataloguing contemporary political intrigues.

Background

Arbuthnot was son of John Arbuthnot of Rockfleet and brother of bishop Alexander Arbuthnot, General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot and General Sir Robert Arbuthnot. He was born in Rockfleet, County Mayo, Ireland, but much of his upbringing was with his mother's relations, the Stone family.

Political and diplomatic career

Arbuthnot sat as Member of Parliament for East Looe between 1795 and 1796,^[1] for Eye between 1809 and 1812,^[2] for Orford between 1812 and 1818,^[3] for St Germans between 1818 and 1827,^[4] for St Ives between 1828 and 1830^[4] and for Ashburton between 1830 and 1831.^[5] He served under Henry Addington as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between November 1803-June 1804, under Spencer Perceval and the Earl of Liverpool as Joint Secretary to the Treasury between 1809 and 1823, under Liverpool as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between 1823 and 1827 and under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington as First Commissioner of Woods and Forets in 1828 and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 1828 and 1830.

Arbuthnot also held a number of diplomatic postings, notably as Consul General in Portugal between 1800 and 1801, as Minister to Sweden between 1802 and 1804 and as Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807. In 1804 he was sworn of the Privy Council.^[6]

Personal life

Harriet Fane (1793-1834), second wife of Charles Arbuthnot; by John Hoppner; now in the Foundation Lazzaro Galdiano, Madrid.

Arbuthnot was first married on 28 February 1799 to Marcia Mary Anne Clapcott Lisle, at Cholmondeley House, Piccadilly. His first wife was born on 9 July 1774, and had been Lady-in-Waiting since 1795 to Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales. Marcia's portrait was painted by John Hoppner and an engraving of the portrait was made by Joshua Reynolds. The couple's four children included General Charles George James Arbuthnot and Marcia Arbuthnot, who later married William Cholmondeley, 3rd Marquess of Cholmondeley. She died in Constantinople on 24 May 1806.

After being widowed, Arbuthnot married a second time on 31 January 1814 at Fulbeck, Lincolnshire, to Harriet Fane (1793–1834), a daughter of the Hon. Henry Fane. Harriet was fascinated by politics. During her marriage to Arbuthnot, she became a hostess at society dinners given by Arbuthnot's good friend, the Duke of Wellington. During the latter years of Arbuthnot's life, after the death of Harriet, he lived in Apsley House, the Duke's London residence, as his confidential friend. Their story is told in Wellington and the Arbuthnots by E. A. Smith.^[7] which refutes the suggestion that Harriet was Wellington's mistress.

Harriet's portrait was also painted by John Hoppner and it is now in Foundation Lazzaro Galdiano, Madrid. Sir Thomas Lawrence's portrait of her is at Woodford, Northamptonshire. Her diaries were published as The Journal of Mrs Arbuthnot in 1950.^[8]

Arbuthnot died at Apsley House in August 1850, aged 83. S. Gambardello's portrait of him is at Apsley House.^[9]

References

Marcia Clapcott-Lisle (1774-1806), first wife of Charles Arbuthnot; by John Hoppner.

1. ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Ealing to Elgin
2. ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Elginshire to Eye
3. ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Ochil to Oxford University
4. ^ ^{a b} leighrayment.com House of Commons: Saffron Walden to Salford West
5. ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Arundel to Ayrshire South
6. ^ London Gazette: no. 15714. p. 789. 26 June 1804.
7. ^ Arbuthnot, Harriet (author) and Bamford, F., and the Duke of Wellington (editors) The journal of Mrs. Arbuthnot, 1820-1832 (London, MacMillan, 1950)
8. ^ Smith, E.A. Wellington and the Arbuthnots: a triangular friendship (UK, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1994) ISBN 0-7509-0629-4.
9. ^ Charles Arbuthnot 1767-1850 historyhome.co.uk

External links

• Arbuthnot family tree
• "Sketch". http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?search=ss&sText=charles+arbuthnot&LinkID=mp00121&rNo=1&role=sit.  by Sir George Hayter from the National Portrait Gallery
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Mr Charles Arbuthnot
• Archival material relating to Charles Arbuthnot listed at the UK National Register of Archives

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Hon. William Wellesley-Pole Robert Wood	Member of Parliament for East Looe 1795–1796 With: Robert Wood	Succeeded by John Buller William Graves
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Hon. Henry Wellesley Mark Singleton	Member of Parliament for Eye 1809 – 1812 With: Mark Singleton	Succeeded by Mark Singleton Sir William Garrow
Preceded by William Sloane Lord Henry Seymour Moore	Member of Parliament for Orford 1812 – 1818 With: Edmond MacNaghten	Succeeded by Edmund Alexander Macnaghten John Douglas
Preceded by William Henry Pringle Henry Goulburn	Member of Parliament for St Germans 1818 – 1827 With: Seymour Thomas Bathurst 1818–1826 Charles Ross 1826–1827	Succeeded by Charles Ross James Loch
Preceded by Sir Christopher Hawkins, Bt James Halse	Member of Parliament for St Ives 1828 – 1830 With: James Halse	Succeeded by William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley James Morrison
Preceded by Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt William Sturges Bourne	Member of Parliament for Ashburton 1830 – 1831 With: Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt	Succeeded by Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt William Stephen Poyntz
Political offices
Preceded by The Marquess of Bristol	Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1803–1804	Succeeded by Hon. William Eliot
Preceded by William Huskisson Hon. Henry Wellesley	Joint Secretary to the Treasury 1809–1823 With: Richard Wharton 1809–1814 Stephen Rumbold Lushington 1814–1823	Succeeded by Stephen Rumbold Lushington John Charles Herries
Preceded by William Huskisson	First Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1823–1827	Succeeded by The Earl of Carlisle
Preceded by William Sturges Bourne	First Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1828	Succeeded by Viscount Lowther
Preceded by The Earl of Aberdeen	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1828–1830	Succeeded by The Lord Holland
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Daniel Hailes	Ambassador to Sweden 1802–1804	Succeeded by Hon. Henry Manvers Pierrepont
Preceded by William Drummond	Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire 1804–1807	Succeeded by Hon. Sir Arthur Paget

Persondata
Name	Arbuthnot, Charles
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	14 March 1767
Place of birth	Rockfleet, County Mayo
Date of death	18 August 1850
Place of death	Apsley House, Piccadilly, London