Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt

Early life Edward Venables-Vernon was born at Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire on 10 October 1757. He was educated at Westminster School; matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 2 July 1774; was elected fellow of All Souls College in 1777 and graduated B.C.L. 27 April 1786, and D.C.L., 4 May following. After his ordination he was instituted to the family living of Sudbury. He became a canon of Christ Church, Oxford, 13 October 1785, and a prebendary of Gloucester on 10 November in the same year. He resigned his prebendal stall in 1791, but held his other appointments to 1808. His sister Elizabeth married their first cousin the 2nd Earl Harcourt.

On 18 August 1791 he was nominated as the Bishop of Carlisle In the same year, on 20 January, he was gazetted a privy councillor, and made Lord High Almoner to George III, an office which he also held under Queen Victoria's reign.

According to the account of Dean Alford: "Archbishop Harcourt was very fond of hunting, so fond that he was very near refusing the archbishopric because he thought if he accepted he should have to give it up. He consulted a friend, who said that he must take counsel with others. 'Of course I should never join the meet,’ said the Archbishop, 'but you know I might fall in with the hounds by accident.' After some time the friend came back and said that on the whole the party considered that the Archbishop might hunt, provided he did not shout." His sister Elizabeth, Countess Harcourt and their first cousins, the 2nd and 3rd Earl Harcourt. C. 1780, By Sir Joshua Reynolds. Venables-Vernon was a member of the queen's council who had charge of George III during his illness. He was an eloquent speaker, and occasionally spoke in the House of Lords on ecclesiastical matters, but usually abstained from political contentions. He lived under five successive monarchs, and was respected for benevolence and simplicity of character. On 15 January 1831 he took the surname of Harcourt on inheriting the large estates of the Harcourt family, which came to him on the death of his first cousin, Field-marshal William, third and last Earl Harcourt. He died at the palace at Bishopthorpe, near York, on 5 November 1847, and was buried at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, 13 November.

Family On 5 February 1784 he married Lady Anne Leveson-Gower, third daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford and Lady Louisa Egerton, daughter of Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater. They had sixteen children. His wife predeceased him at Bishopthorpe Palace on 16 November 1832, aged 72.

His second son, the Revd. Leveson Vernon Harcourt, was chancellor of York, an author of The Doctrine of the Deluge and of other theological works. His fourth son was William Vernon Harcourt, the founder of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Two of his sons became Admirals and his youngest daughter, Georgiana, distinguished herself as a translator.

The children included: George Granville Vernon-Harcourt (6 Aug 1785 – 19 Dec 1861) The Reverend Leveson Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (1788 – 26 Jul 1860) Reverend William Vernon Harcourt (Jun 1789 – 1 Apr 1871) inherited Nuneham House. Admiral Frederick Edward Vernon-Harcourt (15 Jun 1790 – 1 May 1883), forefather to the 11th Baron Vernon Lt.-Col. Henry Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (1791 – 26 Feb 1853) Granville Harcourt-Vernon (26 Jul 1792 – 8 Dec 1879) Vice-Admiral Octavius Henry Cyril Harcourt (26 Dec 1793 – 14 Aug 1863) The Reverend Charles Vernon-Harcourt (14 Nov 1798 – 10 Dec 1870) Colonel Francis Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (6 Jan 1801 – 23 Apr 1880), married Lady Catherine Jenkinson (23 July 1811 – 5 December 1877), daughter of Charles Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool and Julia Shuckburgh-Evelyn. Egerton Vernon-Harcourt (1803 – 19 Oct 1883 Whitwell Hall, Yorkshire), who was a president of the United Debating Society in 1824 while educated at Christ Church, Oxford. Louisa Augusta Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (c. 1804 – 4 Aug 1869), who married Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, Baronet, of Hackness, on 14 June 1825 at St. George's, Hanover Square. He died 24 Feb 1869, the widow dying only a few months later on 4 Aug 1869, at Eridge Castle, Kent. Georgiana Charlotte Frances Harcourt (1807–1886)

Cato Street conspiracy As a director of the Ancient Concerts, Harcourt entertained his fellow-directors (the prince regent and Prince Adolphus – the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Cumberland (later the King of Hanover), and the Duke of Wellington) at his house in Grosvenor Square on 23 February 1821. On the same night the Cato Street conspirators had designed the murder of the cabinet ministers at the house adjoining Harcourt's, where the ministers had agreed to dine with Lord Harrowby.

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Arms