James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
, PC (17 April 1791 – 12 April 1868), styled
Viscount Cranborne until 1823, was a British
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
politician. He held office under the
Earl of DerbyEdward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party...
as
Lord Privy SealThe Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
in 1852 and
Lord President of the CouncilThe Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President has the responsibility of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council...
between 1858 and 1859. He was the father of
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of SalisburyRobert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
, three times
Prime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government...
.
Salisbury was the son of
James Cecil, 1st Marquess of SalisburyJames Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury KG, PC , styled Viscount Cranborne until 1780 and known as The Earl of Salisbury between 1780 and 1789, was a British politician.-Background:...
, and Lady Emily Mary, daughter of
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of DownshireWills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire PC , known as the Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era...
.
Salisbury entered the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
in 1813 as
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for
Weymouth and Melcombe RegisWeymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formed by an Act of Parliament in 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis...
, a seat he held until 1817, and then sat for
HertfordHertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1298 until 1974. Initially it was a borough consisting of the town of Hertford, electing two MPs until 1868 and one from 1868 to 1885...
between 1817 and 1823.
James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
, PC (17 April 1791 – 12 April 1868), styled
Viscount Cranborne until 1823, was a British
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
politician. He held office under the
Earl of DerbyEdward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party...
as
Lord Privy SealThe Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
in 1852 and
Lord President of the CouncilThe Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President has the responsibility of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council...
between 1858 and 1859. He was the father of
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of SalisburyRobert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
, three times
Prime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government...
.
Background
Salisbury was the son of
James Cecil, 1st Marquess of SalisburyJames Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury KG, PC , styled Viscount Cranborne until 1780 and known as The Earl of Salisbury between 1780 and 1789, was a British politician.-Background:...
, and Lady Emily Mary, daughter of
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of DownshireWills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire PC , known as the Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era...
.
Political career
Salisbury entered the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
in 1813 as
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for
Weymouth and Melcombe RegisWeymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formed by an Act of Parliament in 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis...
, a seat he held until 1817, and then sat for
HertfordHertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1298 until 1974. Initially it was a borough consisting of the town of Hertford, electing two MPs until 1868 and one from 1868 to 1885...
between 1817 and 1823. The latter year he succeeded his father in the
marquessateMarquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly the 3rd Marquess, who served three times as Prime Minister...
and entered the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords". Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons , and the Lords...
. He served in the
Earl of DerbyEdward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party...
's first two cabinets as
Lord Privy SealThe Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
in 1852 and as
Lord President of the CouncilThe Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President has the responsibility of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council...
between 1858 and 1859. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1826 and made a
Knight of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
in 1842.
Apart from his political career he also served as
Lord Lieutenant of MiddlesexThis is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. The office was abolished on 1 April 1965, with the creation of Greater London and the post of Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, with small parts of Middlesex coming under the jurisdiction of the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, the...
between 1841 and 1868.
Family
Lord Salisbury was married twice. His first marriage was on 2 February 1821 to Frances Mary Gascoyne (c. 1806 - 15 October 1839), daughter of Bamber Gascoyne (
LordThe title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. The title Lord of the Manor is a titular feudal dignity which is still recognised today as semi-extinct form of landed property...
of the
ManorA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
of Childwall Hall) and his wife Sarah Price. She was also the paternal granddaughter of Bamber Gascoyne and wife Mary Green (whose parents Isaac Green and Mary Aspinwall were Americans). The couple had six children including:
- Lady Mildred Arabella Charlotte Gascoyne-Cecil (d. 18 March 1881), married Alexander Beresford Hope
Sir Alexander James Beresford Beresford Hope PC , known as Alexander Hope until 1854 Sir Alexander James Beresford Beresford Hope PC (25 January 1820 – 20 October 1887), known as Alexander Hope until 1854 Sir Alexander James Beresford Beresford Hope PC (25 January 1820 – 20 October 1887), known as...
- Lady Blanche Mary Harriet (d. 16 May 1872), married James Maitland Balfour
James Maitland Balfour , of Whittinghame, Berwickshire, was a Scottish Member of Parliament. He was the father of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour....
, mother of Prime Minister Arthur BalfourArthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
- James Emilius William Evelyn Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (29 October 1821-14 June 1865), died unmarried.
- Lord Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil (19 December 1823-25 April 1825)
- Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
(1830 - 1903), Prime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government...
three times between 1885 and 1902.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Eustace Brownlow Henry Gascoyne-Cecil
Lord Eustace Brownlow Henry Cecil, was a British, Conservative Party politician.Cecil was the youngest son of the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury and was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. He served with the Coldstream Guards in the Crimean War from 1855-56, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in...
(24 April 1834-3 July 1921)
Lord Salisbury's second marriage on 29 April 1847 was to Lady Mary Catherine Sackville-West, daughter of
George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La WarrGeorge John Sackville-West, 5th Earl de la Warr PC was the son of John Richard West, 4th Earl De La Warr and the former Catherina Lyell, daughter of Henry Lyell, a naturalized British subject George John Sackville-West, 5th Earl de la Warr PC (26 October 1791 – 23 February 1869) was the son...
and
Elizabeth Sackville-West, Countess De La WarrElizabeth Sackville-West, Countess De La Warr and 1st Baroness Buckhurst was a British peeress.Born Lady Elizabeth Sackville, she was the youngest daughter of John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset and his wife, Arabella Cope...
, with whom he had five children:
- Lady Mary Arabella Arthur Cecil (d. 18 August 1903), married Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway
Alan Plantagenet Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway KT, DL, JP , styled Lord Garlies until 1873, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
- Lady Margaret Elizabeth Cecil (d. 11 March 1919)
- Lord Sackville Arthur Cecil (16 March 1848-29 January 1898)
- Lord Arthur Cecil (3 July 1851-16 July 1913)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Lionel Cecil (21 March 1853-13 January 1901)
Lord Salisbury died in April 1868, aged 76, and was succeeded in the marquessate by his third but eldest surviving son, Robert. The Marchioness of Salisbury died in December 1900.