List of ambassadors of Great Britain to France
Encyclopedia
The Ambassador of Great Britain to France (French
: L'Ambassadeur britannique en France) was the foremost diplomatic representative in France of the Kingdom of Great Britain
, created by the Treaty of Union
in 1707, in charge of the British diplomatic mission in France.
Traditionally, the Embassy to France was the most prestigious posting in the English and later British foreign services, although in the eighteenth century there was sometimes no diplomatic representation between the two countries, due to the wars between them.
For Ambassadors to France after 1800, see List of ambassadors from the United Kingdom to France.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: L'Ambassadeur britannique en France) was the foremost diplomatic representative in France of the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
, created by the Treaty of Union
Treaty of Union
The Treaty of Union is the name given to the agreement that led to the creation of the united kingdom of Great Britain, the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which took effect on 1 May 1707...
in 1707, in charge of the British diplomatic mission in France.
Traditionally, the Embassy to France was the most prestigious posting in the English and later British foreign services, although in the eighteenth century there was sometimes no diplomatic representation between the two countries, due to the wars between them.
For Ambassadors to France after 1800, see List of ambassadors from the United Kingdom to France.
Ambassadors and Ministers of Great Britain to France
- No permanent representation of the Kingdom of Great Britain, or of its predecessor the Kingdom of EnglandKingdom of EnglandThe Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, to France between 1701 and 1712, due to the War of the Spanish SuccessionWar of the Spanish SuccessionThe War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
.- 1709: Charles Townshend, Viscount TownshendCharles Townshend, 2nd Viscount TownshendCharles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Bt, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State, directing British foreign policy...
Plenipotentiary
- 1709: Charles Townshend, Viscount Townshend
- 1712: The Duke of Hamilton (Never took office, being killed in a duel before setting off.)
- 1712-1715: Matthew PriorMatthew PriorMatthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat.Prior was the son of a Nonconformist joiner at Wimborne Minster, East Dorset. His father moved to London, and sent him to Westminster School, under Dr. Busby. On his father's death, he left school, and was cared for by his uncle, a vintner in Channel...
, Plenipotentiary
- 1712-1715: Matthew Prior
- 1712-1713: The Duke of ShrewsburyCharles Talbot, 1st Duke of ShrewsburyCharles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, KG, PC was an English statesman. Born to Roman Catholic parents, he remained in that faith until 1679 when—during the time of the Popish Plot and following the advice of the divine John Tillotson—he converted to the Church of England...
- 1714-1720: The Earl of StairJohn Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of StairField Marshal John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair KT PC was a Scottish soldier and diplomat.-Military career:Despite being born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dalrymple spent his early life mostly in the Netherlands and he studied at Leiden University...
, Minister-Plenipotentiary 1714-1715; Envoy Extraordinary 1715; then Ambassador - 1720-1721: Sir Robert SuttonRobert Sutton (diplomat)Sir Robert Sutton KB was an English diplomat and then politician.-Early life:He was the elder son of Robert Sutton of Averham, Nottinghamshire, and his wife, Katherine, the daughter of the Revd William Sherborne of Pembridge, Herefordshire...
, Ambassador - 1721-1724: Sir Luke Schaub
- 1724-1730: The Lord Walpole of WoltertonHoratio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of WoltertonHoratio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, PC , English diplomatist, was a son of Robert Walpole of Houghton, Norfolk, and a younger brother of the Prime Minister of Great Britain Sir Robert Walpole....
Envoy Extraordinary 1724; Ambassador Extraordinary 1724-1727; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 1727-1730 - 1730-1740: The Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave KG PC was a British ambassador.Waldegrave was the son of the 1st Baron Waldegrave and Henrietta FitzJames, the illegitimate daughter of James II and Arabella Churchill....
- 1740-1744: Anthony Thompson, Chargé d'Affaires
- no representation 1744-1748 due to the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian SuccessionThe War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
- 1749-1754: The Earl of Albemarle
- no representation 1754-1762 due to the Seven Years' WarSeven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
- 1761: Hans StanleyHans StanleyHans Stanley was a British diplomat and statesman.-Peace negotiator:In 1761 Stanley was Chargé d'affaires at the Embassy to France...
, Minister: special mission to negotatiate peace
- 1761: Hans Stanley
- 1762-1763: The Duke of BedfordJohn Russell, 4th Duke of BedfordJohn Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, FRS was an 18th century British statesman. He was the fourth son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey...
- 1763-1765: The Earl of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG, PC, PC was a British courtier and politician.He was born in Chelsea, London the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway and Charlotte Shorter and died in Surrey, England...
- 1765-1766: The Duke of RichmondCharles Lennox, 3rd Duke of RichmondField Marshal Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Aubigny, KG, PC, FRS , styled Earl of March until 1750, was a British politician and office holder noteworthy for his advanced views on the issue of parliamentary reform...
- 1766-1768: The Earl of RochfordWilliam Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of RochfordWilliam Henry Nassau, 4th Earl of Rochford, PC, KG was a British courtier, diplomat and statesman of Anglo-Dutch descent. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, and served as Secretary of State in both the Northern and Southern Departments...
- 1768-1772: The Earl HarcourtSimon Harcourt, 1st Earl HarcourtSimon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, PC, FRS, Viceroy of Ireland , known as 2nd Viscount Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general....
- 1772-1778: The Viscount StormontDavid Murray, 2nd Earl of MansfieldDavid Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield KT, PC , known from 1748 to 1793 as The Viscount Stormont, was a British politician. He succeeded to both the Mansfield and Stormont lines of the Murray family, inheriting two titles and two fortunes.-Life:Mansfield was the son of David Murray, 6th Viscount of...
- no representation 1778-1782 due to American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
- 1782: Thomas GrenvilleThomas GrenvilleThomas Grenville PC was a British politician and bibliophile.-Background and education:Grenville was the second son of Prime Minister George Grenville and Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet...
, Minister - 1782-1783: Alleyne FitzherbertAlleyne Fitzherbert, 1st Baron St HelensAlleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens PC was a British diplomat and a friend of explorer George Vancouver, who named Mount St...
, Minister Plenipotentiary - 1783-1784: The Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 4th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester PC was a British politician and diplomat.Manchester was the son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester....
- 1784-1789: The Duke of Dorset
- 1790-1792: Earl Gower
- No representation after 1792, due to the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
- 1797: James Harris, Baron MalmesburyJames Harris, 1st Earl of MalmesburyJames Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury GCB was an English diplomatist.-Early life :...
, Plenipotentiary
- 1797: James Harris, Baron Malmesbury