Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Earl of Clarendon PC
Lord Privy Seal
In office 1685–1687
Preceded by	George Saville, 1st Marquess of Halifax
Succeeded by	Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 1685–1687
Preceded by	Lords Justices
Succeeded by	Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
Personal details
Born	(1638-06-02)2 June 1638
Died	31 October 1709(1709-10-31) (aged 71)
Spouses	Theodosia Capell (died 1661) Flower Backhouse
Children	Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon
Parents	Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon Frances Aylesbury
Relatives	Anne Hyde (sister) Laurence Hyde (brother)

Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon (born June 2, 1638 – died October 31, 1709) was an important English nobleman and politician. He held high-ranking positions in the government when his brother-in-law, King James II, became king. Henry Hyde was also a member of the Privy Council, a group of advisors to the monarch.

Early Life and Family

Henry Hyde was the oldest son of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, and his second wife, Frances Aylesbury. This made him the brother of Anne Hyde, who was the first wife of King James II. Because of this, Henry was also the uncle of two future queens of England: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.

Henry and his brother, Laurence Hyde, spent part of their childhood in places like Antwerp and Breda. Their mother raised them there. Before 1660, Henry often helped his father by copying important papers, decoding secret messages, and acting as a trusted secretary for letters to royal supporters far away.

Serving King Charles II

Swallowfield Park house, where Henry Hyde lived.

After his family returned to England in 1660, Henry Hyde married Theodosia Capell. Sadly, she passed away in 1661. In 1670, he married again to Flower Backhouse. She was a widow who owned a large estate called Swallowfield Park in Berkshire. Henry rebuilt the house there. Flower later became a close attendant to Queen Anne.

From 1661, Henry was known by the special title Lord Cornbury. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire until 1674.

In 1662, he became the private secretary to Queen Catherine, the wife of King Charles II. By 1665, he was made her Lord Chamberlain, a senior official in her household. He later had some disagreements with the Queen about her allowance money. In 1664, his friend John Evelyn helped him plant trees at Cornbury Park.

When his father was facing a serious accusation in 1667, Lord Cornbury spoke up to defend him. After his father's political downfall, Henry became an opponent of the King's main advisors, known as the Cabal Ministry. He openly criticized powerful figures like Buckingham and Arlington.

When his father died in 1674, Henry inherited his title and became the Earl of Clarendon. In 1680, his brother-in-law, James, Duke of York, helped him become a privy councillor. Around this time, he also became the keeper of Denmark House and managed the Queen's money. Henry often faced financial difficulties throughout his life.

Because of his friendship with the Duke of York, Henry and his brother Laurence were mentioned by Parliament in 1681 as people who seemed to favor Catholicism. By now, Henry was a strong supporter of the King. He was allowed to visit important prisoners in the Tower of London, such as Arthur Capell (his first wife's brother) in 1683 and the Duke of Monmouth in the next reign. He also tried to help Alice Lisle when she was sentenced by Judge George Jeffreys.

Serving King James II

In 1685, Henry's brother-in-law, King James II, made him the Lord Privy Seal. This was a very important government job. A few months later, he was also appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, which meant he was the King's main representative in Ireland.

In Ireland

When Clarendon arrived in Dublin in December 1685, he found that his power was less than that of Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, who was in charge of the army in Ireland. Soon, Clarendon learned that the King wanted to allow Roman Catholics to hold positions in the Irish legal system, government, and army.

Clarendon advised religious leaders not to upset Catholic people. He allowed Catholics to become government advisors and army officers. He also pushed for them to be included in town councils. He made some weak protests to the King about these changes. In June 1686, Tyrconnell returned to Ireland with full control over the army. Clarendon tried to hold onto his job.

Tyrconnell completely changed the army. In August 1686, he went to England to get the King's permission to change a law called the Act of Settlement 1662. Clarendon sent many complaints to both the King and Queen while Tyrconnell was away. But as his brother Laurence (now the Earl of Rochester) lost influence, Henry realized he might lose his job in Ireland.

About three weeks after his brother Rochester was dismissed, Henry received a letter telling him he was recalled from Ireland. Tyrconnell took Clarendon's place. Clarendon left Ireland on February 21, 1687, taking with him the records of the army's supplies.

Losing His Position

Henry and his brother, the Earl of Rochester, had lost the King's favor and were removed from their government jobs. The position of Lord Privy Seal was given to a Catholic nobleman, Henry Arundell, 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour, in March 1687. Clarendon then stepped away from public life for a while.

He focused on his family's finances and tried to raise money for his oldest son, Lord Cornbury. He even tried some business ventures, like looking for coal in Windsor forest. King James II gave him a pension around 1688.

Clarendon advised the bishops who were held in the Tower of London about their legal situation. The Queen, whom he had advised since 1681, also sought his help. In September 1688, with the Dutch preparing to invade England, King James II wanted to see what the Church of England supporters would do. Clarendon became more determined. In October, at a meeting where the King announced the birth of the Prince of Wales, Clarendon refused to sit next to a Catholic priest and insisted on attending only as a peer.

Nine days after William of Orange landed in England, Lord Cornbury, Henry's son, left the King to join William. This was a very difficult moment for Clarendon. (William's wife, Mary, was Henry's niece.) In a meeting of noblemen called by the King to discuss calling a free parliament, Clarendon argued against the King's plan. On December 1, he traveled to Salisbury to make peace with William.

On December 3, he met William and offered his support. He was present at an important meeting in Hungerford on December 8. He continued to follow William's advance. On December 16, he met William again and introduced his brother Rochester to him. It was at this meeting that Clarendon was said to have suggested keeping King James in the Tower of London. However, Clarendon himself stated that he was against the King being sent away. William later informed him that the King had fled.

Supporting the Jacobites

Clarendon took a strong stance as a Tory, disagreeing with the idea that King James had given up his throne. He also did not support the decision to make William III and Mary II the new rulers. He spoke about this in Parliament and refused to swear loyalty to the new government. William was upset that Clarendon had suggested he was against the Church of England.

Clarendon was in contact with Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston, who was plotting to bring King James back to power (a group known as Jacobites). On June 24, Queen Mary II ordered her uncle, Henry, to be arrested. The next day, he was in the Tower of London. He stayed there until August 15.

After he was released, the plotting continued. When Lord Preston was arrested in December 1690, letters found on him included one from Clarendon to King James. Preston named Clarendon as one of his partners in the plot. Clarendon was sent back to the Tower of London in January 1691 and stayed there for several months. In July, he was allowed to go to the countryside under guard, and he was soon released on bail.

Later Life

The rest of Clarendon's life was peaceful, spent at his country homes. His main trouble was a long-running legal dispute with the Dowager Queen Catherine. In 1694, because of money problems, many of the paintings collected by his father at Cornbury were sold, along with much of the library. In 1697, Clarendon sold Cornbury to his brother Rochester, but this was kept secret until Henry's death to protect his pride.

The first edition of his father's famous book, History of the Rebellion, was published between 1702 and 1704. His brother Rochester did most of the work, but Henry was interested in the project. In 1704, he gave a copy of the printed books to John Evelyn. Queen Anne would not receive him at court because he was a strong Jacobite, but she did pay him a pension.

Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon, died on October 31, 1709. His personal diary and letters, along with those of his younger brother Rochester, were first published in 1828. He also had a great collection of medals and wrote a book about the history of Winchester Cathedral.

See also

• List of deserters from James II to William of Orange

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  Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon