Sir Gerard Noel, 2nd Baronet facts for kids

Sir Gerard Noel Noel, 2nd Baronet (born July 17, 1759 – died February 25, 1838) was an important English politician. He was a Member of Parliament, which means he was elected to help make laws for the country. He lived in Leicestershire and Rutland. Before 1798, he was known as Gerard Edwardes.

Who Was Sir Gerard Noel?

Gerard Noel was born Gerard Edwardes in a place called Tickencote, Rutland. This was on July 17, 1759. His father was Gerard Edwardes, and his mother was Lady Jane Noel. Lady Jane's father was Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough. Gerard went to two famous schools: Eton and St John's College, Cambridge.

Becoming a Politician

Gerard Noel started his career working in a bank in Westminster. In 1784, he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for a town called Maidstone.

Later, his cousin, Thomas Noel, who was also an MP, passed away. Gerard then decided to leave his Maidstone seat. He wanted to be elected for Rutland instead. The Noel family had held one of the MP seats for Rutland for many centuries.

Gerard represented Rutland for more than 40 years. He was first a supporter of Pitt the Younger. Pitt was a very famous Prime Minister. Later, Gerard became a strong member of the Tory party. The Tories were one of the main political groups in Britain.

In 1798, Gerard inherited land and property from his uncle, Henry Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough. He did not inherit the title of "Earl" because it could not pass through his mother's family line. After this, he officially changed his last name to Noel. He also served as the High Sheriff of Rutland in 1812. This was an important local role.

Family Life

Sir Gerard Noel was married three times during his life.

His first marriage was in 1780 to Diana Middleton. Her father was Captain Charles Middleton. Captain Middleton was a very important naval officer. He later became a "baronet," which is a special title. This title could be passed to Gerard if Captain Middleton had no sons.

Captain Middleton later became a "Lord" and was known as Lord Barham. When Lord Barham died in 1813, he had no sons. So, Gerard inherited the baronet title. His wife, Diana, inherited the title of "Baroness." Gerard and Diana had 18 children together.

One of their sons was Charles Noel Noel. He later became an MP and inherited his mother's title and his father's baronetcy. He was later made an "Earl." Another son, Rev. Gerard Thomas Noel, was a church leader. William Middleton Noel also became an MP for Rutland.

After Diana passed away in 1823, Gerard married Harriet Gill. They had one daughter named Harriet Jane. His third marriage was in 1831 to Isabella Evans.

Sir Gerard Noel died on February 25, 1838.