Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst

2.1. Birth and Family Background

Henry Bathurst was born on 22 May 1762, the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, a distinguished lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor and Lord President of the Council. His mother was Tryphena Scawen, the daughter of Thomas Scawen. Until he succeeded to the earldom in 1794, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Apsley.

2.2. Education

From 1773 to 1778, Bathurst received his education at Eton College, a prestigious public school. He then continued his academic pursuits at Christ Church, Oxford, which was considered the most academic college at Oxford at the time. His closest companions at Eton, William Wyndham Grenville, Richard, Lord Wellesley, and his cousin Canon Bathurst, also attended Christ Church with him. He matriculated at the college on 22 April 1779, at the age of sixteen.

In 1781, without taking a degree, Bathurst left Oxford to embark on a Grand Tour of Europe. He traveled through Germany with Grenville, then proceeded to Switzerland and Italy, before heading north to Paris. His tour was cut short in February 1783 when he returned to London upon hearing that William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne's government was being challenged by a Fox-North coalition. Immediately upon entering the political sphere, he developed a strong admiration for the patriotism and oratorical skills of William Pitt the Younger.

3.1. Entry into Parliament

In July 1783, at the age of 21, Lord Apsley was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Cirencester constituency in Gloucestershire. From the outset, he refused to serve with the Whigs, largely due to his strong friendship with the Tory leader William Pitt the Younger. His maiden speech, in which he bravely opposed the East India Bill, was notably impressive and contributed to the downfall of the existing government.

3.2. Early Government Appointments

From 1783 to 1789, Bathurst served as a junior civil Lord of the Admiralty, adhering firmly to Pittite policies. During this period, he actively supported Pitt's party, even sending a former employee to aid their efforts in a by-election at Carshalton where voter agents were missing. The Admiralty department, where he served, consisted of five lords (all of whom were MPs), twenty clerks, and a secretary named Paul Stephens. He was also assisted at the Navy Board by the diligent Captain Charles Middleton.

In 1786, he was granted the reversion to the tellership sinecure, a position worth 2.70 K GBP per annum, from Lord Hardwicke. He served as a Lord of the Treasury from 1789 to 1791, a role that involved counting the government's votes on divisions in the chamber and recording expenditures. On 19 April 1791, he notably voted for repealing the slave trade in the first parliamentary vote on abolition. However, he was not in favor of repealing the Test Act in Scotland. On 3 June 1791, he sat on the committee of inquiry into the Prince of Wales' civil list and his use of funds granted for his household at Carlton House. By 21 June, he had resigned from his post to attend to his dying father at home.

From 1793, Bathurst served as an unpaid Commissioner of the Board of Control for India, and on 21 June, he was sworn into the Privy Council of Great Britain. Although Pitt later offered him a salary for this role, he declined it, preferring to retain the sinecures he already held. Despite being at the center of cabinet government, he struggled to make a significant impact in this period, attending only a quarter of the meetings held every ten days. He was described as a diffident speaker and not a great orator, which hindered his advancement to higher offices of state. He relinquished this office upon his father's death in 1794. Lord Mornington later offered him the Governorship of Madras, but Bathurst withdrew from traveling to India due to his wife's strong objections.

4.1. Master of the Mint

In May 1804, when William Pitt the Younger returned as Prime Minister, he reappointed his old friend Bathurst as Master of the Mint. During this time, Bathurst was also involved in the construction of new offices for the Mint, designed by Robert Smirke, while simultaneously overseeing work on the entrance hall at his family home in Cirencester. He informed Pitt that he was "well provided for" and attempted to unite the Pitt and Grenville factions. He advised Grenville that King George III would not tolerate Catholic officers in the Army during a national crisis, following the Whig's summons to the palace. Pitt's death on 23 January 1806 prompted Bathurst to briefly withdraw from politics, but the subsequent "Ministry of all the Talents" was short-lived. Bathurst remained Master of the Mint during the ministries of the Duke of Portland and Spencer Perceval, finally vacating the post in June 1812.

4.2. President of the Board of Trade

Appointed President of the Board of Trade in March 1807, Bathurst's primary concern was countering Napoleon's Continental System against free trade. Despite his efforts, he was outmaneuvered by cabinet 'hawks' who opted to close all British ports, invoking the Navigation Acts both domestically and internationally. In response, Bathurst implemented the Orders-in-Council on 11 and 25 November 1807, a measure intended to retaliate against Napoleon's economic blockade. He also supported Admiral Berkeley's posting to Lisbon and the subsequent championing of John VI of Portugal as Emperor of Brazil. However, his policy was criticized by George Canning as "the most disastrous" when Britain was obliged to concede Napoleon's Convention of Cintra.

4.3. Foreign Secretary

For a brief period of two months, from 11 October to 6 December 1809, Bathurst was temporarily in charge of the Foreign Office. This appointment came after George Canning and Viscount Castlereagh resigned following their duel. During his short tenure, he imposed a travel ban to Portugal and withdrew the diplomat Henry Williams-Wynne. In a strategic gesture, he sent King George III a backgammon board, reflecting the strategic victory at Lines of Torres Vedras.

4.4. Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

Bathurst's most extensive and influential role was as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, a position he held from June 1812 until Lord Liverpool's resignation in April 1827. He played a crucial role in improving the conduct of the Peninsular War and was responsible for defending the government's treatment of Napoleon Bonaparte.

During the War of 1812, Bathurst endorsed Sir George Prévost's policy in British North America. He authorized the replacement of the Provincial Marines with Royal Navy personnel and sanctioned the occupation of the Great Lakes, with a primary focus on the defense of Canada. However, this strategy remained largely defensive and underfunded until Napoleon I was sent to Elba in 1814, by which time it was considered too late. Bathurst initially refused to send large-scale reinforcements. Nevertheless, when military operations shifted to the north-western forests and inlets of Vancouver Sound in British Columbia, 20,000 troops were dispatched to prevent incursions across the border. The failure of the Plattsburgh Expedition severely damaged Prévost's reputation among Royal Navy officers, leading Bathurst to order his recall for a court-martial, though Prévost died in 1815 before it could proceed.

Within the War and Colonial Office, Bathurst reorganized the department with his capable Under-secretary Henry Goulburn. They introduced "Blue books" and new office routines, significantly improving administrative competence. Goulburn's successor, Wilmot Horton, praised Bathurst for his practical good sense and discretion.

In 1817, Bathurst dispatched a commission of inquiry to Australia to investigate the colony's use of penal transportation and the treatment of convicts. John Bigge's three subsequent reports recommended the continuation of transportation and an increase in settlers. Bathurst responded by ordering changes to the administration of justice and land distribution within the colony.

4.5. Lord President of the Council

Following Liverpool's resignation in 1827, King George IV turned to George Canning to form a new government. Bathurst, along with Wellington and Lord Eldon, who represented the 'Ultra Tories' on the far right of the Tory party, refused to serve under Canning due to his humble origins, liberal policies, and support for Catholic Emancipation. When Wellington subsequently formed a government a few months later after Canning's death, he opted for a more moderate cabinet. Consequently, Bathurst had to accept the relatively less prominent position of Lord President of the Council, which he held from 1828 to 1830.

5.1. High Toryism and Conservatism

Bathurst was a committed High Tory and a High Church Anglican, a loyal follower of Pitt. He was a close friend of both Castlereagh and Wellington, sharing their fundamental belief that the primary responsibility of government was to preserve the established social and political order, both domestically and across the British Empire. He benefited significantly from the 'old corruption' system, holding lucrative sinecure incomes as Teller of the Exchequer and Clerk of the Crown. As a substantial landowner in Gloucestershire, he was a lifelong advocate for agricultural interests and a firm supporter of the Corn Laws, which protected domestic grain production.

5.2. Colonial Policy and Social Issues

As Colonial Secretary, Bathurst adopted a traditional and paternalistic approach to colonial governance. He was generally hostile to the introduction of representative institutions and the development of a free press in Britain's overseas possessions, believing they could destabilize the existing order. His appointments to overseas posts often reflected this traditional system, relying heavily on status, nepotism, and family connections. For instance, he appointed his brother-in-law, the Duke of Richmond, who was facing financial difficulties, as Governor-General of Canada. Similarly, his son-in-law, Major General Sir Frederic Ponsonby, was sent to serve as Governor of Malta, and Lord Charles Somerset, the son of his friend the Duke of Beaufort, was appointed Governor of Cape Colony.

Despite his conservative stance on governance, Bathurst demonstrated a notable humanitarian inclination regarding social issues. While not an outright abolitionist, he was a friend of the prominent anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce. Bathurst actively pressed his colonial governors to improve the living conditions of enslaved people in the Caribbean. His commitment to this cause is recognized in the naming of the town of Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa, which was renamed in memorial of his humanitarian gesture towards the settlers of Albany and his parliamentary censure of the excessively punitive Governor-General, Lord Charles Somerset.

Bathurst also played a role in the administration of penal transportation. In 1817, he dispatched a commission of inquiry to Australia to investigate the colony's use of transportation and the treatment of convicts. Following the three reports submitted by John Bigge, which recommended continued transportation and increased settlement, Bathurst ordered significant changes to the administration of justice and land distribution in the colony.

5.3. Key Political Decisions

Bathurst's political decisions consistently reflected his conservative principles. He supported Pitt's decision to return the Cape of Good Hope colony in February 1801 and voted to uphold the Aliens Act 1793, advocating for foreigners to carry passports. He also followed Pitt's lead in accepting the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.

His position on Catholic Emancipation was complex: while he personally favored the removal of disabilities for Roman Catholics, he ultimately voted against it, believing it would not improve the constitution. This stance highlighted his prioritization of constitutional stability over what he perceived as potentially disruptive social changes. A staunch opponent, he firmly resisted the Reform Bill of 1832, viewing it as a radical threat to the established order. In 1817, he made a significant speech to the House of Lords detailing the harsh conditions Napoleon faced during his exile on Saint Helena. He also expressed deep concern over the economic depression and rising unemployment since 1800, stating to the Lords: "When I paused over this scene of misery, unequalled in the history of civilised times, I felt naturally to demand, how it was possible to sustain existence in such circumstances, and whether it were not practicable to administer charitable aid?" He attributed much of the blame for the plight of unemployed laborers to protectionism.

6.1. Marriage and Children

Lord Bathurst married Lady Georgiana Lennox (1765-1841) in April 1789. She was the daughter of Lord George Henry Lennox, who was the second son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond. The couple had four sons and two daughters.

Their children were:

• Henry George (1790-1866), who succeeded him as the 4th Earl Bathurst.
• William Lennox (1791-1878), who later became the 5th Earl Bathurst.
• Louisa Georgina (1792-1874).
• Peter George Allen (1794-1796).
• Seymour Thomas (1795-1834).
• Emily Charlotte (1798-1877), who married Frederick Ponsonby.
• Reverend Charles (1802-1842).

Henry Bathurst died on 27 July 1834, at the age of 72, at his London residence located at 16 Arlington Street, Piccadilly. He was buried in the parish church of Cirencester Abbey in Gloucestershire. Lady Bathurst died in January 1841, aged 75.

6.2. Likenesses and Depictions

Henry Bathurst was the subject of several artistic works. Sir Thomas Lawrence, the prominent court painter, created a portrait of Bathurst in his studio. Subsequently, etchings of Bathurst were produced in London in 1810 by Thomas Phillips and Henry Meyer. One such example was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery of Australia in Canberra. A sculpture depicting Bathurst is also featured on the exterior of the Colonial Office building in London. In popular culture, he was portrayed by Christopher Lee in the South African television series Shaka Zulu.

7.1. Places Named in His Honour

Several geographical locations and cities across the globe were named in honor of Henry Bathurst, reflecting his significant influence during the period of British colonial expansion:

• Bathurst County, a county located in New South Wales, Australia.
• Bathurst, a regional city also in New South Wales, Australia.
• Bathurst Island, part of the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory, Australia.
• Bathurst Island, an island situated in Nunavut, Canada.
• Bathurst Street, a prominent street in Toronto, Canada.
• Bathurst, a city located in New Brunswick, Canada.
• Bathurst, a town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
• Bathurst, the former name of Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia.