Henry Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley

Henry Edward John Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley, 2nd Baron Eddisbury, also known as Abdul Rahman Stanley, was a British nobleman and historian who translated The first voyage round the world by Magellan and other works from the Age of Discovery. A convert to Islam, in 1869 Lord Stanley became the first Muslim member of the House of Lords.

Life

Stanley was educated at Eton College, and entered Trinity College, Cambridge in 1846.
He entered the Diplomatic Service in 1847, and was appointed Attaché at Constantinople in 1851. In January 1854, he was transferred from Constantinople to be secretary to the legation at Athens.
In or before 1859, Stanley converted to Islam and abandoned his position as a British diplomat in the Ottoman Empire. He may have adopted the name Abdul Rahman. He then travelled under his new Muslim identity as Shaikh Morad to British possessions in Asia, shocking colonial society in Ceylon and Singapore. He was refused a visa to the Dutch East Indies on this voyage. His father, Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley, on reading a press report about these travels complained to his wife about "that wretched fool Henry... Is he mad or what is he?" He appears to have conducted his Hajj to Mecca.
Lord Stanley was the first Muslim member of the House of Lords, inheriting his titles in 1869 upon the death of his father. When the Dutch invasion of Aceh was in the news in 1873-74, Stanley was a critic of both Dutch and British policy towards Aceh, accusing Britain of betraying Aceh, its ancient ally through treaties of 1601 and 1819, despite having undertaken to protect its independence.
As alcohol is forbidden in Islam, he apparently ordered the closure of all public houses on his estate in Nether Alderley, south of Alderley Edge. Despite his new faith, he funded the restoration on Anglesey of St Mary's Church, Bodewryd, Llanbadrig Church, St Dona's Church, Llanddona and St Peirio's Church, Rhosbeirio.
He took part in three marriage ceremonies with Fabia, daughter of Santiago Federico San Roman of Seville — firstly in 1862, secondly on 6 November 1869 at the registry office of the parish of St George's, Hanover Square and finally on 15 May 1874 at the Roman Catholic Church of St Alban, Macclesfield. Although she was apparently received as his wife in Britain, Fabia turned out to be identical to Serafina Fernandez y Funes, of Alcaudete, Jaén, Spain, who had, on 30 September 1851 married Ramon Peres y Abril, so that the first two marriage ceremonies were bigamous.
His mother, Henrietta Stanley, Baroness Stanley of Alderley, was an English educationist, while his sister Katharine was the mother of Bertrand Russell. His younger brother Edward Lyulph Stanley succeeded him.

Death

He died and was buried on two of the most auspicious dates in the Muslim calendar, 21 and 25 Ramadan. He was buried according to Muslim rites in unconsecrated ground in the garden of the Dower House on his family's estate, Alderley Park, at Nether Alderley, Cheshire. The chief mourner at his burial was the first secretary to the Ottoman Embassy in London. Islamic prayers were recited over his grave by the embassy's imam. A Janaza service in memory of the deceased was held at the Liverpool Mosque, conducted by Abdullah Quilliam.
In the issue of the Review of Religions for February 1904, the death of Lord Stanley was reported;
The Crescent gave the following account of his interment;
According to Nancy Mitford, at the funeral, his brother turned to the new Lord Stanley, who had removed his hat out of respect, and snapped "Not your hat, you fool, your boots."

Books

His books were published by the Hakluyt Society, of which he was a member and vice-president. He wrote under the name Hon. Henry E. J. Stanley while his father was alive and Lord Stanley of Alderley after he acceded to that title.

1866/1995/2001: ', translator
1868/1964/2001: ', translator
1869/1963: ', translator
1873/1963: ', editor
1874/1963/2001: ' translator
1881/1970: ' translator and editor; republished 1961 as ''''