Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley


Morton Frederick Eden, 1st Baron Henley, was a British diplomat and peer.

Early life and education

Eden was the fifth son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, and Mary Davison, youngest daughter of William Davison of Beamish, County Durham. His three eldest brothers were Sir John Eden, 4th Baronet, Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland, and William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland.
He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.

Career

From 1776 to 1779, Eden was Minister to Bavaria, then to Copenhagen 1779–1782, Dresden 1783–1791, Berlin 1791–1793 and Vienna 1793–1794. From 1794 to 1795, he was Ambassador to Spain, and returned as Minister to Vienna in 1794–1799. He then retired with a pension of £2000.
Eden was knighted in 1791 and admitted to the Privy Council in 1794. In 1799, Eden was created Baron Henley, of Chardstock, in the Peerage of Ireland, in honour of his wife's family. His wife was the co-heiress to her brother, Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington, who died unmarried in 1786, and his earldom and subsidiary title of Baron Henley in the Peerage of Great Britain had become extinct. The Irish peerage did not allow Henley to sit in the House of Lords.

Marriage and issue

On 7 August 1783, Eden married Lady Elizabeth Henley and they had four children:
Lord Henley died in 1830 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Robert, who adopted the surname Henley.