BRYDGES, Sir HARFORD JONES (1764 - 1847), diplomatist and author
Date of birth: 1764
Date of death: 1847
Spouse: Sarah Brydges (née Gott)
Parent: Winifred Jones (née Hooper)
Parent: Harford Jones
Gender: Male
Occupation: diplomatist and author
Area of activity: Literature and Writing; Politics, Government and Political Movements; Public and Social Service, Civil Administration
Author: William Llewelyn Davies
Born 12 January 1764, son of Harford Jones, Presteign, Radnorshire, and Winifred, daughter of Richard Hooper, The Whittern, Herefordshire. The son assumed, 4 May 1826, the additional surname of Brydges.
The career of Harford Jones (Brydges) is described in D.N.B.; only a brief mention is, therefore, necessary here. Early in life he entered the service of the East India Company. He became proficient in Oriental languages and was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the court of Persia; this post, that of the first British ambassador to Persia, he held from 1807 (in which year he was created a baronet) until 1811.
He published The Dynasty of the Kajars, translated from the original Persian manuscript, 1833; An Account of His Majesty's Mission to Persia in the years 1807-11, to which is added a brief history of the Wahanby, 1834; Letter on the Present State of British Interests and Affairs in Persia, 1838, etc. A decwided Whig, he showed much interest in the election contests of Radnorshire, where he founded 'The Grey Coat Club,' a political association; in 1841 he was appointed a deputy-lieutenant of Radnorshire. On 15 June 1831 he became D.C.L. (honorary) of Oxford, and in 1832 a privy councillor.
His wife was Sarah, daughter of Sir Henry Gott, Newland Park, Buckinghamshire. He died 17 March 1847 at Boultibrook, near Presteign, a house whence (in 1923) some Boultibrook manuscripts came to the National Library of Wales (now NLW MSS 4901-12 ), to be supplemented (in 1943) by a very large group of Harford Jones and Harford Jones Brydges papers which came from Kentchurch Court, Herefordshire. Included in the Kentchurch Court group are (a) Harford Jones estate and manorial documents, and (b) Harford Jones Brydges diplomatic and other papers, East India Company and Government papers and letters, and, particularly, papers relating to the mission to Persia - all in English, French, Persian, etc.
Author
- Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and the sources named therein
- Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, vii, 52-3
- Annual Report of the National Library of Wales, 1942-3, 32-3
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Sir Harford Jones-Brydges
Further Reading
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/
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