Henry Addington

This article is about Henry Addington, the Viscount Sidmouth. For other uses, seeHenry Addington (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable The Viscount Sidmouth PC
Portrait byWilliam Beechey,c.1803
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 17 March 1801 – 10 May 1804
Monarch	George III
Preceded by	William Pitt the Younger
Succeeded by	William Pitt the Younger
Ministerial offices Home Secretary In office 11 June 1812 – 17 January 1822 Prime Minister The Earl of Liverpool Preceded by Richard Ryder Succeeded by Robert Peel Lord President of the Council In office 8 April 1812 – 11 June 1812 Prime Minister Spencer Perceval The Earl of Liverpool Preceded by The Earl Camden Succeeded by The Earl of Harrowby In office 8 October 1806 – 26 March 1807 Prime Minister The Lord Grenville Preceded by The Earl Fitzwilliam Succeeded by The Earl Camden In office 14 January 1805 – 10 July 1805 Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger Preceded by The Duke of Portland Succeeded by The Earl Camden Lord Privy Seal In office 5 February 1806 – 15 October 1806 Prime Minister The Lord Grenville Preceded by The Earl of Westmorland Succeeded by The Lord Holland Chancellor of the Exchequer In office 14 March 1801 – 10 May 1804 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by William Pitt the Younger Succeeded by William Pitt the Younger Leader of the House of Commons In office 17 March 1801 – 10 May 1804 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by William Pitt the Younger Succeeded by William Pitt the Younger
Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
In office 1 January 1801 – 10 February 1801
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	William Pitt
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Sir John Mitford
Speaker of the House of Commons of Great Britain
In office 8 June 1789 – 31 January 1800
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	William Pitt
Preceded by	William Grenville
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Member of Parliament forDevizes
In office 1784–1805
Preceded by	Henry Jones
Succeeded by	Thomas Grimston Estcourt
Personal details
Born	(1757-05-30)30 May 1757 Holborn,Middlesex,England
Died	15 February 1844(1844-02-15)(aged 86) White Lodge,Surrey,England
Resting place	St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake
Political party	Tory(Addingtonian)
Spouses	Ursula Hammond ​ ​ (m.1781;died1811)​ Marianne Townsend ​ (m.1823)​
Children	8 (by Hammond)
Parent	Anthony Addington(father)
Relatives	John Hiley Addington(brother) Henry Unwin Addington(nephew)
Education	Cheam School Reading School Winchester College
Alma mater	Brasenose College, Oxford
Cabinet	§ Cabinet
Signature

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth,PC(30 May 1757 – 15 February 1844) was aBritish Torystatesman who served asprime minister of the United Kingdomfrom 1801 to 1804.

Addington is best known for obtaining theTreaty of Amiensin 1802, an unfavourable peace withNapoleonic Francewhich marked the end of theSecond Coalitionduring theFrench Revolutionary Wars.When that treaty broke down, Addington resumed the war without allies. He conducted relatively weak defensive hostilities, ahead of what would become theWar of the Third Coalition.He was forced from office in favour ofWilliam Pitt the Younger,who had preceded Addington as Prime Minister. Addington is also known for hisreactionarycrackdown on advocates ofdemocratic reformsduring a ten-year spell asHome Secretaryfrom 1812 to 1822. He is the longest continuously serving holder of that office since it was created in 1782.

Family

Henry Addington was the son ofAnthony Addington,Pitt the Elder's physician; and Mary Addington, the daughter of the Rev. Haviland John Hiley, headmaster ofReading School.As a consequence of his father's position, Addington was a childhood friend ofWilliam Pitt the Younger.Addington studied atReading School,Winchester,andBrasenose College, Oxford,and then studied law atLincoln's Inn.He married Ursula Mary Hammond in 1781; she brought an income of £1,000 a year into the marriage. The couple had eight children, of whom six survived to adulthood. Ursula Addington died in 1811; in 1823 Addington married a widow, Marianne Townsend, daughter ofWilliam Scott, 1st Baron Stowell.

Political career

He was elected to theHouse of Commonsin 1784 as one of the Members of Parliament forDevizes,and becameSpeaker of the House of Commonsin 1789. In March 1801,William Pitt the Youngerresigned from office, ostensibly over the refusal of KingGeorge IIIto remove some of the existing political restrictions on Roman Catholics in Ireland (Catholic Emancipation), but poor health, failure in war, economic collapse, alarming levels ofsocial unrestdue tofamine,and irreconcilable divisions within the Cabinet also played a role. Both Pitt and the King insisted that Addington take over as Prime Minister, despite his own objections, and his failed attempts to reconcile the King and Pitt.

Prime Minister

Further information:Addington ministry

See also:United Kingdom in the Napoleonic Wars

Foreign policy was the centrepiece of his term in office. Some historians have been highly critical and said that it was ignorant and indifferent to Britain's greatest needs. However, Thomas Goldsmith argues that Addington and Hawkesbury conducted a logical, consistent andeurocentricbalance-of-powerpolicy, rooted in rules and assumptions governing their conduct, rather than a chaotic free-for-all approach.

Addington's domestic reforms doubled the efficiency of theincome tax.In foreign affairs, he secured theTreaty of Amiensin 1802. While the treaty's terms were the bare minimum that the British government could accept,NapoleonBonaparte would not have agreed to any terms more favourable to the British, and the British government had reached a state of financial collapse from war expenditure, the loss of Continental markets for British goods and two successive failed harvests that had led to widespread famine and social unrest, rendering peace a necessity.

By early 1803, Britain's financial and diplomatic positions had recovered sufficiently to allow Addington to declare war on France, when it became clear that the French would not allow a settlement for the defences of Malta that would have been secure enough to fend off a French invasion that appeared imminent.

At the time and ever since, Addington has been criticised for his lacklustre conduct of the war and his defensive posture. However, without allies, Britain's options were limited to defence. He increased the forces, provided a tax base that could finance an enlarged war and seized several French possessions. To gain allies, Addington cultivated better relations with theRussian Empire,theAustrian Empire,and theKingdom of Prussia.These relations culminated in theThird Coalitionshortly after Addington left office. Addington also strengthened British defences against a French invasion through the building ofMartello towerson thesouth coastand the raising of more than 600,000 men at arms.

Foundling Hospital

In 1802, Addington accepted an honorary position as vice-president for life on the Court of Governors of London'sFoundling Hospitalfor abandoned babies.

Loss of office

InBritannia between Death and the Doctor's(1804),James Gillraycaricatured Pitt as a doctor kicking Addington (the previous doctor) out of Britannia's sickroom.

Although the King stood by him, it was not enough, because Addington did not have a strong enough hold on both Houses of Parliament. By May 1804, partisan criticism of Addington's war policies provided the pretext for a parliamentary putsch by the three major factions (Grenvillites,Foxites,and Pittites), who had decided that they should replace Addington's ministry. Addington's greatest failing was his inability to manage a parliamentary majority by cultivating the loyal support of MPs beyond his own circle and the friends of the King. That, combined with his mediocre speaking ability, left him vulnerable to Pitt's mastery of parliamentary management and his unparallelled oratory skills. Pitt's parliamentary assault against Addington in March 1804 led to the slimming of his parliamentary majority to the point that defeat in the House of Commons was imminent.

Lord President and Lord Privy Seal

Addington remained an important political figure because he had gained a large following of MPs who supported him loyally in the Commons. He was reconciled with Pitt in December 1804, with the help ofLord Hawkesburyas an intermediary. As a result, Pitt arranged for him to join the Cabinet asLord President of the Councilin January 1805. Pitt insisted for Addington to accept apeerageto avoid the inconvenience of them sitting together in the Commons. Addington was createdViscount Sidmouth,ofSidmouthin theCounty of Devonon 12 January 1805.

In return for the support of the government by Addington's loyal supporters, Pitt agreed to includeRobert Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire,Addington's colleague, asChancellor of the Duchy of Lancasterwith a promise to elevate him to the first vacancy of a more senior position in the Cabinet. However, whenMelvilleresigned asFirst Lord of the Admiraltyin July 1805, Pitt broke his promise by havingSir Charles Middletonappointed instead of Buckinghamshire. As a result of the betrayal, Addington and Buckinghamshire resigned and took all of their supporters into opposition. Addington was appointedLord Privy Sealin 1806 in theMinistry of All the Talentsthat succeeded Pitt. Later that year he returned to the position of Lord President to 1807. His resignation precipitated the fall of the Talents Ministry. Addington was opposed to a limited measure of Catholic Emancipation, which the Cabinet was considering despite the opposition ofKing George III.

Home Secretary

He returned to government again as Lord President in March 1812, and, in June of the same year, becameHome Secretary.As Home Secretary, Addington countered revolutionary opposition, being responsible for the temporarysuspensionofhabeas corpusin 1817 and the passage of theSix Actsin 1819. His tenure also saw thePeterloo Massacreof 1819. He left office in 1822, succeeded as Home Secretary by SirRobert Peel.

Addington remained in the Cabinet asMinister without Portfoliofor the next two years, opposing, along withArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington,other members of Cabinet, andKing George IV,British recognition of the South American republics. He remained active in theHouse of Lordsfor the next few years, making his final speech in opposition to Catholic Emancipation in 1829 and casting his final vote against theReform Act 1832.

Residences and land

Memorial in Mortlake

Addington maintained homes atUpottery,Devon andBulmershe Court,in what is now theReadingsuburb ofWoodley,but moved to theWhite LodgeinRichmond Parkwhen he became Prime Minister. However, he maintained links with Woodley and the Reading area as commander of the Woodley Yeomanry Cavalry and High Steward of Reading. He also donated to the town of Reading the four acres (1.6 ha) of land that is today the site of theRoyal Berkshire Hospital,and his name is commemorated in the town's Sidmouth Street and Addington Road as well as in Sidmouth Street in Devizes and Addington Special School in Woodley, Reading.In Devizes he paid for the newMarket Cross,designed byJames Wyatt,that was constructed in 1814.

As Speaker of the House of Commons, from 1795 he had a residence in thePalace of Westminster,to the north-east of the House of Commons.

Death

Addington died in London on 15 February 1844 at the age of 86, frominfluenza,and was buried in the churchyard atSt Mary the Virgin, MortlakeonMortlake High Street,now in Greater London.

Arms

Coat of arms of Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth

Crest A Cat-a-mountain sejant guardant Proper bezanty the dexter forepaw resting on aninescutcheonAzure charged with a Mace erect surmounted with a Regal Crown Or within a Bordure engrailed Argent Escutcheon Per pale Ermine and Erminés a Chevron charged with five Lozenges counterchanged between three Fleurs-de-lis Or Supporters On either side a Stag thedexterErminés thesinisterErmine both attired and gorged with a Chain pendant therefrom a Key all Or Motto Libertas sub rege pio(Liberty under a pious King)

Cabinet

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office	Party
First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer	Henry Addington *	17 March 1801(1801-03-17)	10 May 1804(1804-05-10)		Tory
Lord Chancellor	The Lord Eldon	14 April 1801(1801-04-14)	7 February 1806(1806-02-07)		Tory
Lord President of the Council	The Earl of Chatham	21 September 1796(1796-09-21)	30 July 1801(1801-07-30)		Independent
	The Duke of Portland	30 July 1801(1801-07-30)	14 January 1805(1805-01-14)		Tory
Lord Privy Seal	The Earl of Westmorland	February 1798(1798-02)	February 1806(1806-02)		Tory
Secretary of State for the Home Department	The Duke of Portland	11 July 1794(1794-07-11)	30 July 1801(1801-07-30)		Tory
	The Lord Pelham of Stanmer	30 July 1801(1801-07-30)	17 August 1803(1803-08-17)		Tory
	Charles Philip Yorke	17 August 1803(1803-08-17)	12 May 1804(1804-05-12)		Tory
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	The Lord Hawkesbury	20 February 1801(1801-02-20)	14 May 1804(1804-05-14)		Tory
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	The Lord Hobart	17 March 1801(1801-03-17)	12 May 1804(1804-05-12)		Tory
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Earl of St Vincent	1801(1801)	1804(1804)		Whig
Master-General of the Ordnance	The Earl of Chatham	June 1801(1801-06)	February 1806(1806-02)		Independent
President of the Board of Trade	The Earl of Liverpool	23 August 1786(1786-08-23)	7 June 1804(1804-06-07)		Independent
President of the Board of Control	The Earl of Dartmouth	May 1801(1801-05)	July 1802(1802-07)		Tory
	Viscount Castlereagh	July 1802(1802-07)	1806(1806)		Tory

References

• "Addington, Henry".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/150.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
• Cooke, Sir Robert(1987).The Palace of Westminster.London: Burton Skira.ISBN978-0-333-45923-2.
• Cookson, J. E.(1997).The British Armed Nation, 1793–1815.Oxford: Clarendon Press.ISBN0-19-820658-5.
• Ehrman, John(1996).The Younger Pitt: The Consuming Struggle.Vol. 3. Constable.ISBN978-0-8047-2754-9.
• Fedorak, Charles John (2002).Henry Addington, Prime Minister, 1801–1804: Peace, War and Parliamentary Politics.Akron, Ohio: University of Akron Press. p. 268.ISBN978-1-884836-83-1.
• Fedorak, C. J. (1991). "In search of a necessary ally: Addington, Hawkesbury, and Russia, 1801–1804".International History Review.13(2): 221–45.doi:10.1080/07075332.1991.9640579.JSTOR40106365.
• Feldbæk, Ole(1978). "The Anglo-Russian Rapprochement of 1801: A prelude to the peace of Amiens".Scandinavian Journal of History.3(1–4): 205–227.doi:10.1080/03468757808578936.
• Goldsmith, Thomas (2016). "British Diplomatic Attitudes towards Europe, 1801–4: Ignorant and Indifferent?".International History Review.38(4): 657–674.doi:10.1080/07075332.2015.1096807.S2CID155945406.
• Hall, C. D. (October 1988). "Addington at War: Unspectacular but not Unsuccessful".Historical Research.61(146): 306–315.doi:10.1111/j.1468-2281.1988.tb01069.x.
• Hunt, William(1885)."Addington, Henry (1757–1844)".InStephen, Leslie(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 01. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Kagan, Frederick (2007).The End of the Old Order: Napoleon and Europe, 1801–1805.Hachette Books.ISBN978-0-306-81645-1.
• McCahill, Michael W. (May 1987). "The House of Lords and the Collapse of Henry Addington's Administration".Parliamentary History.6(1): 69–94.doi:10.1111/j.1750-0206.1987.tb00412.x.
• Ziegler, Philip(1965).Addington, A Life of Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth.New York: The John Day Company. p. 478.

External links

• Media related toHenry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouthat Wikimedia Commons
• Works by or aboutHenry Addington, 1st Viscount SidmouthatWikisource
• "Archival material relating to Henry Addington".UK National Archives.
• Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth (1757–1844)at David Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History Website
• Woodley House (Sonning)at David Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History Website
• Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by Mr Henry Addington