Edward Wortley Montagu (diplomat)
Edward Wortley Montagu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | January 22, 1761 (aged 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Coal proprietor, politician, diplomat |
| Known for | British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Member of Parliament, coal industry involvement |
Edward Wortley Montagu (8 February 1678 – 22 January 1761) was a notable English coal proprietor and political figure. He held the position of British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, was married to the author Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and fathered the writer and explorer Edward Wortley Montagu.
Life
Born to Sidney Wortley Montagu and the grandson of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, Wortley Montagu received his education at Westminster School before matriculating at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1693. That same year, he joined the Middle Temple, later entering the Inner Temple in 1706, and was called to the bar in 1699.
Between 1700 and 1701, he embarked on a Grand Tour, traveling through France and Switzerland, partly in the company of Joseph Addison.
A distinguished member of the Whig faction, he secured election as Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1705, during a contested election marked by bribery. From 1714 to 1715, he served as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. In 1715, he was returned unopposed as MP for Westminster, a two-member constituency.
King George I appointed him Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and designated him as the representative of the Levant Company. Montagu arrived in Adrianople (modern Edirne) in March 1717 with a mandate to mediate between the Ottomans and the Habsburg Empire. His diplomatic efforts did not succeed; he was never formally accredited at the Ottoman Porte in Constantinople before being recalled in October 1717. He left Turkey in July 1718 and continued his travels further east.
Upon returning to England, Montagu experienced a rift with Whig leadership but maintained his seat as MP for Huntingdon from 1722 until 1734. In 1726, he collaborated with his father to sign the founding agreement of the Grand Allies coal cartel in North East England. His involvement in coal enterprises dated back to around 1709 when he participated in early cartel meetings alongside his father. After inheriting Wortley Hall near Barnsley in 1727, he represented Peterborough from 1734 until his death in 1761.
Wortley Hall
Wortley Hall underwent significant renovation under Montagu’s direction, notably featuring a south façade designed by Giacomo Leoni completed in 1743. Between 1757 and 1761, the East Wing was constructed by John Platt, probably following designs by Matthew Brettingham. Following Montagu's passing, Platt continued work on the West Wing during the 1780s for his daughter Mary.
Family
Montagu is recognized for his marriage in 1712 to Mary Pierrepont, daughter of Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull. Upon his death, he left Wortley Hall along with considerable wealth to Mary, while providing only a modest allowance to his son Edward. Subsequently, Mary remarried, becoming the wife of future Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute.
References
- The Life of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu – Robert Halsband – Clarendon Press – 1956
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- 1678 births
- 1761 deaths
- Ambassadors of Great Britain to the Ottoman Empire
- British MPs 1707–1708
- British MPs 1708–1710
- British MPs 1710–1713
- British MPs 1715–1722
- British MPs 1722–1727
- British MPs 1727–1734
- British MPs 1734–1741
- British MPs 1741–1747
- British MPs 1747–1754
- British MPs 1754–1761
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- English MPs 1705–1707
- Whig (British political party) MPs
- Montagu family
- British businesspeople in the coal industry