Eric Barrington
Sir Bernard Eric Edward Barrington was a British civil servant who was principal private secretary to three Foreign Secretaries.Career
The Honourable Bernard Eric Edward Barrington, youngest son of William Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington, was educated at Eton College and joined the Foreign Office in 1867. He was Private Secretary to two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, Arthur Otway and Viscount Enfield, 1868–1874. In 1874 he became précis writer to the Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Derby, and continued under Derby's successor, Lord Salisbury. He accompanied Salisbury to the Congress of Berlin in 1878 and was given the diplomatic rank of Second Secretary for the purpose. When Salisbury became Prime Minister for the first time in 1885, Barrington became Principal Private Secretary to the new Foreign Secretary, Lord Iddesleigh, 1885–86. He was Principal Private Secretary to Lord Salisbury in 1886–92 and 1895–1900, and then to the Marquess of Lansdowne 1900–05. When Sir Edward Grey succeeded Lord Lansdowne as Foreign Secretary in December 1905 Barrington was appointed Assistant Under-Secretary for Africa, but retired in July 1907.
Barrington was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1889 Birthday Honours. He was promoted to a Knight Commander in the order in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902, and received the knighthood in a private audience with King Edward VII on 2 August, during the King′s convalescence on board HMY Victoria and Albert.
