Sir Gerard Noel, 2nd Baronet


Sir Gerard Noel Noel, 2nd Baronet, of Welham Grove in Leicestershire and Exton Park in Rutland, known as Gerard Edwardes until 1798, was an English Member of Parliament.

Background

Gerard Noel was born Gerard Edwardes on 17 July 1759. He was the son of Gerard Edwardes of Welham Grove and Lady Jane Noel, daughter of Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough. His father was the illegitimate son of the tycoon Mary Edwards and Lord Anne Hamilton, younger son of James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton. He was educated at Eton and St John's College, Cambridge.

Career

Noel became partner in a Westminster banking house. He entered Parliament in 1784 as member for Maidstone. However, on the death of his cousin, Thomas Noel, MP for Rutland, he resigned so as to be elected for that county. He represented Rutland for well over forty years. Initially a supporter of Pitt the Younger, he was one of a group of MPs who in 1788 tried to form a third party independent of both Pitt and Charles James Fox; in later years, however, he was a consistent Tory.
In 1798 he inherited the estates of his uncle, Henry Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough, and changed his surname to Noel. He served as High Sheriff of Rutland for 1812.

Personal life and death

Noel married three times. His first marriage, in 1780, was to Diana Middleton, daughter of Captain Charles Middleton, the Comptroller of the Navy. The following year Middleton was created a baronet, with a special remainder to his new son-in-law should he have no sons of his own. Middleton later became First Lord of the Admiralty and was raised to a peerage as Lord Barham with a special remainder for the barony to his daughter. Lord Barham died on 17 June 1813 without male issue, and Noel consequently inherited his baronetcy, while Noel's wife inherited the peerage. They had eighteen children:
His second marriage, in 1823, was to Harriet Gill, his mistress of many years, by whom he had a daughter, Harriet Jane.
After Harriet's death he married a third time, in 1831, to Isabella Evans.
Noel died on 25 February 1838.