Arthur Atherley (12 June 1772 – 1 October 1844) was an English Member of Parliament, serving the

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

constituency three times, as Whig (a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

predecessor) and Reformer. Atherley was born in

, the son of Arthur Atherley and Susanna Carter, and was the fifth successive member of the Atherley family to be baptised as "Arthur". He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

where, in 1791, he had his portrait painted by

Sir Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English people, English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was a ...

(it now hangs in the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...

). At Eton, he was captain of the Ad Montem club, an institution with roots in medieval times that survived until 1847. One of the club's traditions was to take part in a procession to Salt Hill during which boys in fancy costume, the salt bearers, participated in the maintenance of their "captain" at university by levying contributions from passers-by. After finishing his education at Eton, he went up to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, where he was admitted a pensioner on 6 May 1790, matriculating at Michaelmas, 1791, following which he was admitted to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

. On 2 June 1793, he married Lady Louisa Kerr, daughter of

William Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian General William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian, (13 March 1737 – 4 January 1815), styled Lord Newbattle until 1767 and Earl of Ancram from 1767 to 1775, was a British soldier and peer. Early life He was the son of William Kerr, 4th Mar ...

; they had eight children. Atherley was four times elected to represent

as M.P.; in

1806 Events January–March *January 1 ** The French Republican Calendar is abolished. ** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon. *January 5 – The body of British naval leader Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state ...

1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege ...

1831 Events January–March * January 1 – William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing '' The Liberator'', an anti-slavery newspaper, in Boston, Massachusetts. * January 10 – Japanese department store, Takashimaya in Kyoto estab ...

and

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white pla ...

, and was one of the original members of the Fox Club. He was also a member of the family banking business in Southampton. He retired from politics in 1835. He later moved to

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, where he served as a justice of the peace. He died at Tower House,

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

in 1844, but was buried in

All Saints' Church, Southampton All Saints' Church was a Church (building), church building in Southampton City Centre, located on the corner of the High Street and East Street, a short distance south of the Bargate. The original church on the site was named All Hallows, and ...

References

External links

*
Descendant Chart for Arthur Atherley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atherley, Arthur 1772 births 1844 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Southampton Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 Members of Lincoln's Inn Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Eton College English barristers