Dates

• Existence: 1847-06-05 - 1918-02-24

Biography

The Honourable Bernard Eric Edward Barrington was born in London on 5 June 1847, the youngest son of the 6th Viscount Barrington and Jane, daughter of 1st Baron Ravensworth.
He was educated at Eton College and entered the Foreign Office in 1867. He was Private Secretary to two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, Arthur J. Otway and Viscount Enfield, 1869-1874. In 1874 he became précis writer to the Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Derby, and continued under Derby's successor, Marquis of Salisbury. He accompanied Salisbury to the Congress of Berlin in 1878. When Salisbury became Prime Minister for the first time in 1885, Barrington became Principal Private Secretary to the new Foreign Secretary, Lord Iddesleigh, 1885-1886. He was Principal Private Secretary to Salisbury (in his role as Foreign Secretary) in 1886-1892 and again in 1895-1900, and then to the Marquis of Lansdowne 1900-1905. When Sir Edward Grey succeeded Lansdowne as Foreign Secretary in December 1905 Barrington was appointed Assistant Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He retired from the Foreign Office in 1907.
In 1879 he married Christina, youngest daughter of William Graham. He died on 24 February 1918.

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