Charles Ellis, 6th Baron Howard De Walden

Charles Augustus Ellis, 6th Baron Howard de Walden and 2nd Baron Seaford, was born on June 5, 1799, and died on August 29, 1868. He was a British diplomat and politician who held multiple peerages and diplomatic postings during his lifetime.

Ellis was the son of Charles Ellis, 1st Baron Seaford, and Elizabeth Hervey, known as the Honourable Elizabeth Hervey. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Hervey, Lord Hervey, who was the eldest son of Frederick Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol, also known as the "Earl-Bishop" of Derry. Ellis received his education at Eton College.

He succeeded his great-grandfather, Lord Bristol, in the barony of Howard de Walden on July 8, 1803, at the age of four. He became the 6th Lord Howard de Walden in 1807, a title inherited through his mother's lineage. When his father died in 1845, he also became the 2nd Lord Seaford. The family’s wealth was originally amassed from sugar plantations in Jamaica, but these estates experienced decline after 1832.

In 1832, the enslaved populations on his Jamaican estates were emancipated, and their wages were minimal. Ellis inherited properties including sugar estates in Montpelier, Caymanas Park, Shettlewood, and Crawle. By 1855, sugar production on these estates had drastically decreased and was replaced with cattle rearing. Efforts to improve profitability included reducing wages for the emancipated slaves, which led to resistance and strikes. Ellis also encouraged European workers from Portugal and Germany to work on the plantations, but the operations remained unprofitable.

Ellis served as an officer in the Grenadier Guards, attaining the ranks of Ensign and Lieutenant from April 24, 1817. His political career included serving as Joint Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from May 26, 1824, to June 9, 1828. During this period, he acted as Attaché on a diplomatic mission to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in January 1826.

He held diplomatic appointments as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Stockholm, Sweden, from October 2, 1832; Lisbon, Portugal, starting November 22, 1833; and Brussels, Belgium, from December 10, 1846. He was awarded a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in July 1838, and received the Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword in 1841.

On November 8, 1828, Ellis married Lady Lucy Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, daughter of William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland. The marriage took place at All Souls' Church in Marylebone. Through his marriage, and later inheritance from the Duke of Portland's estate, which was jointly inherited with his wife’s sister in 1879, the family acquired valuable property in Marylebone.

Charles and Lucy Ellis had a total of thirteen children, including their eldest son, Frederick George Ellis, who became the 7th Baron Howard de Walden. Their other children included six sons and seven daughters, among whom were Harriette Georgina Ellis, who married Michelangelo Caetani, 13th Duke of Sermoneta; Hon. William Charles Ellis; Hon. Charles Arthur Ellis; Hon. John Charles Ellis; Hon. Evelyn Henry Ellis; and Augustus Charles William Ellis.

Ellis was an early adopter of motor vehicles in England, being among the first to drive a Daimler-powered car over a long distance, from Southampton to Malvern in July 1895. His cousin, Sir Arthur Ellis, whose role as an equerry to the Prince of Wales, facilitated the use of Daimler cars as official royal transport.

He died in Belgium in August 1868 at the age of 69. His eldest son succeeded him as the 7th Baron Howard de Walden. His wife, Lady Lucy Joan Howard de Walden, passed away in July 1899 at St. James House, West Malvern, Worcestershire.