Robert Henley, 2nd Baron Henley

Robert Henley Henley, 2nd Baron Henley (né Eden; 3 September 1789 – 3 February 1841), was a British lawyer, Member of Parliament, peer, and writer.

**Early life and family background**

Born Robert Eden at Lambeth Palace, London, he was the second son of diplomat Morton Eden and Lady Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of Lord Chancellor Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington. His paternal relatives included Sir John Eden, 4th Baronet; Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet of Maryland; and William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland. Morton Eden was knighted in 1791 and elevated to the peerage as Baron Henley of Chardstock in Ireland in 1799, a recognition linked to his wife's family. Lady Elizabeth’s brother, Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington, died unmarried in 1786, resulting in the extinction of the earldom and the subsidiary title of Baron Henley in the Peerage of Great Britain.

**Education**

Robert Eden was educated at Eton College and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1807. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1811 and a Master of Arts in 1814.

**Career**

He served as a Master in Chancery from 1826 to 1840. Between 1826 and 1830, he was the Member of Parliament for Fowey. In 1823, his elder brother, Hon. Frederick Eden—a barrister and heir to their father's barony—died unmarried at his chambers at Inner Temple. In 1830, Robert Henley succeeded his father as the second Baron Henley; however, because this title was in the Peerage of Ireland, it did not grant him a seat in the House of Lords. In 1831, he adopted the surname Henley by royal licence, replacing Eden, to honor his maternal ancestors. That same year, he published a biography titled *Memoir of the Life of Robert Henley, Earl of Northington*, focusing on his maternal grandfather, who had served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.

**Marriage and children**

In 1823, Henley married Harriet Peel, daughter of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, and sister of Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, who served as Prime Minister. They had four sons, with two surviving into adulthood:

- Hon. Anthony Henley (Eden) (1825–1898), who succeeded as the third Baron Henley.

- Hon. Rev. Robert Henley (7 March 1831 – 7 August 1910), Vicar of Putney, married Emily Louisa Aldridge in 1852.

- Hon. Morton Henley (5 November – 1 December 1832), who died in infancy.

- Hon. Robert Henley (born 1826), died in infancy.

**Death**

Robert Henley died after several months of illness in February 1841 at his residence at 19 Whitehall Place, Westminster, at age 51. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest surviving son, Anthony. His wife, Lady Henley, died in 1869.