Harley, though a consistent supporter of the ministry, occasionally voted against them. He declined in 1763 to vote for the obnoxious cider tax. The popular party in London always resented his adherence to unpopular opinions, but Wilkes is said to have recognised the manliness and consistency of his public conduct. In 1770, when accompanying a deputation from the city to address the king on the birth of Princess Elizabeth, Harley was intercepted by a mob, dragged from his carriage, and prevented from proceeding to St. James's. On the dissolution of parliament in 1774 he resigned the representation of the city in 'An Address to the Livery of London' (folio sheet, undated), and unsuccessfully contested his native county of Hereford. Harley, however, held the seat from 1776 to 1802, when he retired from parliamentary life. On the death of Alderman Alsop in 1785 he removed to the ward of Bridge Without becoming father or senior alderman of the city. When public credit was shaken by the threatened invasion by France in 1797, Harley's bank suffered seriously. Harley thereupon retired from business, and devoted his private fortune to the discharge of his partnership liabilities, the whole of which, both principal and interest, he paid in full. In 1798 he declined a general invitation to become a candidate for the lucrative office of chamberlain (vacant by Wilkes's death), on the ground that he had previously promised his support to Richard Clark (1739-1831) [q. v.] Harley bought a large estate at Berrington, near Leominster, in Herefordshire, and is said to have spent extravagant sums in building a mansion there. He died there, after a lingering illness, on 1 Dec. 1804.
Harley was colonel of the Yellow regiment of the London militia, and president of the Honourable Artillery Company (Raikes, History of the Company, ii. 20, 73) ; president of St. Bartholomew's Hospital ; governor of the Irish Societ}' from 5 March 1793 to 17 Dec. 1797; lord-lieutenant of Radnorshire ; and, in 1786, president of the patrons of the anniversary of the charity schools at St. Paul's Cathedral. He married, on 15 March 1752, Anne, daughter of Edward Bangham, deputy auditor of the impressed and M.P. for Leominster. His only son, Edward, died, when eleven years old, in 1768, the year of his father's mayoralty (Gent. Mag. 1768, p. 350). Of his other children some died in infancy, but five of his daughters survived him. Of these, Anne married George, second lord Rodney: Sarah married Robert, ninth earl of Kinnoull ; and Margaret married Sir John Boyd, bart. There is an engraved portrait of Harley by J. Hall (Evans, Catalogue, ii. 190).
[Gent. Mag. 1804, pt. ii. pp. 1175, 1237-40 ; Burke's Peerage ; Goldsmiths' Company's Records ; Hughson's (i.e. Pugh's) Hist, of London, i. 573-33; Price's Handbook to London Bankers, p. 73; City Biography, 1800, pp. 1-15; Royal Kalendar, 1772, p 210; Kent's London Directory: Baldwin's Complete Guide, 1763; Watt's Bibl. Brit, v. 3, s.v.]
HARLISTON, Sir RICHARD (fl. 1480), governor of Jersey, was born at Humberstone in Lincolnshire, and was brought up in the household of Richard, duke of York. On the accession of Edward IV Harliston became a yeoman of the king's chamber, and was made vice-admiral, in which latter capacity he came to Guernsey with a small fleet in 1463. Three years previously the castle of Mont-Orgeuil in Jersey had been captured by a French noble, Pierre de Breze, count de Maulevrier, who had since held half of that island against Philip de Carteret, sire de St. Ouen. Harliston crossed over to Jersey, and planned with Carteret an attack on the French, and Mont-Orgeuil was captured after a six months' siege ; another account dates these occurrences in 1467. After the siege the people of Jersey chose Harliston to be their captain-general, but he shortly went back to England. He was afterwards, by a patent dated 13 Jan. 1473, made captain of the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, and Alderney, being the first to bear the title of 'captain-in-chief.' Harliston held his office for many years, and became very popular ; he added a tower to Mont-Orgeuil, which was long called 'Harliston's Tower.' After the fall of Richard III he is said to have thought to make himself lord of the islands under the protection of the French and the Duchess Margaret of Burgundy, but to have been prevented by the diligence of the inhabitants. He was one of those attainted for joining the Earl of Lincoln in Simnel's rebellion in 1486 (Rolls of Parliament, vi. 397-8), but on 4 Sept. of that year a general pardon was granted him ; in the pardon he is described as 'late of the island of Jersey, esquire' {Materials illustrative of Reign of Henry VII, ii. 30, Rolls Ser.) Harliston took refuge with Margaret of Burgundy, and in 1495 was one of Perkin Warbeck's supporters who were attainted for landing at Deal (Rolls of Parl. vi. 504 ; he is here described as 'late of London, knight '). He remained in Margaret's service, and on his death received honourable burial at her expense. During the reign of Edward IV Harliston is mentioned as being excepted from several acts of resumption, and is spoken
