Background
Born in Cambridge, England, he was the eldest son of Charles Yorke, Lord Chancellor, by his first wife, Catherine Freman.
Born in Cambridge, England, he was the eldest son of Charles Yorke, Lord Chancellor, by his first wife, Catherine Freman.
He was educated at Harrow and Queens" College, Cambridge.
He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1801, created a Knight of the Garter in 1803, and was a fellow of the Royal Society. Lord Hardwicke married Lady Elizabeth, daughter of James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres, in 1782. Lord Hardwicke died in November 1834, aged 77, and was buried Street Andrew"s Church in Wimpole, Cambridgeshire in a tomb by Richard Westmacott (the younger).
Lady Hardwicke died in May 1858, aged 94.
Royal Society]
Hardwicke was Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire from 1780 to 1790, following the Whig traditions of his family, but after his succession to the earldom in 1790 he supported William Pitt The Younger, and took office in 1801 as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1801–1806), where he supported Catholic emancipation.