Berkeley Moreton arrived in Australia on 27 November 1855.[1] Moreton became a grazier on Wetheron Station in the North Burnett Region of Queensland. He became known in the area as a good horseman and horsebreeder, for providing hospitality, and for being handy with his hands in a fight.[2][3] In 1862 he married Emily Eleanor, daughter of John Kent, Esq., F.R.G.S. Commissioner of Crown Lands Mitchell District, and Late Assistant Commissary General to H.M. Forces.[4] In 1869 his brother Seymour married another of John Kent's daughters.[5] Several children were born to Berkeley Moreton and his wife while at Wetheron Station.[6]
On 1 October 1883, he became a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the third time when he was elected (again) to the seat of Burnett, which he held until 12 May 1888. During this period, he briefly held the role of Queensland Postmaster-General from 17 March 1885 to 22 April 1885. This was followed by three years as the Secretary for Public Instruction from 17 April 1885 to 13 June 1888, which was partly concurrent by his two-year stint as Colonial Secretary from 1 April 1886 to 13 June 1888.[7]
On 17 July 1901, he was appointed again for life to the Queensland Legislative Council; this appointment ended on 23 March 1922 when the Council was abolished.[7]
Peerage
On 28 October 1921, Berkeley Moreton's brother Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Earl of Ducie, died and Berkeley Moreton became the 4th Earl of Ducie. As the third Earl had a son Henry Reynolds-Moreton, Lord Moreton, Berkeley Moreton had not expected to inherit the title, but that changed on 28 February 1920 when his nephew Henry Reynolds-Moreton predeceased his father, the third Earl.[9]
He left Queensland for England on 23 February 1922 to take possession of the Gloucestershire estate and take his seat in the House of Lords.[10]
Moreton died in 1924 and was buried in St Leonard's Churchyard, Tortworth.[11]
Arms
Coat of arms of Berkeley Moreton, 4th Earl of Ducie
^"Family Notices". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXIII, no. 3, 530. Queensland, Australia. 26 January 1869. p. 4. Retrieved 1 August 2022 – via National Library of Australia.