Henry Sterne
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| Portrayed by (Gabriel Byrne) | |
| Full Name | Henry Richard Sterne |
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| Title | Earl of Essex |
| Associated Noble House(s) | Earldom of Essex |
| Date of Birth | July 28th, 1744 - 1793 |
| Father | Richard Sterne (deceased) |
| Father's Rank | Earl of Essex |
| Mother | Amelia Sterne née Dover (deceased) |
| Mother's Rank | Countess of Essex |
| Town Residence | {{{residence}}} |
| Income | £14000 p.a. |
| School | Eton |
| University | Oxford |
| Year Attained Title | 1779 |
| Year of Marriage | 1771 |
| Spouse | Margaret Sterne née Bertram |
| Spouse's Rank | Dowager Countess of Essex |
| Issue | Richard (1773), Jane (1776), Thomas (1784) |
NPC - played by Aida
The 7th Earl of Essex, Henry was the son of Richard and Amelia Sterne. He attended Eton and then Oxford, according to the family tradition, and married the beautiful Margaret Bertram at the age of twenty seven, after having perused her for three months without obtaining the least success in seducing her. The marriage did not prove to be a happy one.
Henry was considered one of the notorious libertines of his time. Life to him consisted of portions of time which could either be spent having fun or the other way around; he, of course, chose the former route, without thinking much about the consequences of his actions, to the point of descending his family into near bankruptcy by the time of his death. His fun-loving way of living made Henry an amusing man to be around, and he was always surrounded by friends whom he constantly tried to amuse and defeat in games. As for women, he never ceased pursuing them while he lived.
He was never a family man, but the condition of his first son and heir - and his wife's insistence on keeping this condition hidden from all but immediate family - chased him further away from home. Until, that is, the birth of his second son, Thomas, for whom he was more of a friend than a fatherly figure.
Family
Wife: Margaret Sterne née Bertram, Dowager Countess of Essex, (1754-).
Son: Richard Sterne, 8th Earl of Essex, (1773-).
Daughter: Jane Middleton née Sterne, (1776-), married to Percival Middleton.
Son: Thomas Sterne, (1784-).
Father: Richard Sterne, 6th Earl of Essex, (1720-1779).
Mother: Amelia Sterne née Dover, Countess of Essex, (1728-1791).
Granddaughter: Rebecca Middleton, (1797-).
Grandson: Sebastian Middleton, (1799-).