Charles GREY, 1ST EARL GREY

                   Charles Grey
Earl Grey
1830-34
WHIG
Charles Grey entered politics in 1786 as member of Parliament. Within 10 years he was First Lord of the Admiralty and then foreign secretary. As prime minister he oversaw passage of the Great Reform Bill of 1832 and the 1833 Act abolishing slavery within the British Empire which at the time included Jamaica, Bermuda, the islands of the West Indies, Gambia and the Gold Coast of Africa, Australia and holdings in North America, namely Canada, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New France and Cape Breton island.
It was while he was prime minister, that by act of law the East India Company lost its monopoly on China trade which was mostly in tea. Ironic that the name of the prime minister to King William IV is best known around the world for a blend of Indian and Sri Lankans tea delicately scented with the citrus flavour of bergamot. The recipe for Earl Grey is said to have been given by a Chinese man to a British soldier during the Opium War (1839-42) in gratitude for saving his live. Another version story has a Chinese mandarin friend of the Earl giving him the recipe.