British diplomatist
Born 1817 Died 1887

Richard Bickerton Pemell Lyons, only surviving son of Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons, was born at Lymington on the 26th of April 1817. He entered the diplomatic service, and in 1859-1864 was British minister at Washington, where, after the outbreak of the Civil War, the extremely important negotiations connected with the arrest of the Confederate envoys on board the British mail-steamer Trent devolved upon him. After a brief service at Constantinople, he succeeded Lord Cowley at the Paris embassy in 1867. In the war of 1870 he used his best efforts as a mediator, and accompanied the provisional government to Tours. He continued to hold his post with universal acceptance until November 1887. He died on the 5th of December 1887, when the title became extinct.

Being the entry for RICHARD BICKERTON PEMELL LYONS LYONS, 1ST EARL in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the text of which lies within the public domain. The original text has been amended with the phrase "son of the preceding" replaced with the words "only surviving son of Edmund Lyons, 1st Baron Lyons". Although the EB refers to this individual as the 'Earl Lyons' this was in error; as despite it being the intention to create him the Earl Lyons, he died before this could be put into effect.