Charles Stanhope, 4th Earl of Harrington
Encyclopedia
Viscount Petersham, the 3rd Earl of Harrington's eldest son, was a Regency buck
Regency Buck
For the band, see Regency Buck Regency Buck is a novel written by Georgette Heyer. It has three distinctions: it is the first of her novels to deal with the Regency period; it is one of only a few to combine both genres for which she was noted, the Regency romance and the mystery novel; and it is...
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
from 1793 until 1795 when he entered the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. In 1799, he became Captain of the 10th (Prince of Wales's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons; in 1803 Major of the Queen's Rangers
Queen's Rangers
The Queen's Rangers was a military unit who fought on the Loyalist side during the American War of Independence. After the war they moved to Nova Scotia and disbanded, but were reformed again in Upper Canada before disbanding again, in 1802, a decade prior to the War of 1812.-French and Indian...
; and in 1807 Lieutenant Colonel 3rd West India Regiment. Although in 1812 he was placed on half pay, in 1814 he became Colonel. Also in 1812, he was a Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
until 1820, then from 1820 till 1829 to King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
. The family home in London was Harrington House.
Viscount Petersham's manners were affected and he spoke with a kind of lisp
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
. Never seen in public before 6:00 P.M., 'Beau' Petersham was a trendsetter. He attracted the attention and friendship of the then Prince Regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
who emulated his clothes, his tea drinking and his addiction to snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
. Lord Petersham's sitting room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
contained canisters of tea in great variety and an equally wide range of snuff. He owned 365 snuff boxes and used a different one on each day of the year.
Tall and handsome, Lord Petersham was said to resemble Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
; he emphasized the likeness by growing a small pointed beard
Van dyke beard
A Van Dyke is a style of facial hair named after 17th century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck. A Van Dyke specifically consists of any growth of both a moustache and goatee with all hair on the cheeks shaven...
. He designed many of his own clothes and his fashions were quickly copied. He gave his name to the Harrington hat and Petersham overcoat. The Prince Regent ordered an overcoat in the Petersham style for each day of the week. Viscount Petersham was famous for the brown color of his coach, clothing, and his servant's livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
.
Petersham was almost fifty when he acceded to the Stanhope family title. He finally married in 1831 to Maria Foote
Maria Foote
Maria Foote, Countess of Harrington was an English actress of the nineteenth century.-Early life:Foote was born 24 July 1797 at Plymouth. Her father, Samuel T. Foote , who claimed to be a descendant of Samuel Foote, sold out of the army, became manager of the Plymouth theatre, and married a Miss...
, the Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
actress, seventeen years his junior. Their affair had met with the old Earl's disapproval and had been the gossip of London and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
for several years. The 4th Earl of Harrington had William Barron landscape the park at Elvaston Castle
Elvaston Castle
Elvaston Castle is a country park in Elvaston, Derbyshire, England with of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens. The centrepiece of the estate is Elvaston Castle itself. The castle is a Grade II* listed building but as at 2008 is regarded as a Building at Risk.-History:In the 16th century the...
, his father's Gothic confection by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
. Lewis Cottingham redecorated Wyatt's original entrance hall. Renamed the Hall of the Fair Star it was dedicated to the chivalrous pursuit of love. The new Countess was in her element in this make-believe world of chivalry.
He was succeeded by his brother, Leicester Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington
Leicester Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington
Leicester FitzGerald Charles Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington CB was an English peer and soldier, styled Hon. Leicester Stanhope until 1851....
.