Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham
Encyclopedia
Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham (8 November 1720 – 9 April 1803), 1st Baroness Chatham in her own right, was the wife of William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham
, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain
from 1766 to 1768. and sister of George Grenville
, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain
from 1763 to 1765
, she was the only daughter of Richard Grenville and Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple
and was baptised
in St. James's
church on 6 December that year. She spent her childhood with her brothers at Stowe House
and Wotton House
, riding horse
s and developing an interest in politics
.
until her thirty-fourth year, Lady Hester married the politician, William Pitt
, whom she had known for over twenty years as a friend of her brothers, on 16 November 1754 at her home in Argyle Street, London. They spent their ten-day honeymoon
at West Wickham
, Kent
. The marriage was a happy one and the couple moved to a house in Hayes, Kent in 1756. They had five children:
On 4 December 1761, she was created Baroness Chatham, of Chatham
, in the County of Kent
, with remainder to her sons by William Pitt. He was later created Earl of Chatham
in 1766.
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1766 to 1768. and sister of George Grenville
George Grenville
George Grenville was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham...
, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1763 to 1765
Early life
Born Miss Hester Grenville on 8 November 1720 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she was the only daughter of Richard Grenville and Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple
Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple
Hester Temple, 1st Countess Temple, 2nd Viscountess Cobham was an English noblewoman.She was born the daughter of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Bt. , of Stowe, Buckinghamshire...
and was baptised
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in St. James's
St. James's
St James's is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. It is bounded to the north by Piccadilly, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall and St. James's Park and to the east by The Haymarket.-History:...
church on 6 December that year. She spent her childhood with her brothers at Stowe House
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
and Wotton House
Wotton House
Wotton House, or Wotton, the manor house in Wotton Underwood , was rebuilt from the ground up between 1704 and 1714, to a design very similar to that of the contemporary version of Buckingham House, as it is known from engravings...
, riding horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s and developing an interest in politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Marriage
A spinsterSpinster
A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married.For a woman to be identified as a spinster, age is critical...
until her thirty-fourth year, Lady Hester married the politician, William Pitt
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
, whom she had known for over twenty years as a friend of her brothers, on 16 November 1754 at her home in Argyle Street, London. They spent their ten-day honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
at West Wickham
West Wickham
West Wickham is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is 10.3 miles south east of Charing Cross. West Wickham history dates back to early settlements existing since 1068, although the name `Wickham` is an indication of an earlier Anglo-Saxon settlement...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The marriage was a happy one and the couple moved to a house in Hayes, Kent in 1756. They had five children:
- Lady Hester (1755-1780), married Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl StanhopeCharles Stanhope, 3rd Earl StanhopeCharles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope aka Charles Mahon, 3rd Earl Stanhope FRS was a British statesman and scientist. He was the father of the great traveller and Arabist Lady Hester Stanhope and brother-in-law of William Pitt the Younger. He is sometimes confused with an exact contemporary of his,...
. - John, styled Viscount Pitt, later 2nd Earl of ChathamJohn Pitt, 2nd Earl of ChathamGeneral John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, KG, PC was a British peer and soldier.-Career:He was the eldest son of William Pitt the Elder and an elder brother of William Pitt the Younger...
(1756-1835) - Lady Harriet (1758-1786), married Edward James EliotEdward James EliotThe Honourable Edward James Eliot was an English Member of Parliament.Eliot was born in Cornwall, the son of Edward Craggs-Eliot , politician, created Baron Eliot in 1784....
. - Rt. Hon. WilliamWilliam Pitt the YoungerWilliam Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
(1759-1806) - Hon. James Charles Pitt (1761-1781)
On 4 December 1761, she was created Baroness Chatham, of Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
, in the County of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, with remainder to her sons by William Pitt. He was later created Earl of Chatham
Earl of Chatham
Earl of Chatham, in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for William Pitt the Elder on his appointment as Lord Privy Seal, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Pitt, of Burton Pynsent in the County of Somerset, also in the Peerage of Great...
in 1766.
Titles from birth to death
- 8 November 1720–13 September 1749: Miss Hester Grenville
- 13 September 1749–18 October 1749: The Hon. Miss Hester Grenville
- 18 October 1749–16 November 1754: The Lady Hester Grenville
- 16 November 1754–4 December 1761: The Lady Hester Pitt
- 4 December 1761–4 August 1766: The Right Honourable The Baroness Chatham
- 4 August 1766–11 May 1778: The Right Honourable The Countess of Chatham
- 11 May 1778–9 April 1803: The Right Honourable The Dowager Countess of Chatham
Sources
- Larsen, Ruth M. - Pitt (née Grenville), Hester, countess of Chatham and suo jure Baroness Chatham (1720–1803), political wife - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography