Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield
Encyclopedia
Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield KG
, PC, FRS
, FSA
(10 November 1755 – 29 August 1815), known as Philip Stanhope until 1773, was a British politician and diplomat. He was British Ambassador to Spain between 1784 and 17867, Master of the Mint
between 1789 and 1790, Joint Postmaster General between 1790 and 1798 and Master of the Horse
between 1798 and 1804.
, and Margaret, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Headlam, of Kerby Hall, Yorkshire
, and cousin, godson and, later, adopted son of Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
(whose titles he inherited at his death in 1773). He was a great-great-great-grandson of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield
. His adoptive father directed his early education and his tutors included the poet Cuthbert Shaw and Edward Gibbon
's friend the Swiss Jacques Georges Deyverdun
, as well as Adam Ferguson
, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh
, and the forger Dr William Dodd
. He was later educated at the University of Leipzig
, Saxony
. During his service in Germany he became member of the Masonic Lodge
Minerva zu den drei Palmen Leipzig
in 1773.
. In 1784 he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Ambassador to Spain, a post he held until 1787, although ne never went to Spain. He later held office under William Pitt the Younger
as Master of the Mint
between 1789 and 1790 and as joint Postmaster General between 1790 and 1798 and under Pitt and Henry Addington
as Master of the Horse
between 1798 and 1804.
Lord Chesterfield was also Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
between 1781 and 1782. He was elected a Fellow of both the Royal Society
and the Society of Antiquaries
in 1776. In 1805 he was appointed a Knight of the Garter
.
After his first wife's death in October 1798 he married secondly, Lady Henrietta Thynne, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
, on 2 May 1799. They had two children:
The Countess of Chesterfield died at Chesterfield House, Mayfair
, London
, in May 1813, aged 50. Lord Chesterfield survived her by two years and died at Bretby
, Derbyshire
, in August 1815, aged 59. He was succeeded in the earldom by his only son, George.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, PC, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
(10 November 1755 – 29 August 1815), known as Philip Stanhope until 1773, was a British politician and diplomat. He was British Ambassador to Spain between 1784 and 17867, Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Master was the highest officer in the Royal Mint. Until 1699, appointment was usually for life. Its holder occasionally sat in the cabinet...
between 1789 and 1790, Joint Postmaster General between 1790 and 1798 and Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
between 1798 and 1804.
Background and education
Stanhope was the son of Arthur Charles Stanhope, of Mansfield WoodhouseMansfield Woodhouse
Mansfield Woodhouse is a large village about 2 kilometres north of Mansfield itself, in Nottinghamshire, England. With a history dating back before the Romans, it is still noteworthy for its stone built town centre...
, and Margaret, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Headlam, of Kerby Hall, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and cousin, godson and, later, adopted son of Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG was a British statesman and man of letters.A Whig, Lord Stanhope, as he was known until his father's death in 1726, was born in London. After being educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he went on the Grand Tour of the continent...
(whose titles he inherited at his death in 1773). He was a great-great-great-grandson of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield , son of Sir John Stanhope and his wife Cordell Allington, was an English aristocrat. Stanhope was knighted in 1605 by James I...
. His adoptive father directed his early education and his tutors included the poet Cuthbert Shaw and Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
's friend the Swiss Jacques Georges Deyverdun
Jacques Georges Deyverdun
Jacques Georges Deyverdun was a Swiss classical scholar and translator. He translated Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther into French. He met Edward Gibbon in Lausanne and the two became friends...
, as well as Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson FRSE, also known as Ferguson of Raith was a Scottish philosopher, social scientist and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment...
, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and the forger Dr William Dodd
William Dodd (clergyman)
William Dodd was an English Anglican clergyman and a man of letters. He lived extravagantly, and was nicknamed the "Macaroni Parson"...
. He was later educated at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. During his service in Germany he became member of the Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
Minerva zu den drei Palmen Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1773.
Political and diplomatic career
Lord Chesterfield became a favourite of George IIIGeorge 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...
. In 1784 he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Ambassador to Spain, a post he held until 1787, although ne never went to Spain. He later held office under William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William 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...
as Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Master was the highest officer in the Royal Mint. Until 1699, appointment was usually for life. Its holder occasionally sat in the cabinet...
between 1789 and 1790 and as joint Postmaster General between 1790 and 1798 and under Pitt and Henry Addington
Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth
Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, PC was a British statesman, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804....
as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
between 1798 and 1804.
Lord Chesterfield was also Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire
There has been a Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire almost continuously since the position was created by King Henry VIII in 1535. The only exception to this was the English Civil War and English Interregnum between 1643 and 1660 when there was no king to support the Lieutenancy...
between 1781 and 1782. He was elected a Fellow of both the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
in 1776. In 1805 he was appointed a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
.
Family
Lord Chesterfield married firstly, Anne, daughter of Reverend Robert Thistlewayte, on 20 August 1777. They had one child:- Lady Harriet Stanhope (d. 1803), died unmarried.
After his first wife's death in October 1798 he married secondly, Lady Henrietta Thynne, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath KG was a British politician who held office under George III serving as Southern Secretary, Northern Secretary and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Between 1751 and 1780 he was known as Lord Weymouth...
, on 2 May 1799. They had two children:
- Lady Georgiana Stanhope (d. 1824), married Frederick Richard West, a grandson of John West, 2nd Earl De La WarrJohn West, 2nd Earl De La WarrJohn West, 2nd Earl De La Warr was a British peer, politician and army officer.Born The Honourable John West, he was the son of John West, 6th Baron De La Warr and his first wife, the former Lady Charlotte McCarthy...
. The marriage was childless. - George Stanhope, 6th Earl of ChesterfieldGeorge Stanhope, 6th Earl of ChesterfieldGeorge Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield PC , styled Lord Stanhope until 1815, was a British Tory politician, courtier and race horse owner...
(1805–1866).
The Countess of Chesterfield died at Chesterfield House, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London
London
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...
, in May 1813, aged 50. Lord Chesterfield survived her by two years and died at Bretby
Bretby
Bretby is a village in the south of Derbyshire, England, north of Swadlincote and east of Burton upon Trent, on the border between Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The name means "dwelling place of Britons"...
, 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...
, in August 1815, aged 59. He was succeeded in the earldom by his only son, George.