George Pitt-Rivers, 4th Baron Rivers (16 July 1810 – 28 April 1866), known as George Beckford until 1828, was a British peer and politician. He held a place as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

in several governments, migrating from the Tory to the Liberal Party over the course of his career. He commanded the Dorsetshire Yeomanry Cavalry for a decade. His four sons all suffered from a lung disease, and only the youngest briefly survived him to inherit the barony.

Background

Born George Beckford, Lord Rivers was the elder son of

Horace Pitt-Rivers, 3rd Baron Rivers William Horace Pitt-Rivers, 3rd Baron Rivers (2 December 1777 – 23 January 1831), known as Horace Beckford until 1828, was a British nobleman and gambler. The only surviving son of Peter Beckford of Steepleton Iwerne and Louisa Pitt, he marrie ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

from 1821 to 1826, and matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 5 June 1828. He took the surname of Pitt in November 1828 after his father inherited the Pitt estates and, by special remainder, the title of

Baron Rivers Baron Rivers was a title that was created four times in British history, twice in the Peerage of England, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The first creation came in 1299 when John Rive ...

from his maternal uncle,

George Pitt, 2nd Baron Rivers George Pitt, 2nd Baron Rivers (19 September 1751 – 20 July 1828) was a British nobleman and politician. Born in Angers, France, he was the only son of George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers and his wife Penelope, daughter of Sir Henry Atkins, 4th Baron ...

Political career

Lord Rivers succeeded in the barony on the death of his father in 1831 and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. He adopted the surname of Pitt-Rivers upon inheriting the estate. Initially a Tory, he served as a

under

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

from 1841 to 1846. On 12 February 1846, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Dorsetshire Yeomanry Cavalry, and was lieutenant-colonel commandant of the unit from 25 July 1856 until his death. He was later a Lord-in-Waiting in Lord Aberdeen's coalition government from 1853 to 1855 and in the Whig administrations of

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

and Lord Russell from 1855 to 1858 and again from 1859 to 1866. On 26 February 1859, he was granted a patent for an improved plow.

Family

Lord Rivers married Lady Susan Georgiana Leveson-Gower, daughter of

Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville, (12 October 1773 – 8 January 1846), styled Lord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1815 and The Viscount Granville from 1815 to 1833, was a British Whig statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-G ...

, on 2 February 1833 at the British Embassy in Paris. They had four sons and nine daughters; all of the sons died of a lung disease before their majorities. These were: *George Horace Pitt (20 March 1834 – 20 December 1850) *Susan Harriet Pitt (28 May 1835 – 27 June 1920), married Edmund Oldfield on 30 July 1872 *Fanny Georgiana Pitt (26 December 1836 – 26 October 1896), Lady of the Bedchamber to Alexandra, Princess of Wales, married

George Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds George Godolphin Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds (11 August 1828 – 23 December 1895) was a British peer. Life Born in Paris, France, he was the son of the 8th Duke of Leeds and Harriet Emma Arundel Stewart. In 1872, he succeeded to his father's tit ...

on 16 January 1861 *Granville Beckford Pitt (26 July 1838 – 20 August 1855) *Blanche Caroline Pitt (20 June 1840 – 28 August 1914) *Alice Charlotte Pitt (27 December 1841 – 21 June 1865), married Col. William Arbuthnot on 26 April 1865, killed by lightning while climbing the

Schilthorn The Schilthorn () is a summit in Europe, in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. It overlooks the valley of Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland, and is the highest mountain in the range lying north of the Sefinenfurgge Pass. The Schilthorn lies ...

*Mary Emma Pitt (7 October 1843 – 13 October 1900), Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria, married Rev. Philip Frank Eliot in 1883 *William Frederick Pitt (21 October 1845 – 8 July 1859) *Margaret Grace Pitt (24 May 1847 – 21 April 1926), married Rev.

William Page Roberts William Page Roberts (2 January 1836 – 17 August 1928) was an eminent English clergyman in the Church of England and Dean of Salisbury from 1907 until 1919. Born at Liverpool to William Roberts and his wife Prudence (née Page), he was educat ...

in 1878 *

Henry Peter Pitt-Rivers, 5th Baron Rivers Henry Peter Pitt-Rivers, 5th Baron Rivers (7 April 1849 – 17 March 1867) was a British nobleman. He died at a young age of the lung disease from which his three older brothers had also suffered. Henry was the youngest of four sons born to George ...

(1849–1867) *Marcia Louisa Pitt (21 August 1850 – 18 October 1850) *Gertrude Emily Pitt (18 February 1852 – aft. 1922) *Constance Elizabeth Pitt (24 June 1854 – 2 June 1875) He died in April 1866, aged 55, and was succeeded in the barony by his fourth but only surviving son, Henry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, George Pitt-Rivers, 4th Baron 1810 births 1866 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Eldest sons of British hereditary barons Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry officers People educated at Harrow School

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...