Henrietta Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield (17 November 1762 – 31 May 1813), formerly Lady Henrietta Thynne, was the second wife of
Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield.
The earl's first wife, Anne, died in 1798, leaving one daughter, Lady Harriet Stanhope, who died unmarried in 1803.
Henrietta was the third daughter of
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, and his wife,
the former Lady Elizabeth Cavendish-Bentinck. One of her older sisters, Louisa, became Countess of Aylesford, and a younger sister, Sophia, became Countess of Ashburnham. Henrietta's childhood was interrupted by a serious illness, as reported by
Mary Granville
Mary Delany ( Granville; 14 May 1700 – 15 April 1788) was an English artist, letter-writer, and bluestocking, known for her "paper-mosaicks" and botanic drawing, needlework and her lively correspondence.
Early life
Mary Delany was born at C ...
in a letter of 1770:
I am first going to Lady Weymouth, who is pretty well, but has been a good deal hurried with poor Miss H. Thynne's illness; the poor little creature has undergone much severer discipline than I thank God was necessary in your case – having been twice blooded and once blistered, but the doctors now think her much better.
She married the earl on 2 May 1799, in Grosvenor Street, London. They resided at the family seat,
Bretby Hall in Derbyshire, which was rebuilt by the earl in about 1812. The couple had two children:
*Lady Georgiana Stanhope (d. 1824), who married
Frederick Richard West, a grandson of
John West, 2nd Earl De La Warr, and had no children
*
George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield (1805–1866)
The countess was a
Lady of the Bedchamber to
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen consort of King
George III of the United Kingdom
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until Acts of Union 1800, the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was ...
, from 1807 until her own death in 1813.
The countess died at the family's London home, Chesterfield House,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
, aged 50 (though contemporary death notices describe her as 52). Her husband survived her by two years and died aged 59. He was succeeded in the earldom by their son, George.
[Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 172.]
Arms
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesterfield, Henrietta Stanhope, Countess of
1762 births
1813 deaths
English countesses
Daughters of British marquesses
Court of George III of the United Kingdom
Household of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz