Louisa Stanhope, Countess Stanhope (28 July 1758 – 7 March 1829), formerly Louisa Grenville, was the second wife of

Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope, aka Charles Mahon, 3rd Earl Stanhope, FRS (3 August 175315 December 1816), was a British statesman, inventor, and scientist. He was the father of Lady Hester Stanhope and brother-in-law of William Pitt th ...

. Some sources have suggested her to be the same person as the contemporary novelist Louisa Sidney Stanhope, but there is no evidence for this other than the fact that the countess is known to have been a great reader. Louisa was the daughter and sole heiress of Henry Grenville, a diplomat and politician, and his wife, the former Margaret Eleanor Banks. Grenville was a younger brother of

Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, (26 September 171112 September 1779) was a British politician. He is best known for his association with his brother-in-law William Pitt who he served with in government during Britain's participatio ...

, and of

George Grenville George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) 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 ...

, a British prime minister. She married the future earl on 19 March 1781, less than a year after the death of his first wife, Hester, who had been Louisa's first cousin, her grandmother,

Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham (; 8 November 1720 – 9 April 1803) was the wife of William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham, who was prime minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. The sister of George Grenville, who was prime minist ...

, being Henry Grenville's sister. There were three surviving daughters from Stanhope's first marriage, including

Lady Hester Stanhope Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British aristocrat, adventurer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her archaeological excavation of Ashkelon in 1815 is considered the first t ...

, who was later sent to live with her grandmother. Stanhope inherited the earldom in 1786, making his wife a countess. The couple had three sons: *

Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope FRS (7 December 1781 – 2 March 1855), was an English aristocrat, chiefly remembered for his role in the Kaspar Hauser case during the 1830s. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of Charles Stanhope, 3 ...

(1781–1855), who inherited the earldom *Maj. Hon. Charles Banks Stanhope (1785-1809), who was aide-de-camp to Sir John Moore and was killed at the

Battle of Corunna The Battle of Corunna (or ''A Coruña'', ''La Corunna'', ''La Coruña'' or ''La Corogne''), in Spain known as Battle of Elviña, took place on 16 January 1809, when a French corps under Marshal of the Empire Jean de Dieu Soult attacked a Bri ...

*Lt Col Hon.

James Hamilton Stanhope Colonel James Hamilton Stanhope (1788–1825), was a British Army officer who fought in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo. He was a Member of Parliament for Buckingham, 1817–1818, Fowey, 1818–1819, and Dartmouth, 1822–1825. ...

(1788–1825) captain and lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Foot Guards. He married Frederica-Louisa William, daughter of the 3rd Earl Mansfield, and had one child In 1806

Joseph Farington Joseph Farington (21 November 1747 – 30 December 1821) was an 18th-century English landscape painter and diarist. Life and work Born in Leigh, Lancashire, Farington was the second of seven sons of William Farington and Esther Gilbody. His ...

recorded that "Lord Stanhopes behaviour to his wife Lady Stanhope has caused her to obtain a separate maintenance." He went on to state that the earl had settled £1500 a year on his wife in order to escape the threat of being openly accused of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

. Mrs Walburga Lackner, who had been taken on by the countess to give music lessons to her children, was left money in the earl's will. Louisa died at her London home in

Clarges Street Clarges Street is a street in the City of Westminster, London. The street runs from Clarges Mews in the north to Piccadilly in the south. It is crossed by Curzon Street. History Clarges Street was built in the early 18th century and is probabl ...

, aged 70, after a long illness.

John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham General John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, also 2nd Viscount Pitt and 2nd Baron Chatham, (9 October 1756 – 24 September 1835) was a British soldier and politician. He spent a lengthy period in the cabinet but is best known for commanding the dis ...

, wrote to her eldest son on 10 March 1829 to express his condolences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanhope, Louisa, Countess Stanhope 1758 births 1829 deaths British countesses Louisa