Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham (; 8 November 1720 – 9 April 1803) was the wife of

William Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

, 1st Earl of Chatham, who was

prime minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

from 1766 to 1768. The sister 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 ...

, who was prime minister from 1763 to 1765, she was also the mother of Prime Minister

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ir ...

and a niece of the noted Whig politician

Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham (24 October 1675 – 14 September 1749) was a British soldier and Whig politician. After serving as a junior officer under William III during the Williamite War in Ireland and during the Nine Years' War, ...

, who had served as her husband's mentor. Chatham and

Elizabeth Grenville Elizabeth Grenville (; 1719 – 5 December 1769) was a British artist and writer. She was the wife of George Grenville, prime minister from 1763 to 1765; the daughter of Sir William Wyndham, a prominent Tory politician; and the mother of ...

, her sister-in-law, are the only two women in British history to have been both the wife of a prime minister and the mother of another prime minister.

Early life

Born on 8 November 1720 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, she was the only daughter of

Richard Grenville Sir Richard Grenville (15 June 1542 – 10 September 1591), also spelt Greynvile, Greeneville, and Greenfield, was an English privateer and explorer. Grenville was lord of the manors of Stowe, Cornwall and Bideford, Devon. He subsequently ...

and

Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple, 2nd Viscountess Cobham (''née'' Temple; –1752) was an English noblewoman. She was the mother and grandmother of the Prime Ministers George Grenville and William Grenville. Life and family She was t ...

Marriage

At 34, Lady Hester married Whig politician William Pitt on 16 November 1754 at her home in

Argyle Street, London Argyll Street is a road located in the Soho district of Central London. It links Great Marlborough Street to the south to Oxford Street in the north and is connected to Regent Street to the west by Little Argyll Street. Historically it was som ...

, by

Francis Ayscough Francis Ayscough (1701–1763) was a tutor to George III and Clerk of the Closet to his father Frederick, Prince of Wales

under special licence. They had five children: *

Lady Hester Pitt Hester Stanhope, Viscountess Mahon (19 October 1755 – 20 July 1780), formerly Lady Hester Pitt, was the wife of Charles Stanhope, Viscount Mahon, later the 3rd Earl Stanhope. She was the eldest daughter of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chath ...

(19 October 175520 July 1780), who married Viscount Mahon, later the 3rd

Earl Stanhope Earl Stanhope ()Debrett's Correct Form, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1976, pg 408 was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. The earldom was created in 1718 for Major General James Stanhope,Edward Hasted, 'Parishes: Chevening', in The History and ...

, on 19 December 1774; three children, including the traveler and Arabist

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 ...

. *

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 ...

(9 October 1756 – 24 September 1835), who married The Hon. Mary Townshend; no issue. * Lady Harriet Pitt (18 April 1758 – 1786),''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760''. 10 May 1758. who married The Hon. Edward James Eliot, oldest son of the 1st Baron Eliot, in 1785; one child. * Hon. William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806), who also served as prime minister; never married. *Hon. James Charles Pitt (176113 November 1780),

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

officer and died in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

; never married. On 4 December 1761, she was created "Baroness Chatham", of Chatham, in the County of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

", with remainder to her sons by William Pitt. Her husband was created

Earl of Chatham Earl of Chatham, 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 P ...

in 1766.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatham, Hester Pitt, Countess of Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain British countesses Burials at Westminster Abbey Daughters of British earls Hester Hereditary peeresses of Great Britain created by George III Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom 1720 births 1803 deaths Hester Parents of prime ministers of the United Kingdom