George Pitt, 2nd Baron Rivers (19 September 1751 – 20 July 1828) was a British politician and militia officer who sat in the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the Pa ...

from 1774 to 1790. Born in

Angers, France Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, he was the only son of

George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers (1 May 1721 – 7 May 1803) was a British politician, militia officer and diplomat who served as the British ambassador to Spain from 1770 to 1771. Background and education He was born in Geneva, the eldest son of ...

and his wife Penelope, daughter of Sir Henry Atkins, 4th Baronet of Clapham, Surrey. After completing his schooling, he spent several years on the European Continent. He lived in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

during Sir William Hamilton's tenure as ambassador, and later became a member of the Neapolitan Club. He succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

in the 1774 election, and like him, was consistently pro-administration. He came under fire at the county meeting before the 1780 election from supporters of the "economical reform" campaign, but was returned unopposed. After the fall of the North ministry, he voted in favour of Shelburne's peace proposals in 1783. He did not vote on the East India Bill which brought down the Fox-North Coalition, and was considered a supporter of his kinsman William Pitt's ministry in 1784. He did not stand in the 1790 election. Pitt was commissioned into the

Dorset Militia The Dorset Militia was an auxiliary military force in the county of Dorsetshire in South West England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 until their final service as the Special Reserve, the Militia regiments of the county ...

, of which his father was

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of from 1757 to 1798. He was promoted from

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 25 April 1790, second lieutenant-colonel on 25 June 1798, and first lieutenant-colonel shortly thereafter. He resigned his commission in late 1799. In 1803, he succeeded his father as

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 ...

. He was a

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...

from 1804 to 1819. In his younger years, he was a dandy and an avid huntsman, keeping an excellent pack of greyhounds until 1825, when failing health forced him to abandon the sport. In 1800 he became the patron of the Swiss painter

Jacques-Laurent Agasse Jacques-Laurent Agasse (April 24, 1767 – December 27, 1849) was an animal and landscape painter from Switzerland. Born at Geneva, Agasse studied in the public art school of that city. Before he turned twenty he went to Paris to study in ...

, who made paintings of his greyhounds and horses. He sold part of the family estates, those around

Stratfield Saye House Stratfield Saye House is a large stately home at Stratfield Saye in the north-east of the English county of Hampshire. It has been the home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817. Early history The line of the Roman Road the Devil's Highway ...

, to the nation in about 1814, so that it could be given to

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

as the gift of a grateful nation following his defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Around 1819 he bought the estate at

Tollard Royal Tollard Royal is a village and civil parish on Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England. The parish is on Wiltshire's southern boundary with Dorset and the village is southeast of the Dorset town of Shaftesbury, on the B3081 road between Shaftesbur ...

, Wiltshire, which remains in Pitt-Rivers ownership. He died on 20 July 1828 in

Grosvenor Place Grosvenor Place is a street in Belgravia, London, running from Hyde Park Corner down the west side of Buckingham Palace gardens, and joining lower Grosvenor Place where there are some cafes and restaurants. It joins Grosvenor Gardens to the ...

. Upon his death, the Barony of Rivers, of Stratfield Saye, created in 1776, became extinct, while the Barony of Rivers, of Sudeley Castle, created in 1802, passed by special remainder to his nephew Horace Beckford, who adopted the surname of Pitt-Rivers. It seems probable that Pitt had a son by a woman known as 'Mrs Dean' (Patianse Dean, born 1749). Major General George Dean Pitt became Commander of the Military Forces in New Zealand and, the Lieut.-Governor of

New Ulster New Ulster was a province of the Colony of New Zealand that existed between 1841 and 1853. It was named after the Irish province of Ulster. Creation Between 1841 and 1846, the province included all the North Island. With the passing of the Ne ...

(the North Island).

References

*G. F. R. Barker, ‘Pitt, George, first Baron Rivers (1721–1803)’, rev. R. D. E. Eagles, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', (Oxford University Press, 2004

accessed 24 Aug 2008 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, George Pitt, 2nd Baron 1751 births 1828 deaths Pitt, George Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain Dorset Militia officers British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...