George Villiers, 4th Viscount Grandison (21 July 1618 – 16 December 1699) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

peer from the

Villiers family Villiers ( ) is an Nobility, aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Duke of Buckingham, Bucki ...

. He is known for being the maternal great-grandfather of

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

, prime minister of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

from 1766 to 1768. He was also the uncle of two royal mistresses,

Barbara Villiers Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine ( ; – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England, by whom she ...

(mistress of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

), and Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney (presumed mistress of

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

). He inherited the title Viscount Grandison upon the death of John Villiers, 3rd Viscount Grandison. His son, Edward FitzGerald-Villiers died in 1693, so the title went to his grandson, John Villiers, 1st Earl Grandison. He married Lady Mary Leigh, the daughter of Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester. His second wife was Mary Garford, daughter of Richard Garford. Villiers was knighted in 1644, most likely because he supported the royalist cause. In 1662, He was appointed

Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a Government of the United Kingdom, UK Government post usually held by the Government Whip (politics), Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The present Captain is Margaret Whe ...

, and remained in that position until 1689, when he was removed from it by

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

. As captain, he was one of the most senior figures in the Royal household, which resulted in him walking immediately behind

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

, during his coronation procession in 1685.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villiers, George 4th Viscount Grandison 1618 births 1699 deaths Villiers family 17th-century English nobility Viscounts Grandison