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

, by his wife, the former Hester Grenville (1720–1803), herself the daughter of the 1st Countess Temple. She was thus the sister of

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

, who, like their father, served as

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

. She may have been born at the Pay Office, which was at the time her parents' residence.Birdwood, V. (ed.) ''So Dearly Loved, So Much Admired: Letters to Hester Pitt, Lady Chatham from her relations and friends (1744-1801)''. London: HMSO. p. 5. Hester married Viscount Mahon on 19 December 1774. They had three children: *

Lady Hester Stanhope Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British adventurer, writer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her excavation of Ascalon in 1815 is considered the first to use modern Archaeology ...

(1776–1839); a traveller and Arabist who died unmarried at the age of 63 in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. * Lady Griselda Stanhope (21 July 1778 – 13 October 1851); married John Tekell. * Lady Lucy Rachel Stanhope (20 February 1780 – 1 March 1814); eloped with and married Thomas Taylor of Sevenoaks, the family

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

, and had children. Their London house was in

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.puerperal fever The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to last for six to eight weeks. There are three distinct phases of the postnatal period; the acute phase, lasting for six to twelve hours after birth; the ...

, and was taken to

Chevening Chevening House () is a large country house in the parish of Chevening in Kent, England. Built between 1617 and 1630 to a design reputedly by Inigo Jones and greatly extended after 1717, it is a Grade I listed building. The surrounding gardens, ...

for her health. She died there, aged 24, and was buried at St Botolph's Church, Chevening. Stanhope remarried in 1781 to Louisa Grenville, his first wife's first cousin.Louisa's father, the Hon.

Henry Grenville Henry Grenville (11 September 1717 – 22 April 1784) was a British diplomat and politician. Grenville was born into a family of politicians. His father was Sir Richard Grenville, MP; one of his elder brothers was Earl Temple, a governmen ...

, was the brother of Hester's mother, the Countess of Chatham. He inherited his father's title in 1786, his older brother having predeceased him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanhope, Hester, Viscountess Mahon 1755 births 1780 deaths Mahon Deaths in childbirth Daughters of British earls Hester 18th-century English women 18th-century English people Children of prime ministers of Great Britain People from Chevening, Kent Hester