Horace Pitt-Rivers, 3rd Baron Rivers
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William Horace Pitt-Rivers, 3rd Baron Rivers (2 December 1777 – 23 January 1831), known as Horace Beckford until 1828, was a British nobleman and gambler. The only surviving son of
Peter Beckford Peter Beckford may refer to: * Peter Beckford (colonial administrator) (1643–1710), acting governor of Jamaica in 1702 * Peter Beckford (junior) (1672/3–1735), his son, politician, slave owner and businessman in colonial Jamaica * Sir Peter Beck ...
of
Steepleton Iwerne Iwerne Stepleton (anciently Ewern Stapleton, etc.) is a small civil parish and former manor in the county of Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial cou ...
and Louisa Pitt, he married Frances Rigby on 9 February 1808, in the house of her father, Lieutenant-Colonel
Francis Hale Rigby Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Hale Rigby (circa 1758 – 17 August 1827) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1784. Born Francis Hale, he was the son of General Bernard Hale by his wife Martha Rigby. He was probably ...
in Upper Grosvenor Street, London. They had four children: *
George Pitt-Rivers, 4th Baron Rivers George Pitt-Rivers, 4th Baron Rivers (16 July 1810 – 28 April 1866), known as George Beckford until 1828, was a British peer and politician. He held a place as a Lord-in-waiting in several governments, migrating from the Tory to the Liberal Par ...
(1810–1866) *
Horace Pitt-Rivers, 6th Baron Rivers Horace Pitt-Rivers, 6th Baron Rivers (12 April 1814 – 3 March 1880), known as Horace Beckford until 1828 and Hon. Horace Pitt from 1828 until 1867, was a British peer and army officer. He was born on 12 April 1814 in London, the younger son of ...
(1814–1880) *Fanny Pitt (d. 1 February 1836), married Frederick William Cox on 24 July 1834 *Harriet Elizabeth Pitt (1816 – 18 July 1876),
maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...
to Queen Victoria, married on 18 September 1841 Charles Dashwood Bruce (1802–1878), without issue He succeeded his father in his estates in 1811. As Horace Beckford, he was a notorious gambler and a member of Crockford's during the
Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 1810 and, by the Regency Act 1811, h ...
. His mania for high play was so pronounced that when his maternal uncle, George Pitt, 2nd Baron Rivers died on 20 July 1828, he left Beckford (who succeeded him in the title by
special remainder In property law of the United Kingdom and the United States and other common law countries, a remainder is a future interest given to a person (who is referred to as the transferee or remainderman) that is capable of becoming possessory upon the ...
) only £4,000 per year directly, leaving the bulk of his estate, worth £40,000 per year, in the hands of trustees for Horace's eldest son
George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
. On 20 November, Horace assumed the name of Pitt-Rivers for himself and his successors in the Pitt estates, the rest of his issue to take the name of Pitt. He was a Tory in politics. His godson and relative, Sir Horace Rumbold, recounted that he had left a bond with a close friend pledging neither to play cards or dice again, and upheld this for some years. However, in January 1831, he was persuaded by friends to gamble again, and lost a small sum of money. Despairing of controlling his addiction, he drowned himself in
The Serpentine The Serpentine (also known as the Serpentine River) is a recreational lake in Hyde Park, London, England, created in 1730 at the behest of Queen Caroline. Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, strict ...
on 23 January 1831. Contemporary reports, by contrast, suggested his losses in his last game had been large. His widow died on 6 September 1860 at Rushmore Lodge, in
Cranborne Chase Cranborne Chase () is an area of central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The area is dominated by, ...
, Dorset.


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, William Pitt-Rivers, 3rd Baron 1777 births 1831 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Suicides by drowning in England British politicians who committed suicide British military personnel who committed suicide Regency era Horace Horace