General William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington (18 December 1719 – 1 April 1779) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

. The son of

William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington ( 1683 – 8 December 1756), was a British statesman and diplomat. Life William Stanhope was born in 1683 at the family home in Elvaston, Derbyshire, third surviving son of John Stanhope and Doro ...

, he took up a military career and joined the Foot Guards in 1741, and was also returned for

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

. He was wounded at the

battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy took place on 11 May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Tournai, then in the Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Maurice, comte de Saxe, Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Ar ...

and shortly thereafter (5 June 1745) was appointed colonel of the Second Troop of

Horse Grenadier Guards The Horse Grenadier Guards, usually referred to as Horse Grenadiers, were a series of cavalry troops in the British Household Cavalry between 1687 and 1788, who used grenades and other explosives in battle. Originally attached to the Troops of ...

, an appointment he held for the remainder of his life. Elvaston Castle Derbyshire Morris edited

He married Lady Caroline FitzRoy (1722–1784), daughter of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was a British peer and politician. Early life He was the only child and heir of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690) (an illegitimate son of King Charles II ...

, on 11 August 1746. They had seven children: * Lady Caroline Stanhope (11 March 1747 – 9 February 1767), married

Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth FRS (15 January 1744 – 27 August 1781) was a British peer, politician, soldier and Chief of the Highland Clan Mackenzie. Origins Mackenzie was the son of Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose (died 176 ...

* Lady Isabella Stanhope (c. 1748 – 29 January 1819), married Charles Molyneux, 1st Earl of Sefton * Lady Amelia Stanhope (24 May 1749 – 5 September 1780), married Richard Barry, 6th Earl of Barrymore *

Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington (17 March 17535 September 1829), styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1779 when he succeeded to the pe ...

(1753–1829) * Capt. Hon. Henry Fitzroy Stanhope (29 May 1754 – 20 August 1828), married Elizabeth Falconer and had issue; he was subject to a court martial in June 1783 over his actions during the invasion of Tobago but was found not guilty. Gurney (1783): p.54 The Lieutenant Governor of the island George Ferguson was also cleared of any blame at a subsequent enquiry. Buchan (2008): p.35 Henry Stanhope went on to become MP for Bramber from February 1782 until 1784. * Lady Henrietta Stanhope (c. 1756 – 2 January 1781), married Thomas Foley, 2nd Baron Foley * Lady Anna Maria Stanhope (c. 1760 – 18 October 1834), married first Thomas Pelham-Clinton, 3rd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne and second Gen. Sir Charles Craufurd In 1747, he became MP for

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

, and in 1755, was promoted major-general. He succeeded to the earldom in 1756, and was promoted

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

in 1758 and

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in 1770. He was known to society as "the goat of quality" for the dissipation of his personal life: he visited the brothel of Sarah Prendergast in King's Place,

St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, four times a week. His wife Lady Harrington formed " The New Female Coterie", a group of demimondaines which met in the same house.

References

thePeerage.com
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrington, William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of 1719 births 1779 deaths British Army generals British Life Guards officers British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession 2 Petersham, William Stanhope, Viscount British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Members of Parliament for Coventry English twins