Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington
General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington GCH PC PC (17 March 1753 – 5 September 1829), styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British soldier.
Early life
Stanhope was the son of William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington and Lady Caroline Fitzroy, daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton and Lady Henrietta Somerset, daughter of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester and Rebecca Child. He was educated at Eton.[1]
Military career
Stanhope was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1769.[1] During the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War as Viscount Petersham, he commanded the 29th Regiment of Foot's Grenadier company and was an aide-de-camp to General John Burgoyne.[1]
He was Colonel of the 85th Regiment of Foot (1778–1783), the 65th Regiment of Foot (1783–1788) and the 29th Regiment of Foot (1788–1792). He was finally Colonel of the 1st Life Guards from 1792 to his death. He was promoted full general in 1803 and made GCH in 1821.
Viscount Petersham can be seen in the famous painting "The Burial of General Fraser at Saratoga" standing above Simon Fraser.
Parliamentary career
He was briefly elected to serve as Member of Parliament for Thetford in 1774 and then sat from 1776 to 1779 as one of the members for Westminster.[2]
Styles of address
- 1753-1756: The Hon Charles Stanhope
- 1756-1774: Viscount Petersham
- 1774: Viscount Petersham MP
- 1774-1776: Viscount Petersham
- 1776-1779: Viscount Petersham MP
- 1779-1798: The Rt Hon The Earl of Harrington
- 1798-1806: The Rt Hon The Earl of Harrington PC
- 1806-1816: The Rt Hon The Earl of Harrington PC PC (I)
- 1816-1829: The Rt Hon The Earl of Harrington GCH PC PC (I)
Family
Lord Harrington was married to Jane Fleming, daughter of Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet. She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte.[3] Lord and Lady Harrington had eleven children:
- Charles Stanhope, 4th Earl of Harrington (8 April 1780 – 3 March 1851). He was married to Maria Foote, daughter of Samuel Foote.
- Maj-Gen. Hon. Lincoln Edwin Robert Stanhope (26 November 1781 – 29 February 1840).
- Anna Maria Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford (3 September 1783 – 3 July 1857). She was married to Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford.
- Leicester FitzGerald Charles Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington (2 September 1784 – 7 September 1862). He married Elizabeth Green, daughter of William Green and Ann Rose Hall.
- Hon. William Sefton George Stanhope (29 December 1785 – February 1786)
- Rev. Hon. FitzRoy Henry Richard Stanhope (24 April 1787 – 11 April 1864). Dean of St Buryan, Cornwall and rector of Catton and of Wressle in Yorkshire. He married Caroline Wyndham, illegitimate daughter of the Hon. Charles Wyndham. They were parents of Charles Wyndham Stanhope, 7th Earl of Harrington, his younger brother Percy Stanhope and of several other children.
- Maj. Hon. Sir Francis Charles Stanhope (29 September 1788 – 9 October 1862). He had three children by Hannah Wilson, daughter of James Wilson of Parsonstown Manor, County Meath.
- Rev. Hon. Henry William Stanhope (2 August 1790 – 21 June 1872). Rector of Gawsworth.
- Lady Caroline Anne Stanhope (20 November 1791 – 25 November 1853), married Edward Ayshford Sanford on 21 June 1841.
- Lady Charlotte Augusta Stanhope (15 February 1793 – 15 February 1859), married Augustus Frederick FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster on 16 June 1818. They were parents to Charles William FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster and another three children.
- Hon. Augustus Henry Edward Stanhope (25 March 1794 – 8 December 1831). On 8 May 1813, he married Jane Baldwin in the Parish Church of St John, Hampstead, under the name "Edward Stanhope" and disguised as a groom or labourer. The marriage was annulled in 1822 by reason of undue publication of banns (26 Geo. 2 c.33).[4]
References
- 1 2 3 Charles Stanhope at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ "STANHOPE, Charles, Visct. Petersham (1753-1829).". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "Jane Stanhope (née Fleming), Countess of Harrington (1755-1824), Lady of the bedchamber to Queen Charlotte and a society hostess". National Portrait Gallery, London.
- ↑ Dodsley's Annual Register, Volume 64, by Edmund Burke
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Harrington
- Worcestershire Regiment website bio, with picture
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Seymour Conway John Drummond |
Member of Parliament for Thetford 1774 With: Henry Seymour Conway |
Succeeded by Charles FitzRoy Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore |
| Preceded by Earl Percy Lord Thomas Pelham-Clinton |
Member of Parliament for Westminster 1776–1779 With: Lord Thomas Pelham-Clinton |
Succeeded by Lord Thomas Pelham-Clinton Viscount Malden |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by The Viscount Cathcart |
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland 1806–1812 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Hopetoun |
| Preceded by The Lord Dover |
Colonel of the 1st Regiment of Life Guards 1792–1829 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Combermere |
| Preceded by William Tryon |
Colonel of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot 1788–1792 |
Succeeded by Gordon Forbes |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Cardigan |
Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle 1812–1829 |
Succeeded by The Marquess Conyngham |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by William Stanhope |
Earl of Harrington 1779–1829 |
Succeeded by Charles Stanhope |