Charles Stanhope, 2nd Baron Stanhope facts for kids
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Charles Stanhope, 2nd Baron Stanhope (born 1593, died 1675) was an important English landowner. He also worked at the royal court and was known for writing notes in the margins of his books. This is called marginalia.
Charles was the son of Sir John Stanhope and Margaret MacWilliam. He went to Queens' College, Cambridge, a famous university. In 1610, he was made a knight.
From 1625 to 1637, Charles Stanhope held an important job called the Master of the Posts. This meant he was in charge of the postal service in England. His father had held this job before him.
In 1641, Charles Stanhope married Dorothy Livingston. She was the sister of James Livingston, 1st Earl of Newburgh, a Scottish nobleman.
Notes in Books (Marginalia)
Charles Stanhope is remembered today because of the interesting notes he wrote in the margins of his books. One famous note was in his copy of The Life and Death of Sir Thomas More. This book is now kept at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
In his notes, Stanhope wrote about the clothes of Elizabeth I of England, a former queen. He claimed that George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, who was in charge of the queen's wardrobe, sold her old clothes for a huge amount of money – about £60,000! He said that Dunbar then spent £20,000 building a house at Berwick Castle. Another person, Symonds D'Ewes, also wrote a similar story.
Charles's father, Sir John Stanhope, had a connection to the royal wardrobe too. In 1604, he was asked to make a list of all the queen's royal clothing.
Stanhope also wrote a fun rhyme about London pubs in another book, Certaine Learned and Elegant Workes. He noted:
- They pass by the Devil they make it no matter,
- the Mitre, the Globe, the head in the platter,
- the Fountain, the Mermaid too, these they go by all,
- and how they will answer they balk at the Head Royal.
Homes and Family Life
During the English Civil War, Charles Stanhope lived outside of England. After the war ended and the king returned to power, Stanhope bought a large house called Nocton Hall in Lincolnshire.
His niece, Elizabeth Delaval, lived with Charles and Dorothy Stanhope at Nocton Hall for a time. Elizabeth later became a maid to Catherine of Braganza, who was the queen to Charles II of England.
In 1654, Charles Stanhope sold another property he owned, the manor of Stambourne and Stambourne Hall in Essex.
Charles Stanhope died in 1675 and was buried at Nocton. He did not have any children. After his death, his estate at Nocton was passed to a distant relative, Sir William Ellys.
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