Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Countess of Chatham
Portrait by William Hoare c. 1766
Born	Hester Grenville (1720-11-08)8 November 1720 London, England
Died	9 April 1803(1803-04-09) (aged 82) Burton Pynsent, Somerset, England
Resting place	Westminster Abbey
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham ​ ​ (m. 1754; died 1778)​
Children	Hester Stanhope, Viscountess Mahon John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham Lady Harriet Eliot William Pitt the Younger Hon James Charles Pitt
Parent(s)	Richard Grenville Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple

Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham (born Hester Grenville; November 8, 1720 – April 9, 1803) was a very important woman in British history. She was married to William Pitt the Elder, who was the prime minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768.

Hester was also the sister of George Grenville, another prime minister (1763–1765). Even more famously, she was the mother of William Pitt the Younger, who also became prime minister! Her uncle, Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, was an important politician who helped her husband.

Hester Pitt and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Grenville, are the only two women in British history who were both the wife of one prime minister and the mother of another.

Hester's Early Life

Hester Grenville was born in London, England, on November 8, 1720. She was the only daughter of Richard Grenville and Hester Grenville. Her mother later became the 1st Countess Temple.

Marriage and Family Life

When she was 34, Lady Hester married William Pitt on November 16, 1754. He was an important politician. They were married at her home in London.

Hester and William had five children:

• Lady Hester Pitt (1755–1780): She married Viscount Mahon. They had three children. One of her daughters, also named Lady Hester Stanhope, became a famous traveler.
• John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (1756–1835): He married Mary Townshend. They did not have any children.
• Lady Harriet Pitt (1758–1786): She married Edward James Eliot. They had one child.
• Hon. William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806): He became prime minister of Great Britain, just like his father. He never married.
• Hon. James Charles Pitt (1761–1780): He was an officer in the Royal Navy. He passed away in Antigua and never married.

In 1761, Hester was given the title "Baroness Chatham." This meant she was a noblewoman in her own right. Her husband, William Pitt, became the Earl of Chatham in 1766.