Name Charles 3rd | Nationality British Tenure 1779-1829 | |
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Born Charles Stanhope17 March 1753 ( 1753-03-17 ) Other titles Viscount PetershamBaron HarringtonKnight Grand Cross, Royal Guelphic Order Children Charles Stanhope, 4th Earl of Harrington Parents Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, Lady Caroline FitzRoy, William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington Cousins Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton Similar People Jane Stanhope - Countess, William Stanhope - 1st Earl of, Charlotte of Mecklenburg‑Strelitz, Isabella FitzRoy - Duchess |
General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington (17 March 1753 – 5 September 1829), styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British soldier.
Contents
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.
Military career
Stanhope was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1769. 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.
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.
Titles and styles
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. Lord and Lady Harrington had eleven children: