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The Lord Lyttelton
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| In office 25 November 1755 – 16 November 1756 |
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| Monarch | George II |
| Prime Minister | The Duke of Newcastle |
| Preceded by | Hon. Henry Bilson Legge |
| Succeeded by | Hon. Henry Bilson Legge |
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| Born | 17 January 1709 |
| Died | 24 August 1773 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Lucy Fortescue (d. 1747) (2) Elizabeth Rich |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton PC (17 January 1709 – 24 August 1773), known as Sir George Lyttelton, Bt between 1751 and 1756, was a British politician and statesman and a patron of the arts.
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Background and education
Lord Lyttelton was the son of Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 4th Baronet, by his wife Christian, daughter of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
Political career
He was one of the politicians who opposed Robert Walpole as a member (one of Cobham's Cubs) of the Whig Opposition the 1730s. He served as secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales from 1737,[1] and as a Commissioner of the Treasury in 1744. After Walpole's fall, Lyttelton became Chancellor of the Exchequer (1755). In 1756 he was raised to the peerage as Lord Lyttelton, Baron of Frankley in the County of Worcester.
Patron of the arts
Lord Lyttelton was a friend and supporter to Alexander Pope in the 1730s and to Henry Fielding in the 1750s. James Thomson addresses him throughout his poem The Seasons, and Lyttelton arranged a pension for Thomson. He wrote Dialogues of the Dead in 1760 with Elizabeth Montagu, leader of the bluestockings, and The History of the Life of Henry the Second (1767–1771). The former work is part of a tradition of such dialogues. Henry Fielding dedicated Tom Jones to him. Lyttelton spent many years and a fortune developing Hagley Hall and its park which contains many follies. The hall itself, which is in north Worcestershire, was designed by Sanderson Miller and is the last of the great Palladian houses to be built in England.
Family
Lord Lyttelton married firstly Lucy, daughter of Hugh Fortescue, in 1742. After her death in 1747 he married secondly Elizabeth, daughter of Field Marshal Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, in 1749. He died in August 1773, aged 64, and was buried in Christ Church Cathedral.[2] He was succeeded by his eldest son from his first marriage, Thomas.
Notes
- ^ Office holders
- ^ Memorial there.
References
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- Burkes Peerage and Baronetage (1939), s.v. Cobham, Viscount
- www.thepeerage.com
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Pelham |
Secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales 1737-1744 |
Succeeded by Henry Drax |
| Preceded by The Earl of Lincoln |
Cofferer of the Household 1754–1756 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Leeds |
| Preceded by Henry Bilson Legge |
Chancellor of the Exchequer 1755–1756 |
Succeeded by Henry Bilson Legge |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Baron Lyttelton 1756–1773 |
Succeeded by Thomas Lyttelton |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Lyttelton |
Baronet (of Frankley) 1751–1773 |
Succeeded by Thomas Lyttelton |
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