Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple

Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple, 2nd Viscountess Cobham (née Temple), was born and baptized on 7 May 1684. She died on 6 October 1752. She was an English noblewoman and a member of the Temple family.

Family Background:

Hester was the daughter of Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet (1634–1697), of Stowe, Buckinghamshire, and his wife, Mary Knapp. She was a co-heir of her father, which indicates her family's considerable estate and noble standing.

Marriage and Children:

On 25 November 1710, Hester married Richard Grenville of Wotton in Buckinghamshire. The marriage produced five sons, all of whom served as members of Parliament:

- Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple (1711–1779), MP.

- George Grenville (1712–1770), MP; served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1763 to 1765. He married Elizabeth Wyndham and was the father of William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, who also became Prime Minister.

- James Grenville (1715–1783), MP; served as a minister under William Pitt the Younger. He married Mary Smyth.

- Henry Grenville (1717–1784), MP; married Margaret Eleanor Banks.

- Thomas Grenville (1719–1747), MP; a Royal Navy officer who died at sea at the age of 28, unmarried.

Her daughter, Hester (1720–1803), married William Pitt the Elder and was the mother of William Pitt the Younger, who both served as Prime Ministers of Great Britain.

Inheritance and Titles:

Hester's familial connections included her brother Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham. In 1749, under a special remainder, she inherited the title of Viscountess Cobham, becoming the 2nd Viscountess Cobham after her brother’s death. Later that year, on 18 October 1749, she was created the 1st Countess Temple, following her inheritance of the Temple title.

Her paternal cousin Lord Cobham had excluded certain nephews from succession, specifically Temple West and Gilbert West (sons of his sister Maria and Richard West), as well as another sister, Penelope. Despite these exclusions, Hester inherited the titles associated with the Temple family.

References:

The information summarized here is based on historical records related to the Temple and Grenville families, as well as peerage and nobility registries of the period.