Catherine Manners

Lady Catherine Pelham (née Manners; also spelled Katherine) was born in either 1700 or 1701. She was the daughter of Catherine (née Russell) and John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland. Her maternal uncle was Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford. She belonged to an aristocratic family with considerable social standing. Her dowry was reported to be either £10,000 or £30,000.

Catherine Manners married Henry Pelham, who served as secretary of war in Sir Robert Walpole's government. At the time of their marriage, Pelham was employed at St James's Palace, Westminster, London. The couple had a total of eight children, of whom only four daughters survived childhood. In November 1739, Catherine and Henry experienced a tragic period when two of their sons died within days of each other from what is now believed to be diphtheria. Prior to these losses, they had already lost a daughter, and within months, another daughter died.

Catherine Pelham was involved in political patronage, using her influence to secure positions within successive administrations. Her skills lay in correspondence, political manipulation, and the strategic planning of patronage distributions. She coordinated the timing of vacancies and determined appropriate recipients for governmental appointments. Her unmarried daughters also held positions, reflecting the family's influence.

In 1745, she was appointed Ranger of Greenwich Park. One notable achievement involves her efforts to secure the parliamentary candidature of John Roberts for the Harwich constituency. She identified a vacancy and secured Prime Minister Newcastle's commitment to have Roberts appointed. However, in 1761, with the accession of King George III, the selection process encountered changes. The new king favored Charles Townshend as a candidate instead of Roberts. Prime Minister Newcastle’s solution involved transferring a sitting candidate, Thomas Sewell, to Exeter, thereby opening a vacancy at Harwich. Newcastle then arranged for both Catherine Pelham's preferred candidate and the king’s candidate to be elected in Harwich, demonstrating his diplomatic balancing act.

Lady Catherine Pelham died on 18 February 1780.

Her daughters included:

- Catherine (1727–1760), who married Henry Clinton, 9th Earl of Lincoln, in 1744. Her marriage resulted in her becoming Catherine Pelham-Clinton, Countess of Clinton, and her husband later became the 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

- Frances (born 1728) and Mary (born 1739), both of whom died unmarried.

- Grace (1735–1777), who married Hon. Lewis Watson in 1752. Lewis Watson was created Baron Sondes in 1760, and after marriage, Grace became Grace Watson, Baroness Sondes.