Harriet Villiers

Not to be confused with Harriet Pitt.

Harriet Villiers
Born	1680 (1680) Blandford Forum, Dorset, England
Died	21 October 1736(1736-10-21) (aged 55–56) England
Buried	Layston, Buntingford, Hertfordshire
Spouse	Robert Pitt
Issue Detail	Thomas Pitt William Pitt Harriot Villiers Catherine Pitt
Father	Edward FitzGerald-Villiers
Mother	Katherine FitzGerald

Lady Harriet Pitt (née Villiers; 1680 – 21 October 1736) was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman who was the mother and grandmother of two British prime ministers, William Pitt the elder and William Pitt the younger. ^[1]

Family

Villiers was born into Anglo-Irish nobility as the daughter of Edward FitzGerald-Villiers and the Irish heiress Katherine FitzGerald. ^[2]

Life

In 1704, she married Robert Pitt, who was elected to the House of Commons in the 1705 general election. ^[3] Together Harriet and Robert had four children:

• Thomas Pitt, who was an MP ^[4]
• William Pitt, who was an MP and prime minister (1756–57, 1757–1762 and 1766–1768) ^[5]
• Harriot Pitt married William Corbet MP. ^[6]
• Catherine Pitt married Robert Nedham MP. ^[7]

Death

Villiers died in 1736 and was buried at Layston Church in Buntingford, Hertfordshire. ^[8] Her mother and her son are buried at Westminster Abbey.

References

1. "Pitt, Harriet, (c1675-1736)". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
2. "William Pitt, the Elder | Prime Minister of UK & Father of Modern Conservatism | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
3. "Lady Harriet Villiers (I3347)". University of Stanford.
4. "PITT, Thomas (c.1705-61), of Boconnoc, Cornw. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
5. pixeltocode.uk, PixelToCode. "William Pitt and family". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
6. "CORBET, William (1702-48), of Stoke, Salop. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
7. "NEDHAM, Robert (?1703-62), of Howbery Park, Oxon. and Mourne Park, co Down. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
8. "Harriet VILLIERS". www.laystonchurch.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-07.