Philip Dormer Stanhope

Profile & Legacies Summary

1752 - 1825

Biography

Philip Dormer Stanhope was born in 1752, the son of Charles Stanhope and his wife Catherine Margaretta. His path to part-ownership of Belvidere is not yet clear to LBS but must have flowed though his aunts: the estate had belonged to his uncle John Cope Freeman (q.v.) who left his property as a whole to his wife and two sisters, with only an annuity (later revoked in a codicil) to Philip Dormer Stanhope.

"Philip Dormer Stanhope grew up a wild wastrel and was expelled from King's College, Cambridge, in 1773; went to India and quarrelled with everyone there; married 1780 Elizabeth Hughes of London, and had one daughter Stella Eloisa; Cornet of 7th Regt of Dragoon Guards 1780 and Ensign 12th Foot 1781, but his name disappears from the Army List after 1784. He may be the PDS who was at 2 Manchester St., London, in 1796; there was also a PDS who lived in France from c. 1790 until at least September 1814... Mr [John Cope] Freeman left an annuity in his will to his nephew Philip Dormer Stanhope, but later revoked this bequest, evidently in view of the young man's bad behavoir."
Will of Philip Dormer Stanhope of Paris France [made in 1822] proved 09/12/1825. Under the will he said he had settled one half of his 1/4th share in the Belvedere estate after his and his wife's death on his daughter Stella Eloisa Freeman Walsh and her husband, and left the other half to a second daughter Isabella Freeman Stanhope. His trustees were Capel Cure and Edward Jarman.

Sources

Deirdre Le Faye, Jane Austen's Letters, 4th ed. (Oxford, OUP, 2011) pp. 525-526.
PROB 11/1706/233.

We are grateful to Patricia Noble for her assistance in compiling this entry.

Further Information

Absentee?

British/Irish

Spouse

Elizabeth

Children

Stella Eloise Freeman, Isabella

Will

PROB 11/1706/233 - precis.

Philip Dormer Stanhope of the City of Paris in France Esquire.

Capel Cure of Blake Hall in Essex Esquire and Edward Jarman of Furnivals Inn in the City of London to be my executors.

To my executors upon trust for my wife for her natural life and after that to my daughter Isabella Freeman Stanhope, her heirs and assigns forever, one moity of my fourth part or share of the Belvidere plantation in Jamaica and the slaves and appurtenances belonging thereto. The other moity has already been settled upon my daughter Stella Eloisa Freeman Walsh and her husband after the death of myself and my wife Elizabeth Stanhope.

My executors are to oversee the management of Belvidere plantation and to reimburse themselves of any expenses.

All residue of my estate to my two daughters Isabella Freeman Stanhope and Stella Eloisa Freeman Walsh equally, share and share alike.

Signed 04/03/1822.

Witnesses Philip Francis Joseph Count Walsh. Paris; Jno Coles Symes and Jas. Weston Junr, 31 Fenchurch St, London.

Proved at London 09/12/1825 by the oath of Edward Jarman Esquire.

School

Eton

University

Cambridge (Kings College)

Associated Estates (1)

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