(1732 - 68), illeg. s. of 4th E. of Chesterfield, of whose Letters he was the victim; educ. Westminster; m. secretly c.1759 Eugenia Peters; MP 1754 - 65; res. Hamburg 1757 - 63; env. to the Imperial Diet 1763 and Saxony 1764 - d.
1749 - 50 Turin (Feb. 1749) [Switzerland] Venice (Jun./Jul. - Aug. - 1749), Rome (Dec. 1749 - Mar. 1750), Naples (Mar.), Rome, Siena (Jul.), Florence (by 24 Jul. - ) [France, Nov.]
Philip Stanhope made the grand tour with his tutor Walter Harte. From his father's Letters it is possible to deduce much of their Italian itinerary. Having been in Germany and Switzerland in 1746 - 8 with Edward Eliot, they came alone to Turin in February 1749 and went, apparently via Switzerland, to Venice in June/July and August 1749.1 In December they were due in Rome, where at Easter 1750 they were staying in the Strada Paolina.2 Stanhope, 'in spite of his father's earnest and galant exhortations', became 'smitten by the accomplishments of the amiable Eugenia [Peters]', whom he subsequently and secretly married, see Peters. By the end of March 1750 they were in Naples, and on 24 July they had arrived in Florence from Rome,3 passing through Siena where both were unwell. In Florence Edward Thomas received 'vast civilities' from them, Stanhope giving him a letter of introduction to Cardinal Albani's secretary in Rome.4 By November Stanhope and Harte were in the south of France; they stayed some time in Paris before returning to England in July 1751.
1. Wal.Corr., 20:175n5. 2. AVR sa, S.Lorenzo in Lucina. 3. Hanbury Williams MSS, 51:245 (Stanhope, 27 Jul. 1750). 4. Thomas letters MSS, ff.21, 23 (23 Sep., 2 Nov. 1750).