Katherine Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield (bapt. 19 December 1609–9 April 1667) was an English-born courtier at the Dutch court of Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange and later to the restored court in England. Throughout her serving life, she was a trusted aide to the princess and the exiled English court at The Hague. But, as a former widow, was also faced with the hardship of securing family lands during the sequestrations carried o...
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Katherine Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield (bapt. 19 December 1609–9 April 1667) was an English-born courtier at the Dutch court of Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange and later to the restored court in England. Throughout her serving life, she was a trusted aide to the princess and the exiled English court at The Hague. But, as a former widow, was also faced with the hardship of securing family lands during the sequestrations carried out by the Commonwealth of England and surviving political intrigue. Despite this, and after having been thrice married, she was later granted a peerage and was to become a wealthy woman before her death.
Born Katherine Wotton in 1609, she was the eldest daughter and coheir of Thomas Wotton, 2nd Baron Wotton and his wife, Mary, nee Throckmorton. She was also a paternal great-niece of Sir Henry Wotton and a maternal great-niece of Sir Walter Raleigh.
On 4 December 1628, Wotton married Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope (the eldest surviving son of...
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