Stanhope, Hester, Lady, 1776-1839
Variant namesBiographical notes:
Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was the eldest child of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope. In August 1803, she moved into the home of her uncle, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, to manage his household and act as his hostess and later secretary. In February 1810, Stanhope left England and travelled to through Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East.
Stanhope came into possession of a medieval Italian manuscript copied from the records of a monastery somewhere in Syria. According to this document, a great treasure was hidden under the ruins of a mosque at the port city of Tel Ashkelon which had been lying in ruins for 600 years. In 1815, on the strength of this map, she travelled to the ruins of Ashkelon; this resulted in the first archaeological excavation in Palestine. While she did not find the hoard of three million gold coins reportedly buried there, the excavators unearthed a 2.1-metre (7 ft) headless marble statue.
Lady Hester settled near Sidon, a town on the Mediterranean coast in what is now Lebanon and became a recluse. She died in her sleep in 1839.
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Information
Subjects:
- Smallpox
Occupations:
- Travelers
Places:
- Chevening, ENG, GB
- Joûn, 05, LB
- Lebanon, 00, LB
