William Capell, 4th Earl of Essex


William Anne Holles Capell, 4th Earl of Essex, was a British landowner and peer, a member of the House of Lords.

Early life

Capell was born on 7 October 1732 in Turin. He was the son of William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex, by his second marriage, to Lady Elizabeth Russell. From his father's first marriage to Lady Jane Hyde, he had several older half-sisters, including Lady Charlotte Capell, and Lady Mary Capell.
His paternal grandparents were Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex and Lady Mary Bentinck. His mother was a daughter of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford and the former Elizabeth Howland.

Career

In January 1743, at the age of ten, he inherited his father's titles and estates. In 1753, at the age of twenty-one, he took his seat in the House of Lords. From 1755 to 1769, he was a Lord of the Bedchamber to King George II. He again served in this role for King George III from 1782 to 1799.
Lord Essex served as Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire from 1764 to 1771. In 1770, he was made the last Master of the Staghounds.

Personal life

On 1 August 1754, the Earl of Essex married, firstly, Frances Hanbury-Williams, the daughter of Charles Hanbury Williams of Coldbroke and of Lady Francis Coningsby of Hampton Court Castle. By his first wife he had three children :
Several years after her death in childbirth in 1759, he married, secondly, Harriet Bladen, on 2 March 1767. Harriet was the daughter of Colonel Thomas Bladen of Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset. By his second wife, he had four children:
Essex died on 4 March 1799 at St James's Palace, Westminster.