Chatham County, North Carolina in 1771 from Orange County. It had been named in 1758 for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, who served as British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1768 and opposed harsh colonial policies. In 1907, parts of Chatham County and Moore County were combined to form Lee County. While not devoted to large plantations, the county was developed for small farms, where slave labor was integral to the owners' productivity and success. By 1860 one-third of the county population were African Americans, chiefly enslaved. George Moses Horton, Historic Poet Laureate of Chatham County, (1797?-1883) lived most of his life enslaved
Earl of Wilton Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton died in 1814, the Grey de Wilton barony became extinct as he had no male heirs, while the Grey Egerton baronetcy passed to his kinsman John Grey Egerton (1766–1825), who became the 8th Baronet. The titles of "Earl of Wilton" and "Viscount Grey de Wilton" passed, according to the special remainder, to the 1st Earl's grandson Thomas Grosvenor (1799–1882), who adopted the surname of Egerton and became the 2nd Earl. He was the second son of Lady Eleanor and the first Marquess of Westminster, the younger brother of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster