Earl of Chatham Earl of Chatham Earl of Chatham, in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for William Pitt the Elder on his appointment as Lord Privy Seal, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Pitt, of Burton Pynsent in the County of Somerset, also in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first Earl's wife, the former Lady Hester Grenville, daughter of the 1st Countess Temple, had earlier been created Baroness Chatham, of Chatham in the County of Kent, also in the Peerage of Great Britain, in 1761, as at that stage
John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham short interval out of office in 1806-7. He became the General Officer in Command of the Eastern District in 1806. In 1798 Chatham returned to the army. He was appointed to command a brigade in the Helder campaign in 1799. He was wounded by a spent ball at the Battle of Castricum on 6 October. After this he served as commander of various military districts, but for some reason was passed over in favour of Arthur Wellesley for a command in the Peninsular War. In May 1809 the Secretary of State for War, Lord Castlereagh, offered Chatham the command of