William Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton

Who was William Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton?

William Henry Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton was the youngest son of Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 4th Baronet.

As the youngest son, he did not expect to inherit the family estates and served in various government appointments. He became governor of colonial South Carolina in 1755. As such he was a major factor in the eventual story of America's independence. His insistence on respecting the treaty rights of native peoples aggravated settlers on the frontier of South Carolina and led to a severe rift between those respecting the King's directives and those opposed. The opposing factions eventually fought the civil war in South Carolina that was perhaps the key factor in America's independence. He was appointed Governor of Jamaica in 1760, and envoy-extraordinary to Portugal in 1766. He was raised to the Irish peerage in 1776 as Baron Westcote.

As a result of the death without issue of his nephew Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton in 1779, he inherited the family baronetcy and family estates in Frankley, Halesowen, and Hagley. However, the estates in Upper Arley passed to the late lord's sister Lucy, wife of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris.