William Henry Lyttelton
Governor June 1756 – April 1760 William Henry Lyttelton was born in London in 1724, and educated at Eton, Oxford, and the Middle Temple. He began his career as a colonial administrator in 1755 when he was appointed governor of South Carolina. On June 1, 1756, he arrived in Charleston to replace governor James Glen.
Governor William Henry Lyttelton engaged the Indians of South Carolina’s upcountry in the so-called Cherokee War of 1759-1761. The conflict remained unsettled when Lyttelton received an appointment to become the next governor of Jamaica. He departed for England in April 1760, leaving lieutenant governor William Bull II to manage the colony as acting governor.
William H. Lyttelton enjoyed a long career as a colonial governor, ambassador for Great Britain, and member of Parliament. He died in England in 1808. Moore, Alexander. “Lyttelton, William Henry.” Walter Edgar, ed. South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press, 2006.
Ravenel, Mrs. St. Julien (Harriott Horry Rutledge). Charleston. The Place and the People. New York, 1912; rep. ed. Southern Historical Press, 1972.
Waddell, Gene. "Charles Pinckney's Double House." Charleston Architecture, 1670-1860. Charleston: Wyrick & Company, 2003.
Photos
 PinckneyMansionEastFacade_1_500x500.jpg) |
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration http://arcweb.archives.gov/
Governor William Henry Lyttelton followed his predecessor, James Glen, in using the Pinckney mansion as his official residence. The house was completed in 1750 for Charles Pinckney and his wife Eliza Lucas; after they moved to England in 1753, several royal governors made it their residence. The Pinckney mansion burned in the fire of December 11, 1861. |
 PinckneyMansion1680_1_500x500.jpg) |
Henry A. M. Smith, “A Platt of Charles Town.” South Carolina Historical Magazine, 1908 (copy in City Engineer’s Plat Book, S. C. History Room, Charleston County Public Library)
The Pinckney Mansion stood on Colleton Square, nine acres of high land, marsh, and “a little Creek,” granted to Sir Peter Colleton in 1681. |
 PinckneyMansion1739_1_500x500.jpg) |
Bishop Roberts and W. H. Toms, The Ichnography of Charles-Town at High Water. London, 1739.
Site of Pinckney Mansion, 1739. The bridge that led north from the fortified town eventually became known as Governor’s Bridge. |
 PinckneyMansion1852_1_500x500.jpg) |
R. P. Bridgens & Robt. Allen, "An Original Map of the City of Charleston." 1852 (S. C. History Room, Charleston County Public Library)
Pinckney Mansion, 1852. |
 PinckneyRuins2_1_500x500.jpg) |
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration http://arcweb.archives.gov/
The Pinckney Mansion was not occupied by family members until Charles Cotesworth Pinckney returned from Europe in 1769. During their terms in office, royal governors James Glen, Thomas Boone, William Henry Lyttelton, and Charles Greville Montagu all resided in this “commodious mansion house.” Ca. 1865 view of the house, which burned in 1861. |
 PinckneyMansionRuinsPlat_1_500x500.jpg) |
City Engineer's Plat Book, page 2 (S. C. History Room, Charleston County Public Library)
Ruins of the Pinckney Mansion, 1866. |
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