Lady Hester Stanhope
Lady Hester Stanhope | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 March 1776 |
| Died | 23 June 1839 (aged 63) |
| Occupation(s) | adventurer, writer, antiquarian |
| Parent(s) | Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope Lady Hester Pitt |
| Relatives | Philip Henry Stanhope (half-brother) James Hamilton Stanhope (half-brother) William Pitt the younger (uncle) |
Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British adventurer, writer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her excavation of Ascalon in 1815 is considered the first to use modern archaeological principles, and her use of a medieval Italian document is described as "one of the earliest uses of textual sources by field archaeologists". Her letters and memoirs made her famous as an explorer.