Richard Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos Grenville (1776–1839) was the eldest son of Nugent Buckingham and Mary Nugent. He became the first Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1822. 

He was a shy child and, with his brother and sister, was educated at home. Engaged to marry Anna Eliza when he was ten and she six, this became an obsession until their eventual marriage in 1796. He was then twenty and she sixteen. The marriage was only occasionally happy. Richard’s awkwardness quickly turned to arrogance, particularly after he assumed his father’s role as head of the Grenvillites. The Dukedom was awarded for political favours rather than any broader recognition of merit, but his lavish spending was to destroy his public reputation.

Portrait by Romney

In 1827 Buckingham found himself in embarrassed circumstances. His expenditure in the luxuries of art and literature had been enormous, and the munificence with which he had entertained the royal family of France on one of his estates had burdened him with debt. He therefore went abroad. A new yacht called the Anna Eliza was built for him; in her he sailed from Southampton on 4 August; and remained absent from England about two years... At one time he was a strong advocate of Roman Catholic emancipation, but afterwards changed his opinions; he was, however, a consistent supporter of measures for the abolition of the slave trade. For some years he lived in retirement on account of bodily infirmities, brought on by violent attacks of the gout. He, however, found employment among the books and works of art with which Stowe, Buckinghamshire, his favourite residence, abounded. Here he laid out a large sum of money in making a collection of rare and curious prints. Five years before his death some portion of this collection was disposed of in a sale lasting thirty days. [DNB]

More information

• Portrait of Richard Temple at Stowe
• His Private Diaries
• Report of death of Richard Temple in Jacksons Oxford Journal.
• Report of his funeral.