by the mid-18th century. Of the sixteen children of the 4th Earl and Countess, only seven lived to maturity. Three of their five sons died in the pursuit of their naval careers. The Countess died in 1755 aged 42, and the Earl in 1770 aged 61. He was survived by his sons Lionel, Lord Huntingtower, and Wilbraham, as well as three daughters: Jane, Louisa and Frances. Lionel, 5th Earl (1770–99) Lionel Tollemache, 5th Earl of Dysart succeeded to the title in 1770 on his father's death. Despite spending on the house, the 4th Earl had kept his son short of money during his lifetime, causing friction in the relationship; he married without his father's consent. His wife, Charlotte, was the youngest illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole, second son of Robert Walpole, and niece of Horace Walpole who lived near to Ham across the Thames at Strawberry Hill. The 5th Earl seems to have been a reclusive and introverted individual who shunned publicity, preferring to remain on his estates and refusing to allow changes or renovations to Ham House. His aversion to visitors was so marked as to lead him to refuse a request to visit from George III; "whenever my house becomes a public spectacle, His Majesty shall certainly have the first view". In contrast to his conserving instincts at Ham, he demolished two properties in Northamptonshire and Cheshire, although retaining the productive, and lucrative, estates. He continued the family tradition of acquiring fine furniture, most notably a marquetry commode which can be seen in the Queen's Bedchamber, and the sunburst chairs in the White Closet. Charlotte died, childless, in 1789 and although Lionel remarried he remained without an heir. The families of his surviving sisters, Louisa and Jane, reverted to the family name of Tollemache in anticipation of eventual succession. On his death in 1799 his brother, Wilbraham became the 6th Earl of Dysart. Wilbraham, 6th Earl (1799–1821) Wilbraham was aged 60 when he inherited the title in 1799. One of his first acts was to buy the rights of the Manor of Kingston/Canbury from George Hardinge, extending the Dysarts' property south into Kingston. He had the wall which isolated the property and separated Ham House from the river demolished and replaced by a ha-ha, leaving the gates free-standing. Coade stone pineapples were added to decorate the balustrades to the north of the property and John Bacon's statue