A blue plaque at the entrance gate to Mawarden Court records that William Pitt (1708-1778) 'spent part of his boyhood here'. 

Mawarden Court, the home of his grand-parents, was built within sight of St Lawrence Church and faces east towards the historic monument of Old Sarum. 

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William Pitt was the MP for the Rotten Borough of Old Sarum from 1735-47 and Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766-68. He was also known as the Great Commoner, because of his long-standing refusal to accept a title until 1766 when he became the First Earl of Chatham.