Spencer family

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This article is about the British noble family. For other people with the surname, see Spencer (surname). For other uses, see Spencer (disambiguation).
Spencer
Spencer Arms.svg
Spencer coat of arms
Ethnicity English
Current region Northamptonshire, England
Information
Place of origin United Kingdom
Notable members Earls of Sunderland
Duke of Marlborough
Earl Spencer
Winston Churchill
Diana, Princess of Wales
Connected families British Royal Family
Estate Althorp, Blenheim Palace
Althorp, the family seat of the Spencer family for 500 years

The Spencer family is one of Britain's most illustrious and exalted aristocratic families. This noble family descended in the male line from Henry Spencer, claimed to be a descendant of the cadet branch of the ancient House Le Despencer (died c. 1478), male-line ancestor of the Earls of Sunderland, the Dukes of Marlborough, and the Earls Spencer. Two prominent members of the family were Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales. The descent of the family from the Medieval Despencers has been challenged, especially by Horace Round in his essay The Rise of the Spencers. The Spencers were granted a coat of arms in 1504 which bears no resemblance to that used by the family after c. 1595, which was derived from the Despencer arms. Round believed that the Despencer descent was fabricated by Richard Lee, a corrupt Clarencieux King of Arms.[1] The Spencer claim to be descendants of the Despencer family can neither be proven beyond reasonable doubt, nor disproved.

The Spencers started out as sheep farmers in pre-Tudor times but rose to opulent prominence during the 16th century where it was said that Lord Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, was reputed to be the richest man in England upon the ascension of King James I to the English throne. This humble origins of the Spencers once caused a heated exchange of words between wealthy yet then-upstart Spencers with the more established Howards whose FitzAlan ancestors had been the Earls of Arundel since the 13th century. During a warm debate in the House of Peers, Lord Spencer was speaking something in the house that their great ancestors did, when suddenly the Earl of Arundel cuts him off and then said "My Lord, when these things you speak of were doing, your ancestors were keeping sheep". Lord Spencer then instantly replied, "When my ancestors as you say were keeping sheep, your ancestors were plotting treason."

The Spencers later joined the Churchills upon the marriage of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland and Lady Anne Churchill, daughter of the most celebrated Duke of Marlborough. From them descends the current line of the Spencer family which was divided into two branches. The senior line are currently the ducal line of the Spencer family who holds the Dukedom of Marlborough. The 5th Duke of Marlborough later changed their surname to Spencer-Churchill to emphasize their descent from the first duke. The junior line are currently the comital branch of the family who holds the title Earl Spencer.

The comital branch of the Spencer family can trace their ancestry to most of Britain's nobility as well as to most of Europe's royal houses. The Spencers are direct descendants albeit illegitimate of the House of Stuart, with the family boasting at-least five line of direct descendancy from the Stuarts, and from them, the Spencers can trace their ancestry to other royal houses such as the Bourbons, the Medicis, the Wittelsbachs, the Hanovers, the Sforzas, and the Habsburgs. More-so, the Spencers are one of the very few British noble families to be the heirs body of a once sovereign family, being the senior female-line descendants of John Churchill, the once sovereign Prince of Mindelheim.

Contents

Members of the family [edit]

Winston Churchill (1874–1965)
Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997)

Spencer Knight [edit]

  • Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Snitterfield & Wormleighton (1447–1522) married Isabel, daughter of Sir Walter Graunt, of Snitterfield
  • Sir William Spencer, Kt. of Wormleighton & Althorp (1483–1532) married Susan, daughter of Sir Richard Knightley, of Fawsley, Northants
  • Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Wormleighton & Althorp (1517–1586) married Katherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Kiton, of Hengrove, Suffolk
  • Sir John Spencer, Kt. (1546–1599) married Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Catlyn, of Berne, Dorset

Barons Spencer [edit]

Earls of Sunderland [edit]

Main article: Earl of Sunderland

Dukes of Marlborough [edit]

Main article: Duke of Marlborough (title)
Heir apparent: Charles James Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (b. 1955), eldest surviving son of the 11th Duke

Earls Spencer [edit]

Main article: Earl Spencer
The Duke of Marlborough's genealogy. To highlight their descent from John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough the Spencer family adopted the Churchill surname in the 18th century. With no surviving male heir, Henrietta became the 2nd Duchess of Marlborough. On her death in 1733, Anne's son Charles became the 3rd Duke of Marlborough.

Other members [edit]

Notable marriages into the family [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Round, pp. 292–309

Bibliography [edit]

  • Round, J.H. (1901) Studies in Peerage and Family History, A. Constable and Company, London.

External links [edit]

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