Spencer family

This article is about the British noble family. For other people with the surname, see Spencer (surname). For other uses, see Spencer (disambiguation).

Spencer
Coat of arms of the Earl Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales
Ethnicity	English
Current region	Northamptonshire, England
Information
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Notable members	Earl of Sunderland Duke of Marlborough Earl Spencer Winston Churchill Diana, Princess of Wales
Connected families	British Royal Family
Estate	Althorp, Blenheim Palace

The Spencer family are a British 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 later Dukes of Marlborough, and the Earls Spencer. Other prominent members of the family include Winston Churchill (grandson of the 7th Duke of Marlborough) and Diana, Princess of Wales (daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer). The descent of the Spencer family from the Medieval Despencers has been challenged, especially by Horace Round in his essay on 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.

Members of the family

Spencer Knight

• Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Snitterfield & Wormleighton (1447-1552) 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

• Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1570-1627), married Margaret, daughter of Sir Francis Willoughby (1547-1596), Kt.
• William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1591–1636), married Penelop, daughter of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton

Earls of Sunderland

Main article: Earl of Sunderland

• Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland (1620–1643), royalist in the English Civil War
• Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland (1640–1702), politician
• Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1675–1722), politician
• Robert Spencer, 4th Earl of Sunderland (1701–1729) (elder brother of 3rd Duke)

Dukes of Marlborough

Main article: Duke of Marlborough (title)

• Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706–1758), general and politician, second son of the 3rd Earl of Sunderland
• George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739–1817), politician
• George Spencer, 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766–1840), changed his surname to "Spencer-Churchill". His Spencer-Churchill descendants include all later Dukes of Marlborough, and their descendants, including the politicians Lord Randolph Churchill and Sir Winston Churchill.

Earls Spencer

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.

• John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer (1734–1783), a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Sunderland through his third and youngest son
• George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758–1834), politician
• John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (1782–1845), better known as Lord Althorp, politician
• Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer (1798–1857)
• John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (1835–1910), politician
• Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer (1857–1922)
• Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975), paternal grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales
• (Edward) John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (1924–1992), father of Diana, Princess of Wales
• Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (b.1964), younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales

Other members

• Spencer Baronets who descended from younger sons of Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Wormleighton & Althorp (1517-1586).
• The Barons and Viscounts Churchill, who descend from a younger son of the 4th Duke of Marlborough, including
  • Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill
  • Victor Spencer, 1st Viscount Churchill
• George (Ignatius) Spencer (1799–1864)^[1]
• Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (1757–1806)
• Winston Churchill (1874–1965)
• HRH The Princess of Wales (1961–1997), later Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, daughter of The Right Honourable The 8th Earl Spencer.

• HRH The Duke of Cambridge (b.1982), who is the future King of the United Kingdom and Princess of Wales's elder son. Primarily a member of the House of Windsor.
• HRH Prince Harry of Wales (b.1984), Princess of Wales's younger son. Primarily a member of the House of Windsor.

Notable marriages into the family

• Sir Richard Brydges, Kt. married Lady Jane Spencer.
• His Grace William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire married Lady Georgiana Spencer.
• Sir Anthony Eden married the niece of his prime ministerial predecessor, Winston Churchill.
• Lady Cynthia Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, married Albert Spencer, Viscount Althorp on 26 February 1919.
• The Honourable Frances Ruth Roche, daughter of Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, married John Spencer, Viscount Althorp in 1954, and later Peter Shand Kydd in 1969.
• HRH The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Frances Spencer on 29 July 1981. After her marriage, Diana became the Princess of Wales.
• Catherine Elizabeth Middleton married HRH Prince William of Wales on 29 April 2011. After their marriage, William and Catherine were styled as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Bibliography

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

External links

• Spencer Family Tree, Althorp.com
• Origins of the Spencer family
• Family tree and information - Archived link
• http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~djmurphy/conn/washington.htm