Biography
George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough, was born 13 May 1844 in Wilmington Crescent, Westminister, England, United Kingdom to John Winston Spencer-Churchill (1822-1883) and Frances Anne Emily Vane (1822-1899) and died 9 November 1892 Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton (1847-1932) 8 November 1869 in Palace of Westminster, Westminster, England, United Kingdom. He married Lilian Warren Price (1854-1909) 29 June 1888 in City Hall, New York City, New York, United States.
George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough, DL (13 May 1844 – 9 November 1892), styled Earl of Sunderland until 1857 and Marquess of Blandford between 1857 and 1883, was a British peer.
Early life
Marlborough was born in England on 13 May 1844.[1] He was the eldest son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (1822–1883), who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Lord President of the Council, and Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane (1822–1899). He was the elder brother of Lord Randolph Churchill and the uncle of Winston Churchill.
His paternal grandparents were George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, and Lady Jane Stewart, daughter of Admiral George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway. His maternal grandparents were Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry and Frances Vane, Marchioness of Londonderry.[1]
Like his father before him, he was educated at Eton College, entering in 1857 and being expelled in 1860.
Career
In 1863 Marlborough joined the British Army, purchasing a commission in the rank of Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards.[2] He was initiated into the Freemasonry in January 1871 along with his brother Randolph, in the Churchill Lodge in London.[3][4] In the following years, he was also initiated into the Ancient Order of Druids.[5]
After succeeding to the Dukedom, Marlborough sold the family holdings at Wolvercote and Godstow in 1884.[6]
Personal life
Marlborough was twice married. On 8 November 1869, he was first married to Lady Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, at Westminster Palace. She was unkindly described by her mother-in-law as "stupid, pious and dull". Before they divorced on 20 November 1883, shortly after Marlborough inherited the dukedom after the death of his father,[2] they were the parents of four children:
- Lady Frances Louisa Spencer-Churchill (1870–1954), who married Robert Gresley (1866-1936), 11th Baronet, on 6 June 1893, by whom she had issue.
- Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871–1934).
- Lady Lillian Maude Spencer-Churchill (1873–1951), who married Colonel Cecil Grenfell on 6 October 1898, by whom she had two daughters.
- Lady Norah Beatrice Henriette Spencer-Churchill (1875–1946), who married Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt on 1 December 1920, by whom she had issue.[2]
While married to Albertha, he fathered an illegitimate son, initially known as Guy Bertrand and later known as Guy Bertrand Spencer (b. 4 November 1881),[7] by Edith Peers-Williams (d. 1897)[8][9] who was still married to Heneage Finch, 7th Earl of Aylesford (1849–1885). In an attempt to pressure Lord Aylesford to drop his divorce suit, Lady Aylesford and Marlborough's younger brother, Lord Randolph Churchill, threatened the Princess of Wales that they would subpoena the Prince of Wales (who was touring India at the time) as a witness in the divorce.[10]
- Guy Bertrand Spencer, whom Marlborough reportedly cared more for than his legitimate children,[11] worked in a brewery.[12] He married, in 1910,[13][14] Lily Blanche Minnie Saville (1876-1953),[15] who was a coachman's daughter.[16] Spencer served in the Royal Garrison Artillery during World War I.[17] At the end of his life he lived at 2 Glaziers Lane, Normandy, Surrey, England, and died in hospital at Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, on 31 March 1950.[18]
The Duke was cited as one of four co-respondents in the sensational divorce trial of Lady Colin Campbell. He married, as his second wife, Lilian Warren Price (1854-1909), the widow of Louis Carré Hammersley, a New York real-estate millionaire, and a daughter of retired United States Navy Commodore Cicero Price. The civil marriage took place on 29 June 1888 at New York City Hall, with the ceremony officiated by the Mayor of New York City, Abram S. Hewitt. A religious ceremony followed the same day, in the chancel of Tabernacle Baptist Church and presided over by its minister, Daniel C. Potter.[19] There were no issue from this marriage.
The 8th Duke of Marlborough died in 1892, aged 48 at Blenheim Palace,[1] and was succeeded by his only legitimate son, Charles, Marquess of Blandford.[2]
Dukedom of Marlborough
Arms of Churchill
Duke of Marlborough is a title of English Peerage created by Queen Anne in 1702 for John Churchill the noted military leader. The name of the dukedom refers to Marlborough in Wiltshire. A good number of their descendants have married into many of the other noble hours of England.
The title Marquess of Blandford is used as the courtesy title for the Duke's eldest son and heir. The Duke's eldest son's eldest son can use the courtesy title Earl of Sunderland, and the duke's eldest son's eldest son's eldest son (not necessarily the eldest great-grandson) the title Lord Spencer of Wormleighton (not to be confused with Earl Spencer).
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace, built between 1705 and 1722 for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), is the principal residence for the family of the Duke of Marlborough. It is one of England's largest homes, and the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is the final resting place of several members of the family.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Frances Louisa Spencer-Churchill (1870-1954) | 15 September 1870 Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India | 13 November 1954 England, United Kingdom | Robert Gresley (1866-1936) |
| Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871-1934) | 13 November 1871 Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India | 30 June 1934 London, England, United Kingdom | Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877-1964) Gladys Marie Deacon (1881-1977) |
| Lillian Maude Spencer-Churchill (1873-1951) | 9 July 1873 Woodstock Paleis, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | 4 January 1951 Surrey, England, United Kingdom | Cecil Alfred Grenfell (1864-1924) |
| Norah Beatrice Henriette Spencer-Churchill (1875-1946) | 1 September 1875 Castle Knock, County Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom | 28 April 1946 England, United Kingdom | Francis Bradley Birt (1874-1963) |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Guy Bertrand (1881-) | |||
Siblings
Gallery
See also
- Spencer-Churchill in Oxfordshire
- wikipedia:en:George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough
- George Charles Spencer-Churchill at thePeerage
- George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough at Genealogics
- British nobility
Notes
- ^ a b c "The Duke of Marlborough; Found Dead in His Bed in the Blenheim Palace. Romance of a Dissipated English Nobleman and an American Belle -- Marriage of the Duke to Mrs. Hamersley, and the Hard Work of the Duchess to Secure Social Recognition.". The New York Times. 10 November 1892. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/11/10/104153238.pdf. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d Lundy, Darryl. "p. 10595 § 105941 George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough". The Peerage. http://www.thepeerage.com/p10595.htm#i105941.
- ^ Churchill, Lord Randolph. "Churchill Freemason". Churchills who were Freemasons. freemasons-freemasonry/com. http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/beresiner7.html. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Churchill, Randolph. "Masonic Papers". The Development of the Craft in England. freemasons-freemasonary.com. http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/freemasonry_england.html. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ His son, the 9th Duke of Marborough, is mentioned as his "successor as patron" of the AOD Albion Lodge at Oxford in the welcome address of the initiation of Winston Churchill as a Druid, on 10 August 1908, at Blenheim palace.(Wilhelm North, Albion Lodge, Oxford, London, 1928, 12p.).
- ^ Baggs, A P; Blair, W J; Chance, Eleanor; Colvin, Christina; Cooper, Janet; Day, C J; Selwyn, Nesta; Townley, S C (1990). "Wolvercote: Manors and other estates". In Crossley, Alan; Elrington, C R. A History of the County of Oxford. Volume 12, Wootton Hundred (southern) including Woodstock. London: Victoria County History. pp. 313–314. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol12/pp313-314.
- ^ Lundy, Darryl. "p. 5658 § 56577 Guy Bertrand". The Peerage. http://www.thepeerage.com/p5658.htm#i56577.
- ^ Lundy, Darryl. "p. 2731 § 27301 Edith Peers-Williams". The Peerage. http://www.thepeerage.com/p2731.htm#i27301.
- ^ Lovell, Mary S. (2011) (in en). The Churchills: In Love and War. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 75. ISBN 9780393082265. https://archive.org/details/churchillsinlove00love. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ Richard Toye (2007) Lloyd George and Churchill
- ^ Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill and Alexandra Parson, Blenheim and the Churchill Family, Rizzoli, 2005, page 151
- ^ 1911 England Census, accessed on ancestry.com on 25 July 2018
- ^ 1911 England Census, access on ancestry.com on 25 July 2018
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915, accessed on ancestry.com on 25 July 2018
- ^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995, accessed on ancestry.com on 25 July 2018
- ^ 1881 English Census, accessed on ancestry.com on 25 July 2018
- ^ British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920, access on ancestry.com on 25 July 2019
- ^ England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995, accessed on ancestry.com on 25 July 2018
- ^ "An American Duchess; The Duke of Marlborough Marries Mrs. Hamersley; A Civil Marriage Ceremony before Mayor Hewitt and a Religious Ceremony in Church", The New York Times, 30 June 1888, page 1
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Spencer-Churchill |
Duke of Marlborough 1883–1892 |
Succeeded by Charles Spencer-Churchill |
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
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