The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Founded in the 15th century, it has spawned numerous aristocratic titles including the dukedom of Marlborough and the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer. Two prominent members of the family during the 20th century were Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales.
About Spencer family in brief
The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Founded in the 15th century, it has spawned numerous aristocratic titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony. Two prominent members of the family during the 20th century were Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales. The House was founded by Henry Spencer, from whom all members descend. In the 16th century the claim arose that the Spencers were a cadet branch of the ancient House Le Despencer. This theory has since been debunked, in particular by J. Horace Round in his essay The Rise of the Spencer. The Spencers’ administration of their Northamptonshire and Warwickshire estates was admired and often emulated by gentlemen all over England. The humble origins of the spencers as sheep farmers 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 the reign of King James I he was reputed to be the richest man in England. In 1511 he made further purchases to acquire the villages of Little Brington and Great Brington as well their parish church of St Mary the Virgin, from Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset. By putting down roots at Althorp, Spencer provided what was to become a home for the next 19 generations. The younger son of Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer, sat in the House of Commons from 1643 to 1660. His younger son, William Spencer, received additional peerages: His eldest son, Henry, succeeded as 3rd Baron Spencer in 1636 and was created Earl of Sunderland in the Peerage of England in 1643. In 1643 his son William Spencer was succeeded in his peerage and estates by his eldest surviving son, Sir John Spencer, who had previously represented Brackley in Parliament. The elder son, Robert Spencer died in 1665 and was buried in the new family chapel atGreat Brington. He had previously been a feoffee of Wormleighton.
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This page is based on the article Spencer family published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 08, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
