George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817)

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4th Duke of Marlborough
Marquess of Blandford
Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (1760-1817)
Senior Privy Counsellor (1807-1817)

Biography

George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, 4th Duke of Marlborough, was born 26 January 1739 in Althorpe, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom to Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706-1758) and Elizabeth Trevor (c1713-1761) and died 30 January 1817 Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Caroline Russell (1743-1811) 23 August 1762 in Bloomsbury, London, England.

George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, KG, PC, FRS (26 January 1739 – 29 January 1817), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1758, was a British courtier, nobleman, and politician from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Chamberlain between 1762 and 1763 and as Lord Privy Seal between 1763 and 1765. He is the great-great-great grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.

Background and education

Styled by the courtesy title Marquess of Blandford from birth, He was the eldest son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and the Honourable Elizabeth Trevor, daughter of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor. His siblings were Charles, Diana and Elizabeth.

Personal traits and characteristics

According to George III, who mentioned it to Fanny Burney,^[1] the Duke suffered from severe red-green colourblindness. As he was unable to tell scarlet from green, Fanny therefore remarked that this was unlucky for someone in possession of so sumptuous a home as Blenheim Palace.

Career

Marlborough entered the Coldstream Guards in 1755 as an Ensign, becoming a Captain with the 20th Regiment of Foot the following year. After inheriting the dukedom in 1758, Marlborough took his seat in the House of Lords in 1760, becoming Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in that same year.^[2] The following year, he bore the sceptre with the cross at the coronation of George III. In 1762, he was made Lord Chamberlain as well as a Privy Counsellor, and after a year resigned this appointment to become Lord Privy Seal, a post he held until 1765.^[2] An amateur astronomer, he built a private observatory at his residence, Blenheim Palace. He kept up a lively scientific correspondence with Hans Count von Brühl, another aristocratic dilettante in astronomy.

The Duke was made a Knight of the Garter in 1768, and was elected to the Royal Society in 1786.^[2]

Dukedom of Marlborough

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.

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.

Family

Marlborough married Lady Caroline Russell (1743–1811), daughter of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, in 1762, by whom he had eight children:

Lady Caroline Spencer (1763–1813), married Henry Agar-Ellis, 2nd Viscount Clifden and had issue, including George Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover.
Lady Elizabeth Spencer (1764–1812), married her cousin John Spencer (a grandson of the 3rd Duke of Marlborough) and had issue.
George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766–1840)
Lady Charlotte Spencer (1769–1802), married Rev. Edward Nares and had issue.
Lord Henry John Spencer (1770–1795)
Lady Anne Spencer (1773–1865), married Cropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury and had issue.
Lady Amelia Spencer (1774–1829), married Henry Pytches Boyce.
Lord Francis Almeric Spencer (1779–1845), created Baron Churchill in 1815.

The Duchess of Marlborough died at Blenheim Palace in November 1811, aged 68. The Duke of Marlborough died at Blenheim Palace in January 1817, aged 78, and was buried there.^[2]

Children

Offspring of George Spencer and Caroline Russell (1743-1811)
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Caroline Spencer (1763-1813)
Elizabeth Spencer (1764-1812)	20 December 1764	11 December 1812	John Spencer (1767-1831)
George Spencer-Churchill (1766-1840)	6 March 1766 Wormelighton, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom	5 March 1840 Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom	Susan Stewart (1767-1841) Matilda Glover (1802-1876)
Charlotte Spencer (1769-1802)
Henry John Spencer (1770-1795)
Anne Spencer (1773-1865)	5 November 1773	7 August 1865	Cropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury (1768-1851)
Amelia Sophia Spencer (1775-1829)
Francis Almeric Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill of Whichwood (1779-1845)	26 December 1779	10 March 1845 Brighton, Sussex, England, United Kingdom	Frances FitzRoy (1780-1866)

Siblings

Offspring of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706-1758) and Elizabeth Trevor (c1713-1761)
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Diana Spencer (1734-1808)	1734	1 August 1808	Frederick St. John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke (1732-1787) Topham Beauclerk (1739-1780)
Elizabeth Spencer (1737-1831)
George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817)	26 January 1739 Althorpe, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom	30 January 1817 Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom	Caroline Russell (1743-1811)
Charles Spencer (1740-1820)	31 March 1740	16 June 1820	Mary Beauclerk (1743-1812)
Robert Spencer (1747-1831)

Gallery

References

^ Burney, F. The Diary of Fanny Burney, Dent (Everyman edition), London, 1971, pages 107-8
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d thepeerage.com George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough

Sidney Lee, ed (1898). "Spencer, George (1739-1817)". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900. 53. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
The Collected Correspondence of Baron Franz von Zach, Volume 3 (British Letters), 2008. Edited by Clifford J. Cunningham. Star Lab Press.

Footnotes (including sources)

[1] Burney, F. The Diary of Fanny Burney, Dent (Everyman edition), London, 1971, pages 107-8

[thepeerage.com-2] thepeerage.com George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough

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[2]

Honorary titles
Vacant Title last held by The Duke of Marlborough	Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire 1760–1817	Succeeded by The Earl of Macclesfield
Preceded by The Marquess Townshend	Senior Privy Counsellor 1807–1817	Succeeded by Lord Charles Spencer
Political offices
Preceded by The Duke of Devonshire	Lord Chamberlain 1762–1763	Succeeded by The Earl Gower
Preceded by The Duke of Bedford	Lord Privy Seal 1763–1765	Succeeded by The Duke of Newcastle
Peerage of England
Preceded by Charles Spencer	Duke of Marlborough 1758–1817	Succeeded by George Spencer-Churchill