Earl Spencer (title)

Earldom of Spencer
Coat of arms
Creation date	1 November 1765; 259 years ago (1 November 1765)
Created by	George III
Peerage	Peerage of Great Britain
First holder	John Spencer, 1st Viscount Spencer
Present holder	Charles Spencer, 9th Earl
Heir apparent	Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp
Remainder to	1st Earl's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Viscount Althorp Viscount Spencer Baron Spencer of Althorp
Seat(s)	Althorp Spencer House

Earl Spencer is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created on 1 November 1765, along with the title Viscount Althorp, of Althorp in the County of Northampton, for John Spencer, 1st Viscount Spencer.[1][2] He was a member of the prominent Spencer family and a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Previously, he had been created Viscount Spencer, of Althorp in the County of Northampton, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, of Althorp in the County of Northampton, on 3 April 1761.[3][2]

The future 6th Earl Spencer was created Viscount Althorp, of Great Brington in the County of Northampton, on 19 December 1905 in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[4] Diana, Princess of Wales, was the youngest of three daughters of the 8th Earl Spencer. William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, are grandsons of the 8th Earl Spencer.

Land holdings

The family seat is Althorp in Northamptonshire.[2] It includes the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, of about 13,000 acres (5,300 ha).[a] The family's estate includes significant land holdings in other parts of the country, including the village of North Creake in Norfolk. The family also owns Spencer House in St James's, London.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the family is as follows: Quarterly argent and gules, in the second and third quarters a fret or, over all on a bend sable, three escallops of the first. The crest, emerging from the coronet, is a griffin's head argent, gorged with a bar gemelle gules between two wings expanded of the second. The supporters are: Dexter, a griffin per fess ermine and erminois, gorged with a collar sable, the edges flory-counter-flory, and chained of the last, on the collar, three escallops argent; sinister, a wyvern erect on his tail ermine, collared and chained as the griffin. The motto is Dieu defend le droit (French: God protects the right).[7]

Earls Spencer (1765)

John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer,
by Thomas Gainsborough

• John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer (1734–1783)
• George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758–1834)
• John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (1782–1845)
• Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer (1798–1857)
• John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (1835–1910)
• Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer (1857–1922)
• Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975)
• Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (1924–1992)
• Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (b. 1964)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Louis Frederick John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (b. 1994).

Family tree

This is a continuation of the Spencer/Spencer-Churchill family tree for the Althorp branch of the Spencers found in the Spencer family article.

Family tree of Spencer family of Althorp

v t e Spencer-Churchill family tree of the Dukes of Marlborough, Earls of Sunderland[8] and Earls Spencer

Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, 1603 Robert Spencer 1570–1627 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Spencer 1590–1610 William Spencer 1592–1636 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Churchill 1600–1673 Earl of Sunderland (2nd creation), 1643 Henry Spencer 1620–1643 1st Earl of Sunderland, 3rd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Winston Churchill 1620–1688 Lord Churchill of Eyemouth (Scotland), 1682 Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 1685 Earl of Marlborough (2nd creation), 1689 Duke of Marlborough and Marquess of Blandford, 1702 Robert Spencer 1640–1702 2nd Earl of Sunderland, 4th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Churchill 1650–1722 1st Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge King James VII and II 1633–1701 Arabella Churchill 1648–1730 Francis Godolphin 1678–1766 Earl of Godolphin Henrietta Churchill 1681–1733 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, Marchioness of Blandford, Countess of Marlborough, Lady Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baroness Churchill of Sandridge Charles Spencer 1675–1722 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 5th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Anne Churchill 1683–1716 John Churchill 1686–1703 Styled Marquess of Blandford James FitzJames 1670–1734 Duke of Berwick[9] Henry FitzJames 1673–1702 Duke of Albemarle (Jacobite) Henry Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave 1661–1689 Henrietta FitzJames 1667–1730 William Godolphin 1700–1731 Styled Marquess of Blandford Robert Spencer 1701–1729 4th Earl of Sunderland, 6th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Charles Spencer 1706–1758 3rd Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 5th Earl of Sunderland, 7th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Spencer 1708–1746 Dukes of Berwick (Jacobite) Dukes of Albemarle (Jacobite) James Waldegrave, Earl Waldegrave 1684–1741 Viscount Spencer and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 1761 Earl Spencer, 1765 George Spencer 1739–1817 4th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 6th Earl of Sunderland, 8th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Spencer 1734–1783 1st Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp James Waldegrave, Earl Waldegrave 1715–1763 Baron Churchill of Wychwood, 1815 George Spencer-Churchill 1766–1840 5th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 7th Earl of Sunderland, 9th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Francis Almeric Spencer 1779–1845 1st Baron Churchill of Wychwood George Spencer 1758–1834 2nd Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp Hugh Seymour 1759–1801 Anne Horatia Waldegrave 1762–1801 George Spencer-Churchill 1793–1857 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 8th Earl of Sunderland, 10th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Francis George Spencer 1802–1886 2nd Baron Churchill of Wychwood Augustus Spencer 1807–1893 John Spencer 1782–1845 3rd Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, Baron Spencer of Althorp Horace Beauchamp Seymour 1791–1851 John Winston Spencer-Churchill 1822–1883 7th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 9th Earl of Sunderland, 11th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Georgiana Poyntz 1799–1851 Frederick Spencer 1798–1857 4th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp Adelaide Horatia Seymour 1825–1877 Viscount Althorp, 1905 George Charles Spencer-Churchill 1844–1892 8th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 10th Earl of Sunderland, 12th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill 1849–1895 Augustus Spencer 1851–1912 John Poyntz Spencer 1835–1910 5th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp Charles Robert Spencer 1857–1922 6th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 1st Viscount Althorp Viscount Churchill, 1902 Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 1871–1934 9th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 11th Earl of Sunderland, 13th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1874–1965 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940–1945 and 1951–1955 Victor Albert Francis Charles Spencer 1864–1934 1st Viscount Churchill, 3rd Baron Churchill of Wychwood (Descendants of Winston Churchill) John Albert William Spencer-Churchill 1897–1972 10th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 12th Earl of Sunderland, 14th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Victor Alexander Spencer 1890–1973 2nd Viscount Churchill, 4th Baron Churchill of Wychwood Richard Spencer 1888–1956 Albert Spencer 1892–1975 7th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 2nd Viscount Althorp John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill 1926–2014 11th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 13th Earl of Sunderland, 15th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Victor George Spencer 1934–2017 3rd Viscount Churchill, 5th Baron Churchill of Wychwood Richard Spencer 1926–2020 6th Baron Churchill of Wychwood Edward John Spencer 1924–1992 8th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 3rd Viscount Althorp Viscountcy Churchill extinct, 2017 Charles James Spencer-Churchill b. 1955 12th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 14th Earl of Sunderland, 16th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Michael Spencer b. 1960 7th Baron Churchill of Wychwood David Anthony Spencer b. 1970 Heir Presumptive to Wychwood King Charles III b. 1948 Diana Frances Spencer 1961–1997 Charles Edward Maurice Spencer b. 1964 9th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 4th Viscount Althorp George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill b. 1992 Styled Marquess of Blandford William, Prince of Wales b. 1982 Harry, Duke of Sussex b. 1984 Louis Frederick John Spencer b. 1994 Styled Viscount Althorp Lady Olympia Spencer-Churchill b. 2020

Arms

Coat of arms of Earl Spencer

Coronet A Coronet of an Earl Crest Out of a Ducal Coronet Or a Griffin's Head Azure gorged with a Bar Gemelle Gules between two Wings expanded of the second Escutcheon Quarterly Argent and Gules, in the 2nd and 3rd quarters a Fret Or, over all on a Bend Sable three Escallops of the first Supporters Dexter: A Griffin per fess Ermine and Erminois gorged with a Collar Sable the edges flory-counterflory and chained of the last and on the Collar three Escallops Argent; Sinister: A Wyvern Erect on his tail Ermine similarly collared and chained Motto Dieu Defend Le Droit (God defends the right)

See also

• Spencer family
• Spencer Gulf
• Spencer (clothing)

Notes

1. Sources differ on the exact size of the estate, but most state 13,000 or 14,000 acres. The official website claims 13,000 acres,[5] but Paprocki and others mention 14,000.[6]

References

1. "No. 10562". The London Gazette. 5 October 1765. p. 1.
2. Burke, John (1833). A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. London: H. Colburn and R. Bentley. p. 466.
3. "No. 10092". The London Gazette. 4 April 1761. p. 1.
4. "No. 27868". The London Gazette. 29 December 1905. p. 9319.
5. "The Estate". Spencerofalthorp.com. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
6. Paprocki 2009, p. 31.
7. Townend, Peter (ed.). Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage (103rd ed.). Burke's Peerage Limited. p. 2282.
8. Kate Fleming, The Churchills, Viking Press, 1975
9. Herman, Eleanor (2005). Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge. Pushed into War, Sold into Marriage: William Morrow. p. 190. ISBN 0060585439.

Sources

• Paprocki, Sherry Beck (July 2009). Diana, Princess of Wales: Humanitarian. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60413-463-6.

Further reading

• Battiscombe, Georgina (1984) The Spencers of Althorp. London: Constable. ISBN 978-0-09-465700-7
• Spencer, Charles (1999) Althorp: the story of an English house. London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-312-20833-2
• Spencer, Charles (2000) The Spencers: a personal history of an English family. New York: St. Martin's Press ISBN 978-0-312-26649-3

External links

• Althorp – official website
• Cracroft's Peerage page
• The Heraldry of the Early Spencers
• Heraldry of the House of Spencer