1.
Allan Warren
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Michael Allan Warren is an English portrait photographer, primarily known for his images of members of high society. After growing up in post-war London with his mother, Warren attended Terrys Juveniles and it was during this period that he attended auditions through which he received several assignments. Warren started his career at the age of 17 when he was acting in Alan Bennetts play Forty Years On with John Gielgud in the West End at the Apollo Theatre. Around this time Warren bought his first second-hand camera and began to take photographs of his fellow actors and his first major assignment was when his friend Mickey Deans asked him to cover his wedding to Judy Garland, which marked the beginning of Warrens work as a professional photographer. When in New York for personal reasons, he attended an audition for the Broadway production of Minnies Boys, however, he later declined the role offered to him in favour of returning to London and pursuing photography as his vocation. In the early 1980s Warren embarked on a quest to photograph all 26 non-royal, together with the 12th Duke of Manchester he set up the Dukes Trust, a charity for children in need. Warren has uploaded many pictures from his archive to Wikimedia Commons, in the early 90s Warren embarked on writing plays. One of his works, The Lady of Phillimore Walk, was directed by Frank Dunlop and critics went as far as comparing it to Sleuth, the cast of The Lady of Phillimore Walk consisted of Zena Walker and Philip Lowrie, and saw productions in the United States. Warren invented the Hankybreathe, a handkerchief which allows the user to inhale air through a filter at the mouth. The invention, which is meant to be dabbed in eucalyptus oil, harks back to the nosegay and stems from Warrens experience with asthma in heavily polluted London
2.
House of Lords
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The House of Lords of the United Kingdom, referred to ceremonially as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster, officially, the full name of the house is, The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. Unlike the elected House of Commons, all members of the House of Lords are appointed, the membership of the House of Lords is drawn from the peerage and is made up of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal. The Lords Spiritual are 26 bishops in the established Church of England, of the Lords Temporal, the majority are life peers who are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, or on the advice of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. However, they include some hereditary peers including four dukes. Very few of these are female since most hereditary peerages can only be inherited by men, while the House of Commons has a defined 650-seat membership, the number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed. There are currently 805 sitting Lords, the House of Lords is the only upper house of any bicameral parliament to be larger than its respective lower house. The House of Lords scrutinises bills that have approved by the House of Commons. It regularly reviews and amends Bills from the Commons, while it is unable to prevent Bills passing into law, except in certain limited circumstances, it can delay Bills and force the Commons to reconsider their decisions. In this capacity, the House of Lords acts as a check on the House of Commons that is independent from the electoral process, Bills can be introduced into either the House of Lords or the House of Commons. Members of the Lords may also take on roles as government ministers, the House of Lords has its own support services, separate from the Commons, including the House of Lords Library. The Queens Speech is delivered in the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, the House also has a Church of England role, in that Church Measures must be tabled within the House by the Lords Spiritual. This new parliament was, in effect, the continuation of the Parliament of England with the addition of 45 MPs and 16 Peers to represent Scotland, the Parliament of England developed from the Magnum Concilium, the Great Council that advised the King during medieval times. This royal council came to be composed of ecclesiastics, noblemen, the first English Parliament is often considered to be the Model Parliament, which included archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, and representatives of the shires and boroughs of it. The power of Parliament grew slowly, fluctuating as the strength of the monarchy grew or declined, for example, during much of the reign of Edward II, the nobility was supreme, the Crown weak, and the shire and borough representatives entirely powerless. In 1569, the authority of Parliament was for the first time recognised not simply by custom or royal charter, further developments occurred during the reign of Edward IIs successor, Edward III. It was during this Kings reign that Parliament clearly separated into two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The authority of Parliament continued to grow, and, during the fifteenth century
3.
Duke of Marlborough (title)
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Duke of Marlborough is a title in the Peerage of England. The name of the dukedom refers to Marlborough in Wiltshire and it is one of the few titles in the peerage which allows for suo jure female inheritance, and the only current dukedom to do so. The earldom of Marlborough was held by the family of Ley from its creation 1626 until its extinction with the death of the 4th earl in 1679, the title was recreated 10 years later for John Churchill. Churchill had been made Lord Churchill of Eyemouth in the Scottish peerage, shortly after her accession to the throne in 1702, Queen Anne made Churchill the first Duke of Marlborough and granted him the subsidiary title Marquess of Blandford. In 1678, Churchill married Sarah Jennings, a courtier and influential favourite of the queen and they had seven children, of whom four daughters married into some of the most important families in Great Britain, one daughter and one son died in infancy. He was pre-deceased by his son, John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, in 1703, so, to prevent the extinction of the titles and she was married to the 2nd Earl of Godolphin and had a son who predeceased her. When Henrietta died in 1733, the Marlborough titles passed to her nephew Charles Spencer, the son of her late sister Anne. Upon his maternal aunt Henriettas death in 1733, Charles Spencer succeeded to the Marlborough family estates and titles, when he died in 1758, his titles passed to his eldest son George, who was succeeded by his eldest son George, the 5th Duke. In 1815, Francis Spencer was created Baron Churchill in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, in 1902, his grandson, the 3rd Baron Churchill, was created Viscount Churchill. In 1817, the 5th Duke obtained permission to assume and bear the surname of Churchill in addition to his surname of Spencer, at the same time he received Royal Licence to quarter the coat of arms of Churchill with his paternal arms of Spencer. The 7th Duke was the grandfather of the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. The 11th duke, John Spencer-Churchill died in 2014, having assumed the title in 1972, the 12th and present duke is Charles James Spencer-Churchill. The family seat is Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, construction started in 1705 and the house was completed in 1722, the year of the 1st Dukes death. Blenheim Palace has since remained in the Churchill and Spencer-Churchill family, with the exception of the 10th Duke and his first wife, the Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough are buried in Blenheim Palaces chapel. Most other members of the Spencer-Churchill family are interred in St. Martins parish churchyard at Bladon, the dukedom is the only one in the United Kingdom that can still pass through a female line. Succession to the title under the first and second contingencies have lapsed, the Duke holds subsidiary titles, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Sunderland, Earl of Marlborough, Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, all in the Peerage of England. The title Marquess of Blandford is used as the title for the Dukes eldest son. The Dukes eldest sons eldest son can use the courtesy title Earl of Sunderland, the title of Earl of Marlborough, created for John Churchill in 1689, had previously been created for James Ley, in 1626, becoming extinct in 1679
4.
John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough
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John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, DL, styled Marquess of Blandford until 1934, was a British military officer and peer. He was born in London as the first of two born to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt. Prior to inheriting the dukedom in 1934, he was a lieutenant-colonel in the Life Guards and he was Mayor of Woodstock from 1937 to 1942. He married his first wife, the Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan and she was a daughter of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, the son and heir of George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan. Lady Rosemary was one of Queen Elizabeth II’s Maids of Honour at the 1953 Coronation and her son Alexander is a god-son of Princess Margaret. Six weeks before his death, on 26 January 1972, the Duke married his wife, Laura Canfield née Charteris. Laura Canfield was the daughter of the Hon. Guy Lawrence Charteris, second son of Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss. Lauras older sister, Ann Geraldine Mary Charteris, married the novelist Ian Fleming, Laura herself was previously married to and divorced from Walter Long, 2nd Viscount Long and William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley. The Duke was succeeded by his son John Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford and he and his first wife are buried in the churchyard of St Martins Church, Bladon. Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, thepeerage. com
5.
House of Lords Act 1999
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The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament, for centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats, the Act removed such a right. However, as part of a compromise, the Act did permit ninety-two hereditary peers to remain in the House on an interim basis, another ten were created life peers to enable them to remain in the House. The Act decreased the membership of the House from 1,330 in October 1999 to 669 in March 2000, as another result of the Act, the majority of the Lords were now life peers, whose numbers had been gradually increasing since the Life Peerages Act 1958. As of August 2012, there were 825 Peers, of whom 26 were senior Church of England bishops, prior to the 16th century, the Lords was the stronger of the two houses of Parliament. The rising wealth of the Commons eventually allowed it to two civil wars, dethrone two Kings, and gradually reduce the power of the Lords. Furthermore, the Commons has absolute power when it comes to money bills, the Labour Party had for years endorsed abolition of the unelected House of Lords in its election platforms, though since 1992 this had changed to a policy of reforming the House instead. In the first year of the Blair government, the Lords passed back Government bills 38 times, the rejection considered the most contentious was of the European Elections Bill, against which the Lords voted five times. Blair stated that the Conservatives were using the hereditary peers to frustrate, here Blair found an opportunity to implement one of Labours campaign promises, reforming the Lords. In it, she suggested that her Government would pursue a reform of the House of Lords and these remarks were followed by shouts of Hear. Hear. from supportive Labour Members of Parliament, and by similar shouts of Shame, Shame. from Conservative peers, such outbursts were unprecedented, for the Queens Speech is with few exceptions heard by a silent Parliament. The House of Lords Bill was expected to face a fight in the House of Lords. Several Lords threatened to disrupt the Governments other bills if they continued with the plan to abolish the right to sit in the House of Lords. The Earl of Onslow, for instance, said, Im happy to force a division on each, each division takes 20 minutes and there are more than 270 clauses. Lords had plenty of other means by which they could obstruct the Governments programme, Lord Randall put forward the idea of phasing out the hereditary peers by disqualifying their heirs. Baroness Jay reminded the House that under the Salisbury Convention they could not block the bill. In order to convince some peers to vote for reform, Tony Blair announced that he would compromise by allowing a number of peers to remain in the House of Lords on an interim basis. On 2 December 1998, the Conservative Leader of the Opposition, William Hague and he suggested that Blairs changes indicated his lack of principles, claiming that Blair wanted to turn the House of Lords into a House of Cronies
6.
Blenheim Palace
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Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough. The palace, one of Englands largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1722, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Designed in the rare, and short-lived, English Baroque style and it is unique in its combined use as a family home, mausoleum and national monument. The palace is notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill. At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from the 9th Duke of Marlboroughs marriage to American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, the exterior of the palace remains in good repair. John Churchill was born in Devon, although his family had aristocratic relations, it belonged to the minor gentry rather than the upper echelons of 17th-century society. In 1678, Churchill married Sarah Jennings, and in April that year, in May, Churchill was appointed the temporary rank of Brigadier-General of Foot, but the possibility of a continental campaign was eliminated with the Treaty of Nijmegen. When Churchill returned to England, the Popish Plot resulted in a temporary three-year banishment for James Stuart, the Duke obliged Churchill to attend him, first to The Hague, then in Brussels. On the death of Charles II in 1685, his brother, on Jamess succession Churchill was appointed governor of the Hudsons Bay Company. He had also been affirmed Gentleman of the Bedchamber in April, following the Monmouth Rebellion, Churchill was promoted to Major General and awarded the lucrative colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards. When William, Prince of Orange, invaded England in November 1688, Churchill, accompanied by some 400 officers and men, when the King saw he could not even keep Churchill—for so long his loyal and intimate servant—he fled to France. As part of William IIIs coronation honours Churchill was created Earl of Marlborough, sworn to the Privy Council, during the War of the Spanish Succession Churchill gained a reputation as a capable military commander, and in 1702 he was elevated to the dukedom of Marlborough. During the war he won series of victories, including the Battle of Blenheim, the Battle of Ramillies, the Battle of Oudenarde, and this flag is displayed by the Monarch on a 17th-century French writing table in Windsor Castle. Marlboroughs wife was by all accounts a cantankerous woman, though capable of great charm, the relationship between Queen and Duchess later became strained and fraught, and following their final quarrel in 1711, the money for the construction of Blenheim ceased. For political reasons the Marlboroughs went into exile on the Continent until they returned the day after the Queens death on 1 August 1714, legend has obscured the manors origins. King Henry I enclosed the park to contain the deer, Henry II housed his mistress Rosamund Clifford there in a bower and labyrinth, a spring in which she is said to have bathed remains, named after her. The Duchess, as so often in her disputes with her architect, won the day, the architect selected for the ambitious project was a controversial one
7.
Oxfordshire
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Oxfordshire is a county in South East England bordering on Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. The county has major education and tourist industries and is noted for the concentration of performance companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms, the main centre of population is the city of Oxford. The highest point is White Horse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, oxfordshires county flower is the Snakes-head Fritillary. Historically the area has always had some importance, since it contains valuable agricultural land in the centre of the county, largely ignored by the Romans, it was not until the formation of a settlement at Oxford in the eighth century that the area grew in importance. Alfred the Great was born across the Thames in Wantage, Vale of White Horse, the University of Oxford was founded in 1096, though its collegiate structure did not develop until later on. The university in the county town of Oxford grew in importance during the Middle Ages, the area was part of the Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century, generating much wealth, particularly in the western portions of the county in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912, bringing industry to an otherwise agricultural county. The importance of agriculture as an employer has declined rapidly in the 20th century though, nonetheless, Oxfordshire remains a very agricultural county by land use, with a lower population than neighbouring Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, which are both smaller. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the army unit in the area, was based at Cowley Barracks on Bullingdon Green. Conversely, the Caversham area of Reading, now administratively in Berkshire, was part of Oxfordshire as was the parish of Stokenchurch. This is a chart of trend of gross value added of Oxfordshire at current basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Oxfordshire has a comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state secondary schools. Only eight schools do not have a form, these are mostly in South Oxfordshire. The county has two universities, the ancient University of Oxford and the modern Oxford Brookes University, both located in Oxford, in addition, Wroxton College, located in Banbury, is affiliated with Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey. The dreaming spires of the buildings of the University of Oxford are among the reasons for Oxford being the sixth most visited city in the United Kingdom for international visitors. Among many notable University buildings are the Sheldonian Theatre, built 1664–68 to the design of Sir Christopher Wren, Blenheim Palace close to Woodstock was built by the great architect John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, after he had won the battle of Blenheim. The gardens, which can be visited, were designed by the landscape gardener Capability Brown, in the palace, which can also be visited by the public, Sir Winston Churchill was born in 1874
8.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
9.
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
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Woodstock is a market town and civil parish 8 miles northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the population as 3,100. Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at Woodstock, winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon. Edward, elder son of King Edward III and heir apparent, prince of Aquitaine and Wales, Duke of Cornwall, during his lifetime, he was commonly called Edward of Woodstock. In the reign of Queen Mary I, her half-sister Elizabeth was imprisoned in the gatehouse of Woodstock Manor, the name Woodstock is Old English in origin, meaning a clearing in the woods. The Domesday Book of 1086 describes Woodstock as a royal forest, Æthelred the Unready, king of England, is said to have held an assembly at Woodstock at which he issued a legal code now known as IX Æthelred. King Henry I may have kept a menagerie in the park, Woodstock was the scene of King Henry IIs courtship of Rosamund Clifford. The market of the town was established when King Henry II gave Woodstock a Royal charter in 1179, the Bear Hotel in Park Street opposite The Oxfordshire Museum dates from the 13th century. Near the village was Woodstock Palace, a residence that was popular with several English kings throughout the medieval period, the building was destroyed in the English Civil War. 60 years later the remains were cleared for the building of Blenheim Palace. From the 16th century the town prospered by making gloves, today it is largely dependent on tourists, many of whom visit Blenheim Palace. In the 17th century the town was altered greatly, when the 1st Duke of Marlborough became a permanent resident, the town has a successful fine steelwork industry by 1720 and by 1742 its products were of high enough quality to be considered viable diplomatic gifts. By the end of the 18th century this had developed into Cut steel jewellery, by 1626 James Keene, who had a bell-foundry in Bedford, had started one in Woodstock. Until 1640 another member of the family, Humphrey Keene, was a bell-founder with him, James died in 1654 and was succeeded by his son Richard. Richard Keene apparently closed the Woodstock foundry in the 1680s but continued casting bells at Royston, the Palace was designed by John Vanbrugh, in a heavy Italo-Corinthian style. It was designated to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, most of the palace was paid for by the nation. Churchill was given this palace in honour for his victories over the French, the magnificent park contains Fair Rosamunds Well, near which stood her bower. On the summit of a hill stands a column commemorating the duke, Blenheim Park forms a separate parish
10.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
11.
Jamie Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough
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Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough, styled the Marquess of Blandford until 2014 and known as Jamie Blandford, is a British aristocrat, peer, and the Duke of Marlborough. Marlborough is the eldest surviving son of the late 11th Duke of Marlborough, as a member of the Spencer family, he is a distant relative of the war-time Conservative Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He is also a stepbrother of Christina Onassis by the marriage of his father with Athina Livanos. Born in Oxford, Marlborough was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Agricultural College, in 1995, the then-Marquess spent a month in prison for forging prescriptions. In September 2007, he was sentenced to six months in jail on two counts of driving and one of criminal damage following a road rage attack on another motorists car. At the same time he was banned from driving for three and a half years, the Oxford Mail further stated that Palace will remain under the control of trustees as the late Duke of Marlboroughs heir – Jamie Spencer-Churchill – inherited his fathers title. He claimed that on the first night he slept in the car park of a hotel, though his sleeping bag was discovered unopened. He refused to participate further despite giving an assurance that he would sleep rough on the third night, another participant, Hardeep Singh Kohli, said that Blandfords behaviour was disrespectful to all the people out there. Marlboroughs first wife was Rebecca Mary Few Brown and they were married from 1990 until 1998, when their marriage ended in divorce. By Rebecca, the then Marchioness of Blandford, he had one son, lord Blandford went by the courtesy title Earl of Sunderland until his fathers accession to the title in 2014. His second wife is Edla Griffiths, whom he married at Woodstock Register Office on 1 March 2002
12.
Duke of Devonshire
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Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. Although modern usage outside of the county itself now rarely refers to Devon as Devonshire, despite the title of the dukedom and the subsidiary title, the earldom of Devonshire, the family estates are centred in Derbyshire. The title Duke of Devonshire should not be confused with the earlier title, uniquely, every Duke of Devonshire has been made a Knight of the Garter, except the present one. The Cavendish family descends from Sir John Cavendish, who took his name from the village of Cavendish, Suffolk and he served as Chief Justice of the Kings Bench from 1372 to 1381, and was killed in the Peasants Revolt in 1381. Two of his great-grandsons were George Cavendish, Thomas Cardinal Wolseys biographer, Sir William gained great wealth from his position in the Exchequer and also from unfairly taking advantage of the dissolution of the Monasteries. He married as his wife the famous Bess of Hardwick. One of their sons, Sir Charles Cavendish, was the father of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, while another son, yet another son, William Cavendish, was a politician and a supporter of the colonialization of Virginia. In 1605 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cavendish, of Hardwicke in the County of Derby, both titles are in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire, on his early death in 1628 the titles passed to his son, William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire, who also served as Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire. He was succeeded by his son, the fourth Earl and he was a strong supporter of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and later served under William III and Mary II as Lord Steward of the Household. In 1694 he was created Marquess of Hartington and Duke of Devonshire in the Peerage of England and he was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Duke, who held political office as Lord President of the Council and Lord Privy Seal and was also Lord-Lieutenant of Devonshire. His eldest son, the third Duke, served as Lord Privy Seal, as Lord Steward of the Household, on his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the fourth Duke, who was a prominent politician. Devonshire married Charlotte Boyle, 6th Baroness Clifford, daughter of the famous architect Richard Boyle and their third and youngest son Lord George Cavendish was created Earl of Burlington in 1831. Devonshire was succeeded by his eldest son, William Cavendish, who became the fifth Duke of Devonshire and he had already succeeded his mother as seventh Baron Clifford in 1754. He served as Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire from 1782 to 1811 but is best remembered for his first marriage to Lady Georgiana Spencer and their only son, the sixth Duke, served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1827 to 1828 and from 1830 to 1834. Known as the Bachelor Duke, he never married and on his death in 1858 the barony of Clifford fell into abeyance between his sisters and he was succeeded in the other titles by his first cousin once removed, the second Earl of Burlington, who became the seventh Duke. He was the son of William Cavendish, eldest son of the aforementioned first Earl of Burlington and he was Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire and Derbyshire and Chancellor of the University of London and of the University of Cambridge. He was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, the eighth Duke and he was a noted statesman and the most famous member of the Cavendish family
13.
Conservative Party (UK)
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The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a political party in the United Kingdom. It is currently the party, having won a majority of seats in the House of Commons at the 2015 general election. The partys leader, Theresa May, is serving as Prime Minister. It is the largest party in government with 8,702 councillors. The Conservative Party is one of the two major political parties in the United Kingdom, the other being its modern rival. The Conservative Partys platform involves support for market capitalism, free enterprise, fiscal conservatism, a strong national defence, deregulation. In the 1920s, the Liberal vote greatly diminished and the Labour Party became the Conservatives main rivals, Conservative Prime Ministers led governments for 57 years of the twentieth century, including Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Thatchers tenure led to wide-ranging economic liberalisation, the Conservative Partys domination of British politics throughout the twentieth century has led to them being referred to as one of the most successful political parties in the Western world. The Conservatives are the joint-second largest British party in the European Parliament, with twenty MEPs, the party is a member of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe Europarty and the International Democrat Union. The party is the second-largest in the Scottish Parliament and the second-largest in the Welsh Assembly, the party is also organised in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The Conservative Party traces its origins to a faction, rooted in the 18th century Whig Party and they were known as Independent Whigs, Friends of Mr Pitt, or Pittites. After Pitts death the term Tory came into use and this was an allusion to the Tories, a political grouping that had existed from 1678, but which had no organisational continuity with the Pittite party. From about 1812 on the name Tory was commonly used for the newer party, the term Conservative was suggested as a title for the party by a magazine article by J. Wilson Croker in the Quarterly Review in 1830. The name immediately caught on and was adopted under the aegis of Sir Robert Peel around 1834. Peel is acknowledged as the founder of the Conservative Party, which he created with the announcement of the Tamworth Manifesto, the term Conservative Party rather than Tory was the dominant usage by 1845. In 1912, the Liberal Unionists merged with the Conservative Party, in Ireland, the Irish Unionist Alliance had been formed in 1891 which merged anti-Home Rule Unionists into one political movement. Its MPs took the Conservative whip at Westminster, and in essence formed the Irish wing of the party until 1922. The Conservatives served with the Liberals in an all-party coalition government during World War I, keohane finds that the Conservatives were bitterly divided before 1914, especially on the issue of Irish Unionism and the experience of three consecutive election losses
14.
Winston Churchill
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Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG OM CH TD PC DL FRS RA was a British statesman who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his overall, in 1963, he was the first of only eight people to be made an honorary citizen of the United States. Churchill was born into the family of the Dukes of Marlborough and his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, his mother, Jennie Jerome, was an American socialite. As a young officer, he saw action in British India, the Anglo–Sudan War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns, at the forefront of politics for fifty years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Before the First World War, he served as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary, during the war, he continued as First Lord of the Admiralty until the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign caused his departure from government. He then briefly resumed active service on the Western Front as commander of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He returned to government under Lloyd George as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, Secretary of State for Air, at the outbreak of the Second World War, he was again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister and he led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured. After the Conservative Party suffered a defeat in the 1945 general election. He publicly warned of an Iron Curtain of Soviet influence in Europe, after winning the 1951 election, Churchill again became Prime Minister. His second term was preoccupied by foreign affairs, including the Malayan Emergency, Mau Mau Uprising, Korean War, domestically his government laid great emphasis on house-building. Churchill suffered a stroke in 1953 and retired as Prime Minister in 1955. Upon his death aged ninety in 1965, Elizabeth II granted him the honour of a state funeral and his highly complex legacy continues to stimulate intense debate amongst writers and historians. Born into the family of the Dukes of Marlborough, a branch of the noble Spencer family, Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, like his father. His ancestor George Spencer had changed his surname to Spencer-Churchill in 1817 when he became Duke of Marlborough, to highlight his descent from John Churchill, Churchill was born on 30 November 1874, two months prematurely, in a bedroom in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. From age two to six, he lived in Dublin, where his grandfather had been appointed Viceroy, Churchills brother, John Strange Spencer-Churchill, was born during this time in Ireland
15.
Diana, Princess of Wales
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Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was born into a family of British nobility with royal ancestry and was the child and third daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp. She grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, in 1975, after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer, she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. She came to prominence in February 1981 when her engagement to Prince Charles was announced and her wedding to the Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981, held at St Pauls Cathedral, reached a global television audience of over 750 million people. While married, Diana bore the titles Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, the marriage produced two sons, the princes William and Harry, who were then respectively second and third in the line of succession to the British throne. As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and she was celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She was involved with dozens of charities including Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. Media attention and public mourning were extensive after her death in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, Diana was born on 1 July 1961, in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, the Spencer family has been closely allied with the British Royal Family for several generations. Both of Dianas grandmothers had served as ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, on 30 August 1961, Diana was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, with wealthy commoners as godparents. Diana had three siblings, Sarah, Jane, and Charles and her infant brother, John, died shortly after his birth one year before Diana was born. The desire for an added strain to the Spencers marriage. Diana grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, the Spencers leased the house from its owner, Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal Family frequently holidayed at the neighbouring Sandringham House, and Diana played with Princes Andrew, Diana was seven years old when her parents divorced. Her mother later had an affair with Peter Shand Kydd and married him in 1969, Diana lived with her mother in London during her parents separation in 1967, but during that years Christmas holidays, Lord Althorp refused to let Diana return to London with Lady Althorp. Shortly afterwards he won custody of Diana with support from his former mother-in-law, Ruth Roche, in 1972, Lord Althorp began a relationship with Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of Alexander McCorquodale and Dame Barbara Cartland. They married at Caxton Hall, London in 1976, as an upper-class child at the time, Diana was first educated under the supervision of her governess, Gertrude Allen. She began her education at Silfield Private School in Gayton, Norfolk, and moved to Riddlesworth Hall School, an all-girls boarding school near Diss
16.
Spencer family
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The Spencer family is one of Britains preeminent aristocratic families. Over time, several members have been made knights, baronets. Hereditary titles held by the Spencers include the dukedom of Marlborough, 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. The family is descended in the line from Henry Spencer. In the 16th century they claimed that Henry was a descendant of the branch of the ancient House Le Despencer. The descent of the family from the Medieval Despencers has been debunked, the Spencers were granted a coat of arms in 1504, Azure a fess Ermine between 6 sea-mews’ heads erased Argent which bears no resemblance to that used by the family after c. 1595, which was derived from the Despencer arms, Quarterly Argent and Gules in the second, Round argued that the Despencer descent was fabricated by Richard Lee, a corrupt Clarencieux King of Arms. Citing Round, The Complete Peerage dismissed the alleged Despencer descent as an elaborate imposture which is now incapable of deceiving the most credulous, of course, the heirs to the Prince of Wales, Princes William and Harry are half Spencers. A close relative of Henry Spencer was John Spencer, who in 1469 had become feoffee of Wormleighton in Warwickshire and a tenant at Althorp in Northamptonshire in 1486. His nephew, Sir John Spencer, first made a living by trading in livestock and other commodities, Wormleighton was bought in 1506, the manor house was completed in 1512. In 1508, Spencer also purchased the estate of Althorp with its moated house and he had grazed sheep here from the 1480s. Impressed by the quality of the land, he bought it. At that time, his estate and mansion in Warwickshire were considerably larger, 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, in 1519 he was knighted by King Henry VIII, died three years later and was buried in the new family chapel at Great Brington. The Spencers rose to opulent prominence during the 16th century, Sir John Spencers grandson Sir John Spencer was a Knight of the Shire for Northamptonshire. The Spencers’ administration of their Northamptonshire and Warwickshire estates was admired, sheep from their pastures were purchased for breeding and it is probable that the family’s success as farmers was rarely equalled in the century. In the late 16th century, the latter Sir John Spencers grandson Sir Robert Spencer represented Brackley in Parliament, in 1601, he was made a Knight of the Garter, and created Baron Spencer, of Wormleighton, in the Peerage of England in 1603. During the reign of King James I he was reputed to be the richest man in England, Lord Spencer then instantly replied, When my ancestors as you say were keeping sheep, your ancestors were plotting treason
17.
Vanderbilt family
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The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin that was prominent during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Vanderbilts were once the wealthiest family in America. Cornelius Vanderbilt was the richest American in history until his death in 1877, after that, his son William acquired his fathers fortune, and was the richest American until his death in 1885. Branches of the family are found on the United States East Coast, contemporary descendants include fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, her youngest son, journalist Anderson Cooper, musician John P. Hammond and screenwriter James Vanderbilt. Jan Janszoon and his son Anthony Janszoon van Salee were among the ancestors of the Vanderbilts and they were among the earliest arrivals to 17th century New Amsterdam. In a number of dating back to this period, Jans son is described as mulatto, as his mother was from Sale. The prominence of the Vanderbilt family began with Cornelius Vanderbilt, the fourth of nine born to a Staten Island family of modest means. Jans village name was added to the Dutch Van to create Van der Bilt, the family is associated with the Dutch patrician Van der Bilt. Cornelius Vanderbilt left school at age 11 and went on to build a shipping and railroad empire that, during the 19th century, fultons company had established a monopoly on trade in and out of New York Harbor. Vanderbilt, based in New Jersey at the time, flouted the law, steaming in and out of the harbor under a flag that read, the Vanderbilt family lived on Staten Island until the mid 1800s, when the Commodore built a house on Washington Place. Although he always occupied a relatively modest home, members of his family would use their wealth to build magnificent mansions, shortly before his death in 1877, Vanderbilt donated US$1 million for the establishment of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The Commodore left the majority of his enormous fortune to his eldest son and he built the first of what would become many grand Vanderbilt mansions on Fifth Avenue, at 640 Fifth Avenue. William Henry appointed his first son, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, as the next Head of House, Cornelius II built the largest private home in New York, at 1 West 58th Street, containing approximately 154 rooms, designed by George B. He also built The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, Cornelius IIs brother, William Kissam Vanderbilt, also featured prominently in the familys affairs. He also built a magnificent home on Fifth Avenue and would one of the great architectural patrons of the Gilded Age. He also built Marble House at 596 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, George Washington Vanderbilt II, William Henry Vanderbilts youngest son, built Biltmore, in Asheville, North Carolina. Alfreds son Alfred Jr. became a horse breeder and racing elder. Harold Stirling Vanderbilt gained fame as a sportsman and he invented the contract form of bridge and won the most coveted prize in yacht racing, the Americas Cup, on three occasions
18.
Consuelo Vanderbilt
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Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. Her marriage to His Grace Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough became an emblem of the socially advantageous. Consuelo and her friends were the inspiration for Edith Whartons unfinished novel The Buccaneers, Consuelo Vanderbilt was largely dominated by her mother, who was determined that her daughter would make a great marriage like that of her famous namesake. In her autobiography, Consuelo Vanderbilt described how she was required to wear a steel rod and she was educated entirely at home by governesses and tutors and learned foreign languages at an early age. Her mother was a disciplinarian and whipped her with a riding crop for minor infractions. When, as a teenager, Consuelo objected to the clothing her mother had selected for her, Alva told her that I do the thinking, like her godmother, Consuelo Vanderbilt attracted numerous title-bearing suitors anxious to trade social position for cash. Her mother reportedly received at least five proposals for her hand, Consuelo was allowed to consider the proposal of just one of the men, Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, but she developed an instant aversion to him. None of the others, however, was enough for Alva Vanderbilt. She came to embody the slim, tight look that was in vogue during the Edwardian era, lady Paget, always short of money, soon became a sort of international marital agent, introducing eligible American heiresses to British noblemen. Unfortunately Consuelo Vanderbilt had no interest in the duke, being engaged to an American. Her mother cajoled, wheedled, begged, and then, ultimately, Alva made an astonishing recovery from her entirely phantom illness, and when the wedding took place, Consuelo stood at the altar reportedly weeping behind her veil. The duke, for his part, gave up the woman he loved back in England. Consuelos father built a mansion for her in London, Sunderland House in Curzon Street, Consuelo Vanderbilt was married at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York City, on 6 November 1895, to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. They had two sons, John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford and Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill, the new duchess was adored by the poor and less fortunate tenants on her husbands estate, whom she visited and to whom she provided assistance. She later became involved with philanthropic projects and was particularly interested in those that affected mothers. She was also a success with royalty and the aristocracy of Britain. However, given the match between the duke and his wife, it was only a matter of time before their marriage was in name only. The Marlboroughs separated in 1906, divorced in 1921, and the marriage was annulled, at the dukes request and with Consuelos assent, I forced my daughter to marry the duke, Alva Belmont told an investigator, adding, I have always had absolute power over my daughter
19.
Eton College
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Eton College /iːtən/ is an English independent boarding school for boys in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It educates more than 1,300 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years and it was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor, making it the 18th oldest Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference school. Eton is one of the seven public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. Eton has educated 19 British prime ministers and generations of the aristocracy and has referred to as the chief nurse of Englands statesmen. The school is headed by a Provost and Fellows, who appoint the Head Master and it contains 25 boys houses, each headed by a housemaster, selected from the more senior members of the teaching staff, which numbers some 155. Almost all of the pupils go on to universities, about a third of them to Oxford or Cambridge. The Head Master is a member of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference, Eton has a long list of distinguished former pupils. David Cameron was the 19th British prime minister to have attended the school, about 20% of pupils at Eton receive financial support, through a range of bursaries and scholarships. In early 2014, this figure had risen to 263 pupils receiving the equivalent of around 60% of school fee assistance, Eton has been described as the most famous public school in the world, and been referred to as the chief nurse of Englands statesmen. The Good Schools Guide called the school the number one public school, adding that The teaching. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group, Eton today is a larger school than it has been for much of its history. In 1678, there were 207 boys, in the late 18th century, there were about 300, while today, the total has risen to over 1,300. Eton College was founded by King Henry VI as a charity school to free education to 70 poor boys who would then go on to Kings College, Cambridge. Henry took Winchester College as his model, visiting on many occasions, borrowing its Statutes and removing its Headmaster, when Henry VI founded the school, he granted it a large number of endowments, including much valuable land. He persuaded the then Pope, Eugene IV, to grant him a privilege unparalleled anywhere in England, the school also came into possession of one of Englands Apocalypse manuscripts. Legend has it that Edwards mistress, Jane Shore, intervened on the schools behalf and she was able to save a good part of the school, although the royal bequest and the number of staff were much reduced. Construction of the chapel, originally intended to be slightly over twice as long, only the Quire of the intended building was completed. Etons first Headmaster, William Waynflete, founder of Magdalen College, Oxford and previously Head Master of Winchester College, as the school suffered reduced income while still under construction, the completion and further development of the school has since depended to some extent on wealthy benefactors
20.
Life Guards (United Kingdom)
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The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with the Blues and Royals. The Life Guards grew from the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, the first troop was originally raised in Bruges in 1658 as His Majestys Own Troop of Horse Guards. The second troop was founded in 1659 as Moncks Life Guards, the third troop, like the first troop was formed in 1658 from exiled Royalists and was initially known as The Duke of Yorks Troop of Horse Guards. The fourth troop was raised in 1661 in England, the first troop of horse grenadier guards was formed in 1693 from the amalgamation of three troops of grenadiers. The second troop of horse grenadier guards was raised in Scotland in 1702 and these units first saw action during the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672 and then at the Battle of Sedgemoor during the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. The 3rd and 4th troops were disbanded in 1746, in 1788, the remaining 1st and 2nd troops, along with the two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards, were reorganised into two regiments, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Life Guards. From then on, rank and file were mostly formed of commoners, in 1815 they were part of The Household Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo under Major-General Lord Edward Somerset. They reverted to their previous names and roles after the end of the war, in 1922, the two regiments were merged into one regiment, the The Life Guards. In 1928, it was re-designated The Life Guards, during the Second World War, the Life Guards took part in the Normandy landings and the advance through France to liberate Brussels. However, they maintain their identity, with distinct uniforms and traditions. In common with the Blues and Royals, they have a peculiar non-commissioned rank structure, In brief, they lack sergeants, in addition, the Life Guards wear their chin strap below their lower lip, as opposed to the Blues and Royals who wear it under their chin. On service dress the Life Guards Officers and Warrant Officer Class Ones wear a red lanyard on the right shoulder, as well as a Sam Browne belt. The Life Guards, as part of the Household Division, does not use the Order of the Bath Star for its officer rank pips, revised combined list issued May 1933, omitting from emblazonment Passchendaele and St. Quentin Canal of the 1st Life Guards. Awarded jointly to The Life Guards and Blues and Royals, for services of Household Cavalry Regiment, the Standards of the Household Cavalry. Lloyd, W. Challengers and Chargers, A History of The Life Guards 1945-1992, massacre of Innocents, The Crofton Diaries 1914-15. Watson, J N P. Guardsmen of the Sky, unofficial site for serving and ex-Life Guards of all ranks
21.
Captain (armed forces)
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The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to the command of a company of soldiers. The rank is used by some air forces and marine forces. Today, a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery, in the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, a captain may also command a company, or be the second-in-command of a battalion. In NATO countries, the rank of captain is described by the code OF-2 and is one rank above an OF-1, the rank of captain is generally considered to be the highest rank a soldier can achieve while remaining in the field. The rank of captain should not be confused with the rank of captain or with the British-influenced air force rank of group captain. The term ultimately goes back to Late Latin capitaneus meaning chief, prominent, in Middle English adopted as capitayn in the 14th century, the military rank of captain was in use from the 1560s, referring to an officer who commands a company. The naval sense, an officer who commands a man-of-war, is earlier, from the 1550s. He would in turn receive money from another nobleman to serve as his lieutenant, the funding to provide for the troops came from the monarch or his government, the captain had to be responsible for it. If he was not, or was otherwise court-martialed, he would be dismissed, otherwise, the only pension for the captain was selling the right to another nobleman when he was ready to retire. In most countries, the air force is the junior service, many, such as the United States Air Force, use a rank structure and insignia similar to those of the army. However, the United Kingdoms Royal Air Force, many other Commonwealth air forces, a group captain is OF-5 and was derived from the naval rank of captain. In the unified system of the Canadian Forces, the air force rank titles are pearl grey, a variety of images illustrative of different forces insignia for captain are shown below, Captain Captain Senior captain Staff captain
22.
Oxford United Football Club
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Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. The team play in League One, the tier of English football. The chairman is Darryl Eales, the coach is Michael Appleton. Founded in 1893 as Headington United, Oxford United adopted its current name in 1960 and it joined the Football League in 1962 after winning the Southern Football League, reaching the Second Division in 1968. After relegation in 1976, between 1984 and 1986 the club earned successive promotions into the First Division, and won the League Cup in 1986, however, Oxford was unable thereby to enter the 1987 UEFA Cup because of the UEFA ban on English clubs in European competitions. Relegation from the top flight in 1988 began an 18-year decline which saw the club relegated to the Conference in 2006 and this was the first time in the history of English football when a team that had won a major trophy was relegated from the Football League. After four seasons, Oxford was promoted to League Two in 2010 via the playoffs, in total, nineteen players have made international appearances while playing for the club. Uniteds home ground is the Kassam Stadium in Oxford and has a capacity of 12,500, United moved to the stadium in 2001 after leaving the Manor Ground, their home for 76 years. Swindon Town is the main rival. Oxford United were formed as Headington in 1893, adding the suffix United in 1911 after merging with Headington Quarry, the club was founded by Rev. John Scott-Tucker, the vicar at Saint Andrews Church in Headington, and a local doctor named Robert Hitchings. A football team was a way for the cricketers of Headington Cricket Club to maintain their fitness during the winter break, the first football match played was against Cowley Barracks. Headington had no home until 1913, when they were able to purchase Woottens Field on London Road. A permanent home was found in 1925, when they purchased the Manor Ground site on London Road, the facility was used as a cricket pitch in the summer, and a football pitch in the winter. In 1921 the club was admitted into the Oxon Senior League, the first season included a 9–0 victory, with eight of those goals coming from P. Drewitt. This remains a record for the highest number of goals scored by an Oxford player in a first-team match, at this time a small rivalry existed with Cowley F. C. who were based a few miles south of Headington. During a league game on May Day, the referee gave two penalties to Cowley, supporters broke past security and players, resulting in the referee being freely baited. The first FA Cup tie played was in 1931, against Hounslow F. C. in the Preliminary Round, United spent two seasons in the Spartan League in 1947 and 1948, finishing fifth and fourth respectively. It was around this time that the team left the Manor
23.
Witney (UK Parliament constituency)
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Witney is a county constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election and it is a safe Conservative Party seat. The constituency was represented from 2001 to 2016 by David Cameron, the constituencys first MP was Douglas Hurd, who served as a cabinet minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and retired in 1997. Hurd was succeeded by Shaun Woodward at the 1997 general election, however, Woodward defected to the Labour Party in 1999, and Witney unexpectedly had a Labour MP. Woodward chose not to stand in Witney as a Labour candidate and moved to the Labour safe seat of St Helens South instead, at the 2001 general election, David Cameron was elected as MP for Witney. On 12 September 2016, it was announced that Cameron would resign as MP for Witney and this triggered a by-election, which was won by Robert Courts, also a Conservative, albeit with a significantly reduced majority. 1997-2010, The District of West Oxfordshire, and the District of Cherwell ward of Yarnton, 2010-present, The District of West Oxfordshire. As part of the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies the Boundary Commission reported in 2004 that the seat of Witney could be composed from the district of West Oxfordshire. Seven years later the Commission recommended no change, in the late 19th century, the Bampton East petty sessional division, with Witney at its heart, formed one part of the Woodstock constituency. Until 1974, much of the seat remained as part of the Woodstock, from 1974 to 1983, the area was included in the Mid Oxfordshire seat along with parts of Bullingdon and Ploughley. Since 1983, Witney has been a parliamentary seat in its own right. For the 2010 general election, the Witney Parliamentary Constituency boundaries changed, list of Parliamentary constituencies in Oxfordshire Henley Oxford East Oxford West and Abingdon Wantage
24.
David Cameron
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David William Donald Cameron is a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. He served as the Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016 and was Member of Parliament for Witney from 2001 to 2016, Cameron identifies as a One-Nation Conservative, and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies. Born in London to wealthy upper middle-class parents, Cameron was educated at Heatherdown School, Eton College, from 1988 to 1993 he worked at the Conservative Research Department, assisting the Conservative Prime Minister John Major, before leaving politics to work for Carlton Communications in 1994. Becoming an MP in 2001, he served in the shadow cabinet under Conservative leader Michael Howard. Cameron sought to rebrand the Conservatives, embracing an increasingly liberal position. The 2010 general election led to Cameron becoming Prime Minister as the head of a government with the Liberal Democrats. His administration introduced large-scale changes to welfare, immigration policy, education and it privatised the Royal Mail and some other state assets, and legalised same-sex marriage. When the Conservatives secured a majority in the 2015 general election he remained as Prime Minister. To fulfil a manifesto pledge, he introduced a referendum on the UKs continuing membership of the EU, Cameron supported continued membership, following the success of the Leave vote, he resigned to make way for a new Prime Minister and was succeeded by Theresa May. Cameron has been praised for modernising the Conservative Party and for decreasing the United Kingdoms national deficit, conversely, he has been criticised by figures on both the left and right, and has been accused of political opportunism and elitism. Cameron is the son of Ian Donald Cameron a stockbroker, and his wife Mary Fleur, a retired Justice of the Peace. Camerons parents were married on 20 October 1962, the journalist Toby Young has described Camerons background as being upper-upper-middle class. Cameron was born in Marylebone, London, and raised in Peasemore, Berkshire and he has a brother, Alexander Cameron, QC, a barrister, and two sisters, Tania Rachel and Clare Louise. Blairmore was built by Camerons great-great-grandfather, Alexander Geddes, who had made a fortune in the trade in Chicago, Illinois. Blairmore was sold soon after Ians birth, Cameron has said, On my mothers side of the family, her mother was a Llewellyn, so Welsh. Im a real mixture of Scottish, Welsh, and English and he has also referenced the German Jewish ancestry of one of his great-grandfathers, Arthur Levita, a descendant of the Yiddish author Elia Levita. From the age of seven, Cameron was educated at two independent schools, at Heatherdown School in Winkfield in Berkshire, which counts Prince Andrew, owing to good grades, Cameron entered its top academic class almost two years early. At the age of thirteen, he went on to Eton College in Berkshire and his early interest was in art
25.
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
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Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, CI, GCVO, GCStJ was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. Margaret spent much of her childhood in the company of her older sister and her life changed dramatically in 1936, when her paternal uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry a divorcée, Wallis Simpson. Margarets father became King, and her sister became heir presumptive. During World War II, the two stayed at Windsor Castle, despite suggestions to evacuate them to Canada. During the war years, Margaret was considered too young to perform any official duties, after the war, Margaret fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend. In 1952, Margarets father died, her sister became Queen, early the following year, he proposed to Margaret. Many in the government believed he would be a husband for the Queens 22-year-old sister. Margaret eventually abandoned her plans with him and in 1960, she accepted the proposal of the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, Margaret was often viewed as a controversial member of the British royal family. Her divorce earned her publicity, and she was romantically associated with several men. Her health gradually deteriorated in the two decades of her life. A heavy smoker for most of her life, she had a lung operation in 1985, a bout of pneumonia in 1993. She died at King Edward VII Hospital on 9 February 2002, Margaret was born on 21 August 1930 at Glamis Castle in Scotland, her mothers ancestral home, and was affectionately known as Margot within the royal family. The Home Secretary, J. R. Clynes, was present to verify the birth, the registration of her birth was delayed for several days to avoid her being numbered 13 in the parish register. At the time of her birth, she was fourth in the line of succession to the British throne and her father was Prince Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. Her mother was Elizabeth, Duchess of York, the youngest daughter of the 14th Earl, King George V disliked the name Ann but approved of the alternative Margaret Rose. Margaret was baptised in the chapel of Buckingham Palace on 30 October 1930 by Cosmo Lang. Margarets early life was spent primarily at the Yorks residences at 145 Piccadilly and she was educated alongside her sister, Princess Elizabeth, by their Scottish governess Marion Crawford. Margarets education was supervised by her mother, who in the words of Randolph Churchill never aimed at bringing her daughters up to be more than nicely behaved young ladies
26.
Aristotle Onassis
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Onassis was born in Smyrna and fled the city with his family to Greece in 1922 in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War. He moved to Argentina in 1923 and established himself as a trader and later a shipping owner during the Second World War. In the 1960s Onassis attempted to establish an investment contract, Project Omega, with the Greek military junta. Onassis was greatly affected by the death of his 24-year-old son, Alexander, in a crash in 1973. Onassis was born in Karataş, a suburb of the city of Smyrna in Anatolia to Socrates. Onassis had one full-sister, Artemis, and two half-sisters, Kalliroi and Merope, by his fathers second marriage following Penelopes death, Onassis became a successful shipping entrepreneur and was able to send his children to prestigious schools. When Aristotle Onassis graduated from the local Evangelical Greek School at the age of 16, he spoke four languages, Greek, Turkish, Spanish, and English. Smyrna was briefly administered by Greece in the aftermath of the Allied victory in World War I, the Onassis familys substantial property holdings were lost, causing them to become refugees fleeing to Greece after the Great Fire of Smyrna in 1922. He went into business for himself and made a fortune importing tobacco to Argentina and he obtained the Argentine citizenship in 1929. Eventually he relocated to New York where he built up his shipping businesses, Onassis built up a fleet of freighters and tankers that eventually exceeded seventy vessels. Onassiss fleet had Panamanian flags and sailed tax-free while operating at low cost, because of this, Onassis could turn a profit in every transaction, even though he charged one of the lowest prices in the merchant navy market. Onassis moved his headquarters into the Old Sporting Club on Monacos Avenue dOstende shortly after taking control of the SBM. The SBM was a significant owner of property in Monaco, its assets included the Monte Carlo Casino, the Monaco Yacht Club, the Hôtel de Paris, Onassis and Rainier had differing visions for Monaco. Onassis wished the country to remain a resort for an exclusive clientele, Monaco had become less attractive as a tax haven in the wake of Frances actions, and Rainier urged Onassis to invest in the construction of hotels. Onassis was reluctant to invest in hotels without a guarantee from Rainier that no other competing hotel development would be permitted, but promised to build two hotels and an apartment block. Unwilling to give Onassis his guarantee, Rainier used his veto to cancel the entire hotel project, in the Supreme Court of Monaco the share creation was challenged by Onassis who claimed that it was unconstitutional, but the court found against him in March 1967. Following the ruling Onassis sold his holdings in SBM to the state of Monaco for $9.5 million, according to Frank Brady in Onassis, An Extravagant Life, Onassiss words about the issue were, We were gypped. During the oil boom of the 1950s Onassis was in discussions with the King of Saudi Arabia for securing a tanker transport deal
27.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
28.
John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough
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He was the paternal grandfather of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He was educated at Eton and Oriel College, Oxford and he commenced his career as a lieutenant in the 1st Oxfordshire yeomanry in 1843. Spencer-Churchill was Member of Parliament for Woodstock from 1844 to 1845 and again from 1847 to 1857 and he was an influential Freemason and was sworn in of the Privy Council in 1866 and made a Knight of the Garter in 1868. In 1874, on the formation of Mr. Disraelis second cabinet, he was offered, but declined and he again held office under Disraeli as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1876 to 1880. He was president of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society for many years and he died suddenly of angina pectoris at 29 Berkeley Square, London, on 5 July 1883. After lying in state at Blenheim Palace, he was buried in the chapel on 10 July. On 12 July 1843, Spencer-Churchill married Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane, Lady Fanny Octavia Louise Spencer-Churchill, married 9 June 1873 Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth, by whom she had issue. Lady Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill, married 11 June 1874 James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe and his wife died sixteen years later, on 16 April 1899, aged 77. Marlborough was portrayed by Cyril Luckham in the 1974 Thames TV mini-series Jennie, notable Freemasons Attribution This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Boase, George Clement. Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough Pedigree at Genealogics
29.
George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough
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George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough DL, styled Earl of Sunderland until 1857 and Marquess of Blandford between 1857 and 1883, was a British peer. Marlborough was the eldest son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane, daughter of Charles Vane and he was the elder brother of Lord Randolph Churchill and the uncle of Winston Churchill. He was educated at Eton College between 1857 and 1860 and later joined the army, gaining the rank of Lieutenant in 1863 in the service of the Royal Horse Guards. He was initiated into the rite of Freemasonry in January 1871 along with his brother Randolph, Marlborough married firstly, Lady Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, on 8 November 1869 at Westminster Palace. She was unkindly described by her mother-in-law as stupid, pious and they were divorced on 20 November 1883, shortly after Marlborough inherited the dukedom after the death of his father. They had four children, Lady Frances Louisa Spencer-Churchill, married 6 June 1893 Sir Robert Gresley, 11th Baronet, Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. Lady Lillian Maud Spencer-Churchill, married 6 October 1898 Colonel Cecil Grenfell, Lady Norah Beatrice Henriette Spencer-Churchill, married 1 December 1920 Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt, by whom she had issue. While married to Albertha, he fathered a son, later known as Guy Bertrand, by Edith Peers-Williams who was still married to Heneage Finch. The duke was cited as one of four co-respondents in the divorce trial of Lady Colin Campbell. He married, as his wife, Lilian Warren Price, the widow of Louis Carré Hammersley, a New York real-estate millionaire. 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 day, in the chancel of Tabernacle Baptist Church and presided over by its minister. There were no issue from this marriage, the 8th Duke of Marlborough died in 1892, aged 48 at Blenheim Palace, and was succeeded by his only legitimate son, Charles, Marquess of Blandford. List of Freemasons Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough
30.
Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough
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He was often known as Sunny Marlborough after his courtesy title of Earl of Sunderland. Born at Simla, India, Marlborough was the son of George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough. He was a nephew of Lord Randolph Churchill and a first cousin of Winston Churchill, with whom he had a close and he was 4th cousin,2 times removed of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge, Marlborough entered the House of Lords on the early death of his father in 1892 and made his maiden speech in August 1895. In 1899, he was appointed Paymaster-General by Lord Salisbury, a post he held until 1902 and he was then Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies under Arthur Balfour between 1903 and 1905. He was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council in 1899 and he made his last speech in the House of Lords in December 1931. Shortly before the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and he subsequently served as Lord High Steward at the coronation of King Edward VII the following August. The Duke of Marlborough was Mayor of Woodstock between 1907 and 1909, and Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire from 1915 to his death and he was President of the National Fire Brigades Union and founded the British Cotton Growers Association. Marlborough was appointed a Lieutenant in the Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars in 1897, after the outbreak of the Second Boer War, he was in January 1900 seconded for service as a Staff Captain in the Imperial Yeomanry serving in South Africa, and received the temporary rank of Captain. He was subsequently appointed Assistant Military Secretary to Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in South Africa and he was mentioned in despatches and promoted to Major on 7 December 1901. After the formation of the Territorial Army he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1908 and he was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of his yeomanry regiment in 1910, serving until 1914. He was awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1913 and he rejoined in the First World War, when he served as a Lieutenant-Colonel on the General Staff in France. He was later Honorary Colonel and commandant of the Oxfordshire Volunteer Regiment of the Volunteer Training Corps from 1918-20 and his first wife was the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, whom he married at Saint Thomas Church in New York City on 6 November 1895. The marriage was a mercenary one, inheriting his near-bankrupt dukedom in 1892, he was forced to find a quick and drastic solution to the financial problems of his family. Prevented by the strict social dictates of late 19th-century society from earning money, he was left with one solution, to marry money. The final price was $2,500,000 in 50,000 shares of the stock of the Beech Creek Railway Company with a minimum 4% dividend guaranteed by the New York Central Railroad Company. The couple were given an annual income each of $100,000 for life. The bride later claimed she had locked in her room until she agreed to the marriage
31.
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn
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Born at Seymour Place, Mayfair, Abercorn was the son of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, himself the eldest son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. His mother, Harriet, was the daughter of the Hon. John Douglas, himself the son of James Douglas. His father died when Abercorn was only three, in 1818, aged seven, he succeeded his grandfather in his titles and estates. He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, in 1856, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Laws from the University of Oxford. On 12 December 1844, Lord Abercorn was made a Knight of the Garter at the young age of 33, becoming on 13 November of same year Lord Lieutenant of Donegal. On 25 February 1846 he was appointed a Privy Counsellor and Groom of the Stole to Prince Albert, and remained a prominent figure in the royal court for the next two decades. In 1866, he was appointed Viceroy of Ireland, and two later was created Marquess of Hamilton and Duke of Abercorn, resigning shortly after Gladstone won the 1868 general election. He was reappointed to the post in 1874, and the Duke served as Viceroy until his resignation in 1876, in 1874, he was chosen Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, a post he held until his death. Abercorn was Envoy-Extraordinary for the investiture of King Umberto I of Italy with the Order of the Garter on 2 March 1878 and he was elected Chancellor of the University of Ireland in 1881, and died four years later at his home of Baronscourt, County Tyrone. He is buried in the cemetery at Baronscourt Parish Church, the burial place of the Dukes of Abercorn. Abercorn married Lady Louisa, second daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford and they had fourteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy, Lady Harriet Georgiana Louisa Hamilton, married in 1855 to Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield. They had eight sons and five daughters, the marriage was annulled in 1883. The Duchess of Abercorn died in March 1905, aged 92, through his son, the 2nd Duke, Abercorn is a great-great-great grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales. Through his daughter, Lady Louisa, Abercorn is a great-grandfather of HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, dictionary of National Biography Cooper, Thompson. The Official Baronage of England 1066-1885, London, Longmans, Green, and Co.1886. Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Abercorn Portraits of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn at the National Portrait Gallery, London
32.
Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
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Louisa Jane Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, VA was the wife of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, and the daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, by his second wife, Lady Georgiana Gordon. Through her daughter Lady Louisa Hamilton she also is the maternal 3rd great-grandmother of Sarah, Lady Louisa Jane Russell was born on Wednesday,8 July 1812. She was the child of eight, and a second daughter for John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford. The Duchess of Abercorn died at Coates Castle, Coates, West Sussex, England on Friday,31 March 1905 and she survived her husband by almost twenty years. She was interred on Wednesday,5 April 1905, in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, she left an estate worth over £24,000
33.
William Henry Vanderbilt
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William Henry Billy Vanderbilt was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to his fortune and he inherited nearly $100 million from his father. The fortune had doubled when he died less than nine years later, Billy was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on May 8,1821 to Cornelius Vanderbilt and Sophia Johnson. His father Cornelius frequently berated and criticized him, calling his eldest son a blockhead, Billy longed to show his father that he was not, in fact, a blatherskite, but never dared stand up to the fearsome Commodore. In 1841, Billy married Maria Louisa Kissam, daughter of Reverend Samuel Kissam, after joining the executive of the Staten Island Railway, he was made its president in 1862 then three years later was appointed vice-president of the Hudson River railway. In 1869, he was made vice-president of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad and he took over for his father as president of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, the Canada Southern Railway, and the Michigan Central Railroad at the time of the Commodores death. In 1883, reporter John Dickinson Sherman questioned him about why he ran the limited express train, Vanderbilt responded with, Accommodation of the public. We run them because we have to and we have tried again and again to get the different roads to give them up, but they will run them and, of course, as long as they run them we must do the same. The interview was published in the Chicago Daily News. Several accounts of the incident were then disseminated, The accounts vary in terms of who conducted the interview, under what circumstance, William received bad publicity and clarified his response with a subsequent interview by the Chicago Times. In that interview he was quoted saying, Railroads are not run for the public benefit, the building was destroyed by fire in 1932 and his son Frederick made another donation to help cover the insurance shortfall and allow a new building to be constructed. In 1884 the firm Grant & Ward went bankrupt and ruined the investments of both Ulysses S. Grant and Vanderbilt, whom Grant had convinced to invest $150,000. Ferdinand Ward, known as the Napoleon of Wall Street, had, the other associate, Buck Grant, apparently was unaware of Wards Ponzi scheme swindle. To pay Vanderbilt back, Grant mortgaged his Civil War memorabilia, although this did not fully cover the $150,000 debt, Vanderbilt accepted the memorabilia as payment and wiped out the $150,000 debt owed by Grant. Vanderbilt later recouped Grants other mortgaged war memorabilia, including the memorabilia given by Grant, in 1883, he resigned all his company presidencies and had his sons appointed as important chairmen but left the day-to-day running of the businesses to experienced men appointed president. He died on December 8,1885 in Manhattan, New York City and he was interred in the Vanderbilt family mausoleum at the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York. His estate was divided amongst his eight children and his wife, the First Tycoon, The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarly biography of his father with many details on William Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. Fortunes Children, The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt, ISBN9780062224064 William Henry Vanderbilt Encyclopædia Britannica 2008 Vanderbilt, Cornelius
34.
William Kissam Vanderbilt
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William Kissam Vanderbilt I was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family railroad investments, William Kissam Vanderbilt I was born on December 12,1849. His father was William Henry Vanderbilt and his paternal grandfather was Cornelius Vanderbilt. He managed his family railroad investments, in 1879, after taking over P. T. Barnums Great Roman Hippodrome which was on railroad property by Madison Square Park, he renamed the facility Madison Square Garden. Vanderbilt was one of the founders of The Jockey Club and he was a shareholder and president of the Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Brooklyn, New York and the owner of a successful racing stable. In 1896, he built the American Horse Exchange at 50th Street, in 1911 he leased it the Shubert Organization who then transformed it into the Winter Garden Theatre. Among the horses he owned was the U. S, racing Hall of Fame filly Maskette, purchased from Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky for broodmare services at his French breeding farm. She was born in 1853, in Mobile, Alabama, to Murray Forbes Smith, a commission merchant, Consuelo Vanderbilt was born on March 2,1877, followed by William Kissam Vanderbilt II on March 2,1878, and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt on July 6,1884. Alva later coerced Consuelo into marrying Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough on November 6,1895, alva divorced Vanderbilt in March 1895, at a time when divorce was rare among the elite, and received a large financial settlement reported to be in excess of $10 million. The grounds for divorce were allegations of Vanderbilts adultery, alva remarried to one of their old family friends, Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, on January 11,1896. In 1903, Vanderbilt married Anne Harriman, daughter of banker Oliver Harriman and she was a widow to sportsman Samuel Stevens Sands and to Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, Jr. son of the astronomer Lewis Morris Rutherfurd. Her second husband died in Switzerland in 1901 and she had two sons by her first marriage and two daughters by her second marriage. She had no children by Vanderbilt, like other Vanderbilts, he built magnificent houses. His residences included Idle Hour on Long Island and Marble House, designed by Richard Morris Hunt, in Newport, Hunt also designed Vanderbilts 660 Fifth Avenue mansion. Vanderbilt was a co-owner of the yacht Defender, which won the 1895 Americas Cup, Vanderbilt was a founder and president of the New Theatre. He was also a member of the Jekyll Island Club aka The Millionaires Club, Vanderbilt made significant charitable contributions to Vanderbilt University, a private university in Nashville, Tennessee named for his grandfather. Vanderbilt died in Paris, France on July 22,1920 and his remains were brought home and interred in the Vanderbilt family vault in the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, Staten Island, New York. Vanderbilts portrait, painted by F. W. Wright from a painting by Richard Hall between 1911 and 1921, was donated to Vanderbilt University in 1921, it is hung in Kirkland Hall
35.
Alva Belmont
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Alva Belmont, née Alva Erskine Smith, and known as Alva Vanderbilt from 1875 to 1896, was a prominent multi-millionaire American socialite and a major figure in the womens suffrage movement. Known for having an aristocratic manner that many people, she was also noted for her energy, intelligence, strong opinions. She was married first to William Kissam Vanderbilt, with whom she had three children, and secondly to Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont. Alva Erskine Smith was born on January 17,1853 at 201 Government Street in Mobile, Alabama to Murray Forbes Smith, a commission merchant, Murray Smith was the son of George Smith and Delia Forbes of Dumfries, Virginia. Phoebe Desha was the daughter of US Representative Robert Desha and Eleanor Shelby, Alva was one of six children. Two of her sisters, Alice and Eleanor, both died as children before she was born and her brother, Murray Forbes Smith, Jr. died in 1857 and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile. Two other sisters, Armide Vogel Smith and Mary Virginia Jennie Smith, were her siblings to survive into adulthood. Jennie first married the brother of Alvas childhood best friend, Consuelo Yznaga, following a divorce from Fernando Yznaga in 1886, Jennie remarried to William George Tiffany. As a child, Alva summered with her parents in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1859 the Smiths left Mobile and relocated to New York City, where they briefly settled in Madison Square. When Murray went to Liverpool, England, to conduct his business, her mother, Phoebe Smith, after the Civil War, the Smith family returned to New York, where her mother died in 1869. At a party for one of William Henry Vanderbilts daughters, Smiths best friend, Consuelo Yznaga introduced her to William Kissam Vanderbilt, on April 20,1875, William and Alva were married at Calvary Church in New York City. The couple would have three children, Consuelo Vanderbilt was born on March 2,1877, followed by William Kissam Vanderbilt II on March 2,1878, and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt on July 6,1884. Alva would maneuver Consuelo into marrying Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough on November 6,1895, the marriage would be annulled much later, at the Dukes request and Consuelos assent, in May 1921. The annulment was fully supported by Alva, who testified that she had forced Consuelo into the marriage, by this time Consuelo and her mother enjoyed a closer, easier relationship. Consuelo went on to marry Jacques Balsan, a French aeronautics pioneer, William Kissam II would become president of the New York Central Railroad Company on his fathers death in 1920. Harold Stirling graduated from Harvard Law School in 1910, then joined his father at the New York Central Railroad Company. He remained the only representative of the Vanderbilt family in the New York Central Railroad after his brothers death, serving as a director. Supposedly, this forced Astor to come calling, in order to secure an invitation to the ball for her daughter, the chief effect of the ball was to raise the bar on society entertainments in New York to heights of extravagance and expense that had not been previously seen
36.
George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan
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George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan KG PC JP was a British Conservative politician. Cadogan was the eldest son of Henry Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan, by his wife Mary, daughter of Reverend Gerald Wellesley, younger brother of Arthur Wellesley and he was born in the city of Durham and baptised at St Jamess, Westminster, London. He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford and he was made Under-Secretary for War in 1875 and Under-Secretary to the Colonies in 1878 by Disraeli. He served under Lord Salisbury as Lord Privy Seal from 1886 to 1892 and he was first Mayor of Chelsea in 1900 and a Justice of the Peace for the counties of Middlesex, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and London. Money was found for the installation of an organ by James John Walker. The church remain a testament to a very particularly focussed example of aristocratic patronage, as Lord of the Manor of Chelsea he held large estates there, much of which he dedicated to houses for the working class. During his lifetime Lord Cadogan commissioned a mausoleum for family interments at Brookwood Cemetery, on 16 May 1865, he married Lady Beatrix Craven, fourth daughter of William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven. They had nine children, Albert Edward George Henry, briefly Viscount Chelsea, Henry Arthur, Viscount Chelsea Gerald Oakley, 6th Earl Cadogan and briefly Viscount Chelsea Lady Emily Julia, married William Brownlow, 3rd Baron Lurgan. Hon. Lewin Edward Lady Sophie Beatrix Mary, married Sir Samuel Scott, Hon. William George Sydney, killed in action. Hon. Edward Cecil George Hon. Alexander George Montagu He bought Culford Park, Culford, Suffolk and it is now a private school. Lord Cadogans wife died in 1907 and on 12 January 1911, he married his first cousin once removed, Adele, daughter of Lippo Neri, Count Palagi del Palagio, Lord Cadogan died in Chelsea, London, on 6 March 1915, aged 74. The Countess Cadogan died in February 1960, hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by the Earl Cadogan
37.
Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea
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Henry Arthur Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, born Henry Arthur Cadogan DL, was a British army officer, civil servant and politician. This Viscount Chelsea was a Conservative Member of the House of Commons elected twice to the seat of Bury St Edmunds and he was previously a captain in the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and a civil servant to the Prime Minister. His father was a developer of part of Kensington and Chelsea. Henry became his expectant heir from the age of 10 but had no sons who survived childhood and his wife, Cecilia Mildred Harriet Sturt, had a less notable career than Henry. She suffered the loss of her husband and two later, that of their only son but that year married again and being widowed again. Lord Chelsea was the son of the 5th Earl Cadogan and his first wife. On 2 August 1878, his brother died at the age of twelve, so at the age of ten he became the heir to his fathers peerage. His father later was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, in 1892 he was elected for Bury St Edmunds. In February 1904, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of the County of London, on 30 April 1892, he married Hon. Mildred H. Sibyl Louise Beatrix, married Lord Stanley. Edith Mary Winifred, married the 3rd Baron Hillingdon, cynthia Hilda Evelyn, married Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 4th Baronet. Alexandra Mary, married the 10th Duke of Marlborough, victoria Laura, married Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet, of Craigmillar. His own death from cancer at age 40 at Temple House, Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire, two years after his death, in 1910, his wife married Hedworth Lambton, in 1930 she married Lord Charles Montagu. Leigh Rayments Peerage Pages Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by Viscount Chelsea
