1.
Spencer (surname)
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Spencer is a surname, representing the court title dispenser, or steward. An early example is Robert dAbbetot, who is listed as Robert le Dispenser, the surname Spencer has gained in popularity over time. In the 19th century it become popular as a given name—especially in the more anglicised areas of the United States.1100 to 1350 AD. Within a few generations the le usually placed before Despenser was omitted, the name variant Spens first appears as Simon del Spens, dated 1300, in the Charters of Gisburn Priory, Yorkshire, England, during the reign of Edward I. Spence, another form of Spens, means both the place where provisions are kept and the clerk of the kitchen and this form of the name was popular in both the north of England and in Scotland. In Fife the word referred to a room beside the kitchen. The principal Scottish family of Clan Spens descend from one of the ancient Earls of Fife, John Dispensator or Le Dispenser appeared in a list of the tenants and vassals of Walter fitz Alan High Steward of Scotland in the period 1161–1171. Roger Dispensator witnessed a charter by Bricius de Douglas, the bishop of Moray granting the church of Deveth to Spynie between 1202 and 1222. As a north country word for pantry, spence was used by Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson in the sense of a refectory, Bluff Harry broke into the spence, the surnames Stewart and Stuart denote essentially the same occupation but have a completely different word derivation. They originate from the pre-7th-century English words stigweard—a compound of stig meaning household—and weard, foreign Equivalents, German, Speiser – a steward. This is a derivative of the Middle High German spise, meaning food or supplies via the Old High German—in turn derived from Late Latin expesa, jewish, Speiser – occupational name for a grocer, from a later semantic development of Speiser. Greek, Economos – the anglicised surname derived from the Greek oikonomou Oikon means house in classical Greek and this surname has the same occupational derivation as Spencer but, like the surnames Stewart and Stuart, has a different etymology. The original meaning of oikonomou was an owner but it evolved to mean estate manager, somebody who was responsible for all resources on the estate. Oikonomou was a medieval Eastern Roman title for somebody who was in charge of a project or institution, over time the meaning of Oikonomou has evolved from manager of resources to manager of money, a treasurer. Philologists have been able to track changes in the name Spencer over time—in different dialects, the name Spencer can be traced through its Latin and French roots to its Middle English and modern form. Medieval Latin – dispensa, dispensator and dispensarius – steward. Old French – a. despense – larder b. espenser, -ier – dispenser of money, provisions etc. someone working at, or in charge of, the buttery, Middle English – spens and spence – larder, dispensour – steward. With the agent suffix –er this becomes spenser – butler or steward, in England, up to about the time of the Norman Conquest when communities were small, each person was identifiable by a single name, usually a personal name or nickname
Spencer (surname)
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12th Century Chateau de Tancarville, Seine-maritime, Normandy – homeland of Robert Despenser.
Spencer (surname)
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Arms of Sir John Spencer of
Wormleighton and Althorp, adopted c. 1595
Spencer (surname)
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John Spencer (1734–1783) 1st Viscount Spencer and 1st Earl Spencer, by
Thomas Gainsborough
2.
Landed gentry
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Landed gentry is a largely historical British social class consisting of land owners who could live entirely from rental income. It was distinct from, and socially below, the aristocracy or peerage and they often worked as administrators of their own lands, while others became public, political and armed forces figures. The decline of this privileged class largely stemmed from the 1870s agricultural depression, by the late 19th century, the term was also applied to peers such as the Duke of Westminster who lived on landed estates. The book series Burkes Landed Gentry recorded the members of this class, successful burghers often used their accumulated wealth to buy country estates, with the aim of establishing themselves as landed gentry. Knights, originally a rank, this status was increasingly awarded to civilians as a reward for service to the Crown. Holders have the right to be addressed as Sir as are baronets, but unlike baronet, Esquires, originally men aspiring to knighthood, were the principal attendants on a knight. After the Middle Ages the title of Esquire - Esq. - became an honour that could be conferred by the Crown, gentlemen, possessors of a social status recognised as a separate title by the Statute of Additions of 1413. Generally men of birth or rank, good social standing, and wealth. The term landed gentry, although used to mean nobility. Once identical, eventually these terms became complementary, in the sense that their definitions began to fill in parts of what the other lacked, the historical term gentry by itself, so Peter Coss argues, is a construct that historians have applied loosely to rather different societies. Any particular model may not fit a specific society, yet a single definition nevertheless remains desirable, the phrase landed gentry referred in particular to the untitled members of the landowning upper class. The most stable and respected form of wealth has historically been land, the primary meaning of landed gentry encompasses those members of the land owning classes who are not members of the peerage. It was a designation, one belonged to the landed gentry if other members of that class accepted one as such. However, during the 19th century, as the new rich of the Industrial Revolution became more and more numerous and politically powerful, from the late 16th-century, the gentry emerged as the class most closely involved in politics, the military and law. It provided the bulk of Members of Parliament, with many gentry families maintaining political control in a locality over several generations. Owning land was a prerequisite for suffrage in county constituencies until the Reform Act 1832, until then, Members of the landed gentry were upper class, this was a highly prestigious status. Particular prestige was attached to those who inherited landed estates over a number of generations and these are often described as being from old families. Titles are often considered central to the class, but this is certainly not universally the case
Landed gentry
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Mr and Mrs Andrews (1748-49) is a painting by British artist
Thomas Gainsborough depicting members of the landed gentry.
National Gallery, London.
Landed gentry
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Typical entry in Burke's Landed Gentry (from Volume 2 of the 1898 edition).
3.
Noble family
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The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be largely honorary, and vary from country to country and era to era. There is often a variety of ranks within the noble class. g, san Marino and the Vatican City in Europe. Hereditary titles often distinguish nobles from non-nobles, although in many nations most of the nobility have been un-titled, some countries have had non-hereditary nobility, such as the Empire of Brazil. The term derives from Latin nobilitas, the noun of the adjective nobilis. In modern usage, nobility is applied to the highest social class in pre-modern societies and it rapidly came to be seen as a hereditary caste, sometimes associated with a right to bear a hereditary title and, for example in pre-revolutionary France, enjoying fiscal and other privileges. Nobility is a historical, social and often legal notion, differing from high socio-economic status in that the latter is based on income. Being wealthy or influential cannot, ipso facto, make one noble, various republics, including former Iron Curtain countries, Greece, Mexico, and Austria have expressly abolished the conferral and use of titles of nobility for their citizens. Not all of the benefits of nobility derived from noble status per se, usually privileges were granted or recognised by the monarch in association with possession of a specific title, office or estate. Most nobles wealth derived from one or more estates, large or small and it also included infrastructure such as castle, well and mill to which local peasants were allowed some access, although often at a price. Nobles were expected to live nobly, that is, from the proceeds of these possessions, work involving manual labour or subordination to those of lower rank was either forbidden or frowned upon socially. In some countries, the lord could impose restrictions on such a commoners movements. Nobles exclusively enjoyed the privilege of hunting, in France, nobles were exempt from paying the taille, the major direct tax. In some parts of Europe the right of war long remained the privilege of every noble. During the early Renaissance, duelling established the status of a respectable gentleman, Nobility came to be associated with social rather than legal privilege, expressed in a general expectation of deference from those of lower rank. By the 21st century even that deference had become increasingly minimised, in France, a seigneurie might include one or more manors surrounded by land and villages subject to a nobles prerogatives and disposition. Seigneuries could be bought, sold or mortgaged, if erected by the crown into, e. g. a barony or countship, it became legally entailed for a specific family, which could use it as their title. Yet most French nobles were untitled, in other parts of Europe, sovereign rulers arrogated to themselves the exclusive prerogative to act as fons honorum within their realms. Nobility might be inherited or conferred by a fons honorum
Noble family
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Detail from
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry), c. 1410, month of April
Noble family
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Nobility offered protection in exchange for service
Noble family
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French aristocrats, c. 1774
Noble family
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A French political cartoon of the three orders of
feudal society (1789). The rural third estate carries the clergy and the nobility.
4.
Motto
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A motto is a maxim, a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin has been widely used, especially in the Western world. In heraldry, a motto is depicted below the shield in a banderole, this placement stems from the Middle Ages, in which the vast majority of nobles possessed a coat of arms. In the case of Scottish heraldry it is mandated to appear above the crest, spanish coats of arms may display a motto in the bordure of the shield. In heraldic literature, the rallying cry respectively battle banner are also common, which date back to the battle cry. In English heraldry mottos are not granted with armorial bearings, in Scottish heraldry, mottos can only be changed by re-matriculation, with the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Although very unusual and perhaps outside standard heraldic practice, there are examples of the particular appearance of the motto scroll. Ships and submarines in the Royal Navy each have a badge and motto, Latin has been very common for mottos, but for nation states their official language is generally chosen. A canting motto is one that contains word play, for example, the motto of the Earl of Onslow is Festina lente, punningly interpreting on-slow. In literature, a motto is a sentence, phrase, poem, or word prefixed to an essay, chapter, novel and it is a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle for the written material that follows. For example, Robert Louis Stevensons Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes uses mottos at the start of each section, epigram Hendiatris Inscription List of Latin phrases List of mottos List of national mottos Slogan Tagline United in diversity United we stand, divided we fall
Motto
5.
French language
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French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages, French has evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues doïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to Frances past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, a French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is a language in 29 countries, most of which are members of la francophonie. As of 2015, 40% of the population is in Europe, 35% in sub-Saharan Africa, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas. French is the fourth-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union, 1/5 of Europeans who do not have French as a mother tongue speak French as a second language. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Mauritius, Senegal and Ivory Coast. In 2015, French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers, approximately 274 million people are able to speak the language. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050, in 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese. Under the Constitution of France, French has been the language of the Republic since 1992. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland called Romandie, of which Geneva is the largest city. French is the language of about 23% of the Swiss population. French is also a language of Luxembourg, Monaco, and Aosta Valley, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands. A plurality of the worlds French-speaking population lives in Africa and this number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050, French is the fastest growing language on the continent. French is mostly a language in Africa, but it has become a first language in some urban areas, such as the region of Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in Libreville. There is not a single African French, but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages, sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth
French language
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The
"arrêt" signs (French for "stop") are used in
Canada while the international stop, which is also a valid French word, is used in France as well as other French-speaking countries and regions.
French language
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Regions where French is the main language
French language
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Town sign in
Standard Arabic and French at the entrance of
Rechmaya in
Lebanon.
French language
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An obsolete 100
Lebanese pound note with the French language inscriptions "Banque du Liban" and "Cent livres".
6.
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
United Kingdom
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Stonehenge, in
Wiltshire, was erected around 2500 BC.
United Kingdom
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Flag
United Kingdom
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The
Bayeux Tapestry depicts the
Battle of Hastings, 1066, and the events leading to it.
United Kingdom
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The
Treaty of Union led to a single united kingdom encompassing all Great Britain.
7.
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
England
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Stonehenge, a
Neolithic monument
England
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Flag
England
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Boudica led an uprising against the
Roman Empire
England
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Replica of a 7th-century ceremonial
helmet from the
Kingdom of East Anglia, found at
Sutton Hoo
8.
Wales
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Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh
Wales
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Bryn Celli Ddu, a late Neolithic chambered tomb on Anglesey
Wales
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Flag
Wales
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This article is about the country. For other uses, see
Wales (disambiguation).
Wales
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Coin of
Magnus Maximus
9.
Althorp
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Althorp is a Grade I listed stately home, estate and small civil parish in Daventry District, Northamptonshire, England of about 13,000 acres. By road it is about 6 miles northwest of the county town of Northampton and it has been held by the prominent aristocratic Spencer family for more than 500 years, and has been owned by Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer since 1992. It was also the home of his sister, Lady Diana Spencer later Princess of Wales, before her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales. Althorp is mentioned as a hamlet in the Domesday Book as Olletorp. By 1505 there were no longer any tenants living there, and in 1508, Althorp became one of the prominent stately homes in England. The mansion dates to 1688, replacing a house that was once visited by Charles I. The Spencer family amassed an art collection and other valuable household items. During the 18th century, the became a major cultural hub in England. After falling on hard times, John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, known as the Red Earl, in 1892 sold much of the collection to Enriqueta Rylands, who was building the University of Manchester Library. Many of Althorps furnishings were sold off during the twentieth century, mathematical tiles were added to the exterior, encasing the brick, and four Corinthian pilasters were added to the front. The grand hall entrance to the house, Wootton Hall, was cited by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as the noblest Georgian room in the county. The Great Dining Room in the east wing extension of the house was added in 1877 to designs by John Macvicar Anderson, numerous fireplaces and furnishings were brought to Althorp from Spencer House in London during the Blitz for safekeeping and still remain. The Picture Gallery stretches for 115 feet on the first floor of the west wing, and is one of the best remaining examples of the original Tudor oak woodwork and ambiance in the mansion. It has a collection of portraits, including Anthony van Dycks War and Peace, a John de Critz portrait of James I, a Mary Beale portrait of Charles II. Some £2 million was spent on redecorating the house in the 1980s, in total, the grounds of Althorp estate contain 28 listed buildings and structures, including nine planting stones. The former falconry, now a Grade I listed building, was built in 1613, Gardeners House is listed as a Grade II* listed building in its own right, as are the Grade II listed West and East Lodges. The mustard-yellow Grade II listed Stable Block, designed by architect Roger Morris with a Palladian influence, was ordered by Charles, Fifth Earl of Sutherland in the early 1730s. The French landscape architect André Le Nôtre was commissioned to lay out the park and grounds in the 1660s, following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, she was interred on a small island in the middle of the ornamental Round Oval lake
Althorp
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Althorp in July 2007
Althorp
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Left: Sir
Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton. Right:
Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland
Althorp
Althorp
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Althorp in 1677 by
Johannes Vorstermans
10.
Spencer House, London
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Spencer House is a mansion in St Jamess, London, and is the property of the Earl Spencer. Its address is 27, St. Jamess Place, the house was commissioned by John, 1st Earl Spencer in 1756, the Earl requiring a large townhouse to cement his position and status. The architect he chose was John Vardy who had studied under William Kent, Vardy is responsible for the facades of the mansion that we see today. As the home of successive Earls and Countesses Spencer the state rooms of the house became a theatre for the pageant that was London high society, the Spencer family lived at the mansion continuously until 1895, when the house was let. The Spencers returned for a brief while in the first quarter of the 20th century, then again the house was let, during the Blitz of World War II it was stripped of its few remaining authentic treasures, specially made furniture, and fireplaces. Spencer House remains in the ownership of The Earl Spencer, the current titleholder being Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, however, since World War II, the house has been continuously let out. In 1948 it was leased to Christies auctioneers, in 1956 to the British Oxygen Company, together with Lancaster House, Bridgwater House, Dudley House and Apsley House, Spencer House is one of the last of the many private palaces which once adorned central London. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and model Jerry Hall married here on 4 March 2016
Spencer House, London
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Spencer House
Spencer House, London
–
Spencer House circa 1800.
11.
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
Blenheim Palace
–
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace
–
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
Blenheim Palace
–
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
12.
Wormleighton Manor
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Wormleighton Manor is a manor house in the civil parish of Wormleighton in the historic county of Warwickshire, England. It belonged to the wealthy Spencer family during the 16th and 17th century, Wormleighton manor is a fine example of the Tudor architecture that appeared during the reign of Henry VIII. John Spencers nephew, John, traded in livestock and other commodities, Wormleighton was bought in 1506, the manor house was completed in 1512. As the family wealth grew dramatically, John Spencer purchased the land at Althorp between 1509 and 1511 and constructed another residence there, the Spencer library accumulated at the manor to form a substantial collection which is now housed in London. In 1645, Royalist forces from nearby Banbury set fire to Wormleighton Manor to prevent it becoming a parliamentary stronghold, oak paneling in Althorps tapestry dining room was brought from Wormleighton and reinstalled. Stained glass was brought from Wormleighton Manor to Althorp in the 19th century. The eastern wing of Virginia House, completed in 1929, is said to be based on the design of Wormleighton Manor, Wormleighton manor is made from brick with regular coursed rubble ironstone and ashlar. The tiled roof has stone coped gable parapets in the Tudor style, today the manor is far cry from its former glory, with only the north wing remaining. The original manor in its prime extended farther west and also southwards, the remaining wing seems to have consisted of two great chambers one above the other, one about 40 feet long, and two others west of them, at least 27 feet in length. The upper great chamber was known as the Star Chamber because of its adornments, adjoining the west end are lower small wing fragments of the original 16th-century brickwork. The three bays of the side are the best preserved. The wall is also the original brickwork with stone dressings to the windows. The southern part of the wall has more than half of a steeply pitched gable-head which rises above the parapet-level, there are two ranges of tall square-headed windows with four-centred lights which remain, although the second is blocked to make way for a modern loft-doorway. Three windows served the Star Chamber and the window provides light to the chamber west of it. It has been converted into an entrance lobby doorway to the 17th-century corridor. To the west of this were two windows but have been blocked up, but replaced with windows beneath it in the 18th or 19th century to light the kitchen. The east end of the block is made of red brickwork and is about 36 feet wide with a large three-sided bay window. The south side of the building was constructed in the 17th century and consists of a variety of materials that meet with vertical seams
Wormleighton Manor
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Wormleighton Manor
13.
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
Duke of Marlborough (title)
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Burial place of most Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough in the chapel at
Blenheim Palace.
Duke of Marlborough (title)
Duke of Marlborough (title)
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John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (1686–1703)
Duke of Marlborough (title)
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Portrait of George Spencer-Churchill
14.
Earl Spencer (peerage)
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He was a member of the prominent Spencer family and a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Previously, he had been created Viscount Spencer, of Althorp in the County of Northamptonshire, the future 6th Earl Spencer was created Viscount Althorp, of Great Brington in the County of Northamptonshire, on 19 December 1905 in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Diana, Princess of Wales, was the youngest of three daughters of the 8th Earl Spencer, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are grandsons of the 8th Earl Spencer. The family seat is Althorp in Northamptonshire and their estate includes significant land holdings in other parts of the country, including the village of North Creake in Norfolk. The family also holds the Spencer House in London, the coat of arms of the family is as follows, Quarterly argent and gules, in the second and third quarters a fret or, over all on a bend sable, three escallops of the first. The crest, emerging from the coronet, is a griffins head argent, the motto is Dieu defend le droit. ISBN 978-0-09-465700-7 Spencer, Charles Althorp, the story of an English house, ISBN 978-0-312-20833-2 Spencer, Charles The Spencers, a personal history of an English family. New York, St. Martin’s Press ISBN 978-0-312-26649-3 Althorp - official website Cracrofts Peerage page
Earl Spencer (peerage)
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John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, by
Thomas Gainsborough
15.
Earl of Sunderland
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Earl of Sunderland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1627 in favour of Emanuel Scrope, the earldom became extinct on his death in 1630 while the barony became either extinct or dormant. The second creation came in 1643 in favour of the Royalist soldier Henry Spencer, the Spencer family descended from Sir John Spencer who acquired the Wormleighton estate in Warwickshire and the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire. His grandson Sir John Spencer was a Knight of the Shire for Northamptonshire, the latters grandson Sir Robert Spencer represented Brackley in Parliament in the late 16th century. In 1603 Sir Robert was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Spencer of Wormleighton and he was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, William, the second Baron. He had previously represented Northamptonshire in Parliament and his eldest son was the aforementioned third Baron. In July 1643 he was created Earl of Sunderland in the Peerage of England, Lord Sunderland was killed at the Battle of Newbury in September of the same year. He was succeeded by his only son, Robert, the second Earl. He later gained distinction as a statesman and notably served four times as Secretary of State for the Southern Department. His eldest surviving son, Charles, the third Earl, also gained prominence as a statesman and he was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Privy Seal, Secretary of State for both the Northern and Southern Departments, Lord President of the Council and First Lord of the Treasury. However, his career was ruined by the South Sea Bubble of 1720. Lord Sunderland married as his second wife Lady Anne Churchill, second daughter of the distinguished soldier John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, the dukedom of Marlborough was allowed to descend to the Dukes daughters and their sons after a special Act of Parliament was passed in 1716. Sunderland was succeeded by his eldest surviving son by his wife, Robert. He died unmarried in 1729 at the age of 27 and was succeeded by his brother, Charles. In 1733 he succeeded his maternal aunt Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough as third Duke of Marlborough, the barony of Spencer of Wormleighton and earldom of Sunderland have remained subsidiary titles of the dukedom ever since. Earl of Sunderland has been used as the title by the Dukes grandson. His son John was created Earl Spencer in 1765, the Honourable Robert Spencer, second son of the second Baron, was created Viscount Teviot in 1685
Earl of Sunderland
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Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland
Earl of Sunderland
16.
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
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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
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
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Burial place of most Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough in the chapel at
Blenheim Palace.
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
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John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (1686–1703)
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
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Portrait of George Spencer-Churchill
17.
Spencer baronets
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The third Baronet also represented Woodstock 1660–1679. The baronetcy was extinct on the death of the seventh Baronet as a minor in 1741. His sister Alice, who married Sir John Jennings of Sandridge, had 22 children and he died without male issue in 1633 and the Baronetcy was extinct, but was recreated on 26 September 1642 for his brother and heir Brocket Spencer. The fourth Baronet was Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire 1705–08, on his death the Baronetcy was extinct. A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies
Spencer baronets
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Sir William Spencer (died 1609), father of the first baronet, as depicted in his memorial in the Spencer Chapel of
Yarnton parish church, Oxfordshire
18.
John Spencer (died 1522)
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Sir John Spencer was an English nobleman, politician, sheriff, knight, landowner, entrepreneur, and ancestor of the Spencer family. In 1469, John Spencers uncle – another John Spencer – had become feoffee of Wormleighton in Warwickshire, the Spencers’ administration of their Northamptonshire and Warwickshire estates was admired and often emulated by gentlemen all over England. Sheep from their pastures were purchased for breeding and it is probable that the success as farmers was rarely equalled in the century. 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, John 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, by putting down roots at Althorp, Sir John provided what was to become a home for the next 19 generations. Between 1513 and 1515, Sir John Spencer devoted much funds and planning to the church for Althorp. In 1513, he appointed Thomas Heritage to be rector of the church and it is altogether probable that Heritage designed and superintended the execution of Spencers idea for a family chapel at the parish church. His will, dated the 12th day of April 1522, just two days before Sir John death, states that he rebuilt the whole church. For this tomb, to be placed in the easternmost bay of the chapel, nearest to the altar. In 1519 John Spencer was knighted by King Henry VIII, died three years later and was buried in the new chapel at Great Brington. Sir John Spencer married Isabella Graunt, daughter of Sir Walter Graunt, of Snitterfield, upon his death in 1522, his estates at Wormleighton and Althorp passed to his younger son Sir William Spencer, who died ten years later. Spencer is a direct ancestor of Prime Minister Sir Winston Spencer Churchill and Lady Diana Spencer
John Spencer (died 1522)
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Althorp, the family seat of the Spencer family for 500 years
John Spencer (died 1522)
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Sir John Spencer and Isabella Graunt's tomb at Great Brington.
19.
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
Jamie Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough
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Portrait in 1989 by
Allan Warren
20.
English people
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The English are a nation and an ethnic group native to England, who speak the English language. The English identity is of medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Angelcynn. Their ethnonym is derived from the Angles, one of the Germanic peoples who migrated to Great Britain around the 5th century AD, England is one of the countries of the United Kingdom. Collectively known as the Anglo-Saxons, they founded what was to become England along with the later Danes, Normans, in the Acts of Union 1707, the Kingdom of England was succeeded by the Kingdom of Great Britain. Over the years, English customs and identity have become closely aligned with British customs. The English people are the source of the English language, the Westminster system and these and other English cultural characteristics have spread worldwide, in part as a result of the former British Empire. The concept of an English nation is far older than that of the British nation, many recent immigrants to England have assumed a solely British identity, while others have developed dual or mixed identities. Use of the word English to describe Britons from ethnic minorities in England is complicated by most non-white people in England identifying as British rather than English. In their 2004 Annual Population Survey, the Office for National Statistics compared the ethnic identities of British people with their national identity. They found that while 58% of white people in England described their nationality as English and it is unclear how many British people consider themselves English. Following complaints about this, the 2011 census was changed to allow respondents to record their English, Welsh, Scottish, another complication in defining the English is a common tendency for the words English and British to be used interchangeably, especially overseas. In his study of English identity, Krishan Kumar describes a common slip of the tongue in which people say English, I mean British. He notes that this slip is made only by the English themselves and by foreigners. Kumar suggests that although this blurring is a sign of Englands dominant position with the UK and it tells of the difficulty that most English people have of distinguishing themselves, in a collective way, from the other inhabitants of the British Isles. In 1965, the historian A. J. P. Taylor wrote, When the Oxford History of England was launched a generation ago and it meant indiscriminately England and Wales, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and even the British Empire. Foreigners used it as the name of a Great Power and indeed continue to do so, bonar Law, by origin a Scotch Canadian, was not ashamed to describe himself as Prime Minister of England Now terms have become more rigorous. The use of England except for a geographic area brings protests and this version of history is now regarded by many historians as incorrect, on the basis of more recent genetic and archaeological research. The 2016 study authored by Stephan Schiffels et al, the remaining portion of English DNA is primarily French, introduced in a migration after the end of the Ice Age
English people
English people
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"The Arrival of the First Ancestors of Englishmen out of Germany into Britain": a fanciful image of the Anglo-Saxon migration, an event central to the English
national myth. From A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence by
Richard Verstegan (1605)
English people
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A reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon burial chamber at
Sutton Hoo,
East Anglia.
English people
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King Harold II of England (right) at the Norman court, from the
Bayeux Tapestry
21.
John Spencer (died 1600)
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Sir John Spencer was an English nobleman, politician, landowner, sheriff, knight, and MP from the Spencer family. He was born the son of Sir John Spencer of Althorp, Northamptonshire and he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and trained in the law at the Middle Temple. He succeeded his father in 1586, inheriting estates at Wormleighton, Warwickshire and Althorp, Northamptonshire and he was appointed a JP for Bedfordshire in 1577, for Northamptonshire in 1584 and High Sheriff of Northamptonshire for 1578–79 and 1590–91. He was elected MP for Northampton in 1572, Spencer died 9 January 1600 and was buried in St Mary the Virgin Church, Great Brington, the parish church for Althorp. Spencer married Mary, the daughter and heiress of Sir Robert Catlin. They had one son, Robert, who became the first Baron Spencer, Spencer was a direct ancestor of Lady Diana Spencer. SPENCER, John, of Newnham, Warws. and Althorp, Northants
John Spencer (died 1600)
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The funeral honours of Sir John Spencer, Kt. (1546–1600). He displays both the Despencer arms (differenced as a cadet branch) adopted after c. 1595 and the blue and white arms granted in 1504
22.
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
Winston Churchill
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The Right Honourable Sir Winston Churchill
KG OM CH TD DL FRS RA
Winston Churchill
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Jennie Jerome (1854–1921), the American-born mother of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
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Churchill, aged seven, in 1881
Winston Churchill
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Blenheim Palace, the Churchill family home
23.
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
Diana, Princess of Wales
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The Princess of Wales raising money for cancer research in
Chicago, Illinois, June 1996
Diana, Princess of Wales
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Charles and Diana's wedding commemorated on a 1981 British
Crown
Diana, Princess of Wales
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The Prince and Princess of Wales after the
wedding of
the Duke and
Duchess of York in 1986
Diana, Princess of Wales
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Charles and Diana visit
Uluru, Australia, March 1983
24.
J. Horace Round
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John Horace Round was an historian and genealogist of the English mediaeval period. He translated the portion of the Domesday Book covering Essex into contemporary English, as an expert in the history of the British peerage, he was appointed honorary historical adviser to the Crown. Round was born on 22 February 1854 in Hove, Sussex and his parents were John Round, a barrister, of West Bergholt, Essex, and Laura, the daughter of the poet Horatio Smith. His family history appears in Burkes Landed Gentry, a publication he regularly criticised for its inaccuracies and his birthplace,15 Brunswick Terrace, is marked with a blue plaque. Following his childhood education, he went up to Balliol College, Oxford in 1874, in the final examinations in 1879, he obtained a bachelor of arts with first class honours, he qualified for an M. A. in 1881. Though a native of Sussex, he had interests in Essex. A relative owned Colchester Castle, and his grandfather John had been a member of parliament in Essex, Round was a cousin to the Round family of Birch Hall, Essex, members of which included Charles Gray Round, James Round, and Charles Round. He contributed to publications and was the author of several significant works. He pursued disputes with other academics vigorously, and on more than one occasion and these disputes in a normally gentle academic area honed his analytic skills. He was recognised as an authority on medieval and later genealogy and was awarded an honorary LLD by the University of Edinburgh in February 1905. He advised the Court of Claims and Committee for Privileges of the House of Lords on matters concerning the coronation of King Edward VII. His book on this topic, The Kings Serjeants and Officers of State, with their Coronation Services was published in 1911, an expert in British peerage history and law, he was appointed Honorary Historical Adviser to the Crown in peerage cases in 1914. Round contracted an illness some time after coming down from Oxford. He died on 24 June 1928 in Hove, a memoir by his friend and colleague William Page was included in a posthumously published volume of writings. And a biography by W. Raymond Powell was published in 2001, both contain full bibliographies of Rounds work. At the time of his death, he had more than sixty contributions to Essex Archaeology and his most recent posthumous papers appeared in about 2003 in the Transactions of the Essex Archaeology and History Society, and in 2004 in Foundations. Correspondence between Round and various other historians is available in the archives at Senate House Library, Page, William,1930 Works by J. Horace Round at Project Gutenberg Works by or about J. Horace Round at Internet Archive
J. Horace Round
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J. Horace Round
J. Horace Round
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Horace Round wearing ceremonial attire of
deputy lieutenant of Essex
25.
Clarencieux King of Arms
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Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux, is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of England south of the River Trent. The office almost certainly existed in 1420, and there is a degree of probability that there was a Claroncell rex heraldus armorum in 1334. There are also some references to the southern part of England being termed Surroy. The title of Clarenceux is supposedly derived from either the Honour of the Clare earls of Gloucester, or from the Dukedom of Clarence. With minor variations, the arms of Clarenceux have, from the fifteenth century. The current Clarenceux King of Arms is Patric Dickinson LVO
Clarencieux King of Arms
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Clarenceux King of Arms Thomas Hawley in a 1556 grant of arms
Clarencieux King of Arms
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The
arms of office of the Clarenceux King of Arms
Clarencieux King of Arms
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The current Clarenceux King of Arms,
Patric Laurence Dickinson, on
Garter Day, dressed in the robe of the Secretary of the Order.
26.
House of Stuart
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The House of Stuart, originally Stewart and, in Gaelic, Stiùbhart was a European royal house that originated in Scotland. The dynastys patrilineal Breton ancestors had held the office of High Steward of Scotland since the 12th century, the royal Stewart line was founded by Robert II, and they were Kings and Queens of Scots from the late 14th century until the union with England in 1707. Mary I, Queen of Scots was brought up in France and her son, James VI of Scotland, inherited the thrones of England and Ireland upon the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. Except for the period of the Commonwealth, 1649–1660, the Stuarts were monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland until 1707, then of Great Britain and Ireland, in total, nine Stewart/Stuart monarchs ruled Scotland alone from 1371 until 1603. James VI of Scotland then inherited the realms of Elizabeth I of England, following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, two Stuart queens ruled the isles, Mary II and Anne. Both were the Protestant daughters of James VII and II by his first wife, during the reign of the Stuarts, Scotland developed from a relatively poor and feudal country into a prosperous, modern and centralised state. They ruled during a time in European history of transition from the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, monarchs such as James IV were known for sponsoring exponents of the Northern Renaissance such as the poet Robert Henryson, and others. The name Stewart derives from the position of office similar to a governor. It was originally adopted as the surname by Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland. Prior to this, family names were not used, but instead they had patronyms defined through the father, the gallicised spelling was first borne by John Stewart of Darnley after his time in the French wars. During the 16th century, the French spelling Stuart was adopted by Mary, Queen of Scots, the FitzAlan family quickly established themselves as a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house, with some of its members serving as High Sheriff of Shropshire. It was the great-grandson of Alan named Walter FitzAlan who became the first hereditary High Steward of Scotland, another supporter of Matilda was her uncle David I of Scotland from the House of Dunkeld. After Matilda was pushed out of England into the County of Anjou, essentially failing in her legitimist attempt for the throne, many of her supporters in England fled also. It was then that Walter followed David up to the Kingdom of Scotland, where he was granted lands in Renfrewshire, the next monarch of Scotland, Malcolm IV, made the High Steward title a hereditary arrangement. While High Stewards, the family were based at Dundonald, South Ayrshire between the 12th and 13th centuries. The sixth High Steward of Scotland, Walter Stewart, married Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce, in 1503, James IV attempted to secure peace with England by marrying King Henry VIIs daughter, Margaret Tudor. The birth of their son, later James V, brought the House of Stewart into the line of descent of the House of Tudor, and the English throne. Margaret Tudor later married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and their daughter, Margaret Douglas, was the mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
House of Stuart
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Tombstone of the last members of the House of Stuart in the
St. Peter's Basilica – Work of
Antonio Canova.
House of Stuart
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Last armorial of the Stuart monarch for use in Great Britain, 1707 to 1714
House of Stuart
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James I of Scotland
House of Stuart
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James IV of Scotland
27.
House of Bourbon
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The House of Bourbon is a European royal house of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century, by the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma. Spain and Luxembourg currently have Bourbon monarchs, the royal Bourbons originated in 1268, when the heiress of the lordship of Bourbon married a younger son of King Louis IX. The house continued for three centuries as a branch, while more senior Capetians ruled France, until Henry IV became the first Bourbon king of France in 1589. Restored briefly in 1814 and definitively in 1815 after the fall of the First French Empire, a cadet Bourbon branch, the House of Orléans, then ruled for 18 years, until it too was overthrown. The Princes de Condé were a branch of the Bourbons descended from an uncle of Henry IV. Both houses were prominent in French affairs, even during exile in the French Revolution, until their respective extinctions in 1830 and 1814. When the Bourbons inherited the strongest claim to the Spanish throne, the claim was passed to a cadet Bourbon prince, a grandson of Louis XIV of France, who became Philip V of Spain. The Spanish House of Bourbon has been overthrown and restored several times, reigning 1700–1808, 1813–1868, 1875–1931, Bourbons ruled in Naples from 1734–1806 and in Sicily from 1734–1816, and in a unified Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1816–1860. They also ruled in Parma from 1731–1735, 1748–1802 and 1847–1859, all legitimate, living members of the House of Bourbon, including its cadet branches, are direct agnatic descendants of Henry IV. The term House of Bourbon is sometimes used to refer to this first house and the House of Bourbon-Dampierre, the second family to rule the seigneury. In 1268, Robert, Count of Clermont, sixth son of King Louis IX of France, married Beatrix of Bourbon, heiress to the lordship of Bourbon and their son Louis was made Duke of Bourbon in 1327. His descendant, the Constable of France Charles de Bourbon, was the last of the senior Bourbon line when he died in 1527. Because he chose to fight under the banner of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and lived in exile from France, the remaining line of Bourbons henceforth descended from James I, Count of La Marche, the younger son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon. With the death of his grandson James II, Count of La Marche in 1438, all future Bourbons would descend from James IIs younger brother, Louis, who became the Count of Vendôme through his mothers inheritance. In 1514, Charles, Count of Vendôme had his title raised to Duke of Vendôme and his son Antoine became King of Navarre, on the northern side of the Pyrenees, by marriage in 1555. Two of Antoines younger brothers were Cardinal Archbishop Charles de Bourbon, Louis male-line, the Princes de Condé, survived until 1830. Finally, in 1589, the House of Valois died out and he was born on 13 December 1553 in the Kingdom of Navarre
House of Bourbon
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The castle of
Bourbon-l'Archambault
House of Bourbon
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House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
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Henry IV of France, the first Bourbon King of France
House of Bourbon
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Dynastic group portrait of Louis XIV (seated) with his son
le Grand Dauphin (to the left), his grandson
Louis, Duke of Burgundy (to the right), his great-grandson the duc d'Anjou, later Louis XV, and
Madame de Ventadour, his governess, who commissioned this painting some years later; busts of
Henry IV and
Louis XIII in the background.
28.
House of Medici
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The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until they were able to fund the Medici Bank. The bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century, the Medici produced three Popes of the Catholic Church—Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII, and Pope Leo XI, two regent queens of France—Catherine de Medici and Marie de Medici. In 1531, the family became hereditary Dukes of Florence, in 1569, the duchy was elevated to a grand duchy after territorial expansion. They ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany from its inception until 1737, the grand duchy witnessed degrees of economic growth under the earlier grand dukes, but by the time of Cosimo III de Medici, Tuscany was fiscally bankrupt. Their wealth and influence initially derived from the textile trade guided by the guild of the Arte della Lana. They, along with families of Italy—such as the Visconti and Sforza of Milan, the Este of Ferrara. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected institutions in Europe, there are some estimates that the Medici family were the wealthiest family in Europe for a time. From this base, they acquired political power initially in Florence and later in wider Italy, a notable contribution to the profession of accounting was the improvement of the general ledger system through the development of the double-entry bookkeeping system for tracking credits and debits. The Medici family were among the earliest businesses to use the system, the Medici family came from the agricultural Mugello region, north of Florence, being mentioned for the first time in a document of 1230. The origin of the name is uncertain, Medici is the plural of medico, also written del medico or delmedigo, meaning, medical doctor. It has been suggested that the derived from one Medico di Potrone, a castellan of Potrone in the late 11th century. The dynasty began with the founding of the Medici Bank, until the late 14th century, prior to the Medici, the leading family of Florence was the House of Albizzi. In 1293 the Ordinances of Justice were enacted, which became the constitution of the republic of Florence throughout the Italian Renaissance. The citys numerous luxurious palazzi were becoming surrounded by townhouses, built by the ever prospering merchant class. In 1298, one of the leading banking families of Europe, the main challengers to the Albizzi family were the Medicis, first under Giovanni de Medici, later under his son Cosimo di Giovanni de Medici and great-grandson, Lorenzo de Medici. The Medici controlled the Medici bank—then Europes largest bank—and an array of other enterprises in Florence, in 1433, the Albizzi managed to have Cosimo exiled. The next year, however, a pro-Medici Signoria was elected, the Medici became the citys leading family, a position they would hold for the next three centuries. Cosimo and Lorenzo rarely held official posts but were the unquestioned leaders, some examples of these families include the Bardi, Salviati, Cavalcanti, and the Tornabuoni
House of Medici
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Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, founder of the Medici bank.
House of Medici
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Medici
House of Medici
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The Confirmation of the Rule by
Domenico Ghirlandaio.
House of Medici
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Cosimo I the Great, founder of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
29.
House of Wittelsbach
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The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria. The family also provided two Holy Roman Emperors, one King of the Romans, two Anti-Kings of Bohemia, one King of Hungary, one King of Denmark and Norway, the familys head, since 1996, is Franz, Duke of Bavaria. Berthold, Margrave in Bavaria, was the ancestor of Otto I, Count of Scheyern, whose third son Otto II, the Counts of Scheyern left Scheyern Castle in 1119 for Wittelsbach Castle and the former was given to monks to establish Scheyern Abbey. Duke Ottos son Louis I, Duke of Bavaria acquired also the Electorate of the Palatinate in 1214. On Duke Otto IIs death in 1253, his sons divided the Wittelsbach possessions between them, Henry became Duke of Lower Bavaria, and Louis II Duke of Upper Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine. When Henrys branch died out in 1340 the Emperor Louis IV, the Bavarian branch kept the duchy of Bavaria until its extinction in 1777. His six sons succeeded him as Duke of Bavaria and Count of Holland, the Wittelsbachs lost the Tyrol with the death of duke Meinhard and the following Peace of Schärding - the Tyrol was finally renounced to the Habsburgs in 1369. In 1373 Otto, the last Wittelsbach regent of Brandenburg, released the country to the House of Luxembourg, on Duke Alberts death in 1404, he was succeeded in the Netherlands by his eldest son, William. A younger son, John III, became Bishop of Liège, however, on Williams death in 1417, a war of succession broke out between John and Williams daughter Jacqueline of Hainaut. This last episode of the Hook and Cod wars finally left the counties in Burgundian hands in 1432, with the Landshut War of Succession Bavaria was reunited in 1505 against the claim of the Palatinate branch under the Bavarian branch Bavaria-Munich. From 1549 to 1567 the Wittelsbach owned the County of Kladsko in Bohemia, strictly Catholic by upbringing, the Bavarian dukes became leaders of the German Counter-Reformation. From 1583 to 1761, the Bavarian branch of the dynasty provided the Prince-electors and Archbishops of Cologne and many other Bishops of the Holy Roman Empire, namely Liège. Wittelsbach princes served for example as Bishops of Regensburg, Freising, Liège, Münster, Hildesheim, Paderborn and Osnabrück, in 1623 under Maximilian I the Bavarian dukes were invested with the electoral dignity and the duchy became the Electorate of Bavaria. His grandson Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria served also as Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands and his son Emperor Charles VII was also king of Bohemia. With the death of Charles son Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria the Bavarian branch died out in 1777, the Palatinate branch kept the Palatinate until 1918 and succeeded also in Bavaria in 1777. With the Golden Bull of 1356 the Counts Palatine were invested with the electoral dignity, princes of the Palatinate branch served as Bishops of the Empire and also as Elector-Archbishops of Mainz and Elector-Archbishops of Trier. Jülich and Berg fell to the Wittelsbach Count Palatine Wolfgang William of Neuburg, in 1619, the Protestant Frederick V, Elector Palatine became King of Bohemia but was defeated by the Catholic Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, a member of the Bavarian branch. As a result, the Upper Palatinate had to be ceded to the Bavarian branch in 1623, when the Thirty Years War concluded with the Treaty of Münster in 1648, a new additional electorate was created for the Count Palatine of the Rhine
House of Wittelsbach
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The Wittelsbach dominions within the Holy Roman Empire (Bavaria, The Netherlands and Palatinate) AD 1373 are shown as Wittelsbach, among the houses of
Luxembourg which acquired Brandenburg that year and
Habsburg which had acquired Tyrol in 1369
House of Wittelsbach
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House of Wittelsbach
House of Wittelsbach
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Heidelberg Castle of the Electors of Palatinate
House of Wittelsbach
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Greece in 1843 after independence.
30.
House of Hanover
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Upon Victorias death, the British throne passed to her eldest son Edward VII, a member of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha through his father. The House of Hanover was formally named the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Hanover line, the senior branch became extinct in 1884, and the House of Hanover is now the only surviving branch of the House of Welf, which is the senior branch of the House of Este. The current head of the House of Hanover is Ernst August, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, is considered the first member of the House of Hanover. When the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg was divided in 1635, George inherited the Principality of Calenberg and his son, Christian Louis inherited the Principality of Lüneburg from Georges brother. Calenberg and Lüneburg were then shared between Georges sons until united in 1705 under his grandson, also called George, who subsequently became George I of Great Britain, all held the title Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. George died in 1641 and was succeeded by, Christian Louis, 1st son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg and he relinquished Calenburg when he became Prince of Lüneburg. George William, 2nd son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg and he relinquished Calenburg when he became Prince of Lüneburg on the death of his brother, Christian Louis. John Frederick, 3rd son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg, Ernest Augustus, 4th son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg. He became Prince of Calenberg on the death of his brother John Frederick and he was elevated to prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire in 1692. Ernest Augustuss wife, Sophia of the Palatinate, was declared heiress of the throne of England by the Act of Settlement of 1701, Sophia was at that time the senior eligible Protestant descendant of James I of England. George Louis, son of Duke Ernest Augustus and Sophia, became Elector and Prince of Calenberg in 1698 and he inherited his mothers claim to the throne of Great Britain when she died in 1714. George Louis became the first British monarch of the House of Hanover as George I in 1714, George I, George II, and George III also served as electors and dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, informally, Electors of Hanover. From 1814, when Hanover became a kingdom, the British monarch was also King of Hanover, in 1837, however, the personal union of the thrones of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended. After the death of William IV in 1837, the kings of Hanover continued the dynasty. The 1866 rift between the House of Hanover and the House of Hohenzollern was settled only by the 1913 marriage of Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia to Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick. At the end of the Thirty Years War, the Peace of Westphalia awarded the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück alternately to a Catholic bishop, since the treaty gave cadets priority over heirs and reigning princes, Osnabrück became a form of appanage of the House of Hanover. In 1884, the branch of the House of Welf became extinct. By a law of 1879, the Duchy of Brunswick established a council of regency to take over at the Dukes death
House of Hanover
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George I (1714–1727)
House of Hanover
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House of Hanover
House of Hanover
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George III (1760–1820)
House of Hanover
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George IV (1820–1830)
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