Sir Henry Knyvet

M
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageSir Henry Knyvet married Elizabeth Stumpe.
MarriageSir Henry Knyvet married Anne Pickering.

Child of Sir Henry Knyvet and Anne Pickering

Child of Sir Henry Knyvet and Elizabeth Stumpe

Elizabeth Stumpe

F
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Knyvet.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageElizabeth Stumpe married Sir Henry Knyvet.

Child of Elizabeth Stumpe and Sir Henry Knyvet

Anne Pickering

F
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Knyvet.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageAnne Pickering married Sir Henry Knyvet.

Child of Anne Pickering and Sir Henry Knyvet

Thomas James Knyvet

M, b. 1558, d. 27 July 1622
Father*Sir Henry Knyvet
Mother*Anne Pickering
Name TypeDateDescription
Name VariationThomas James Knyvet was also known as Knevitt.
Name VariationThomas James Knyvet was also known as Knevett.
Name VariationThomas James Knyvet was also known as Knevytt.
Name VariationThomas James Knyvet was also known as Knyvett.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1558Thomas James Knyvet was born in 1558.
He was the son of Sir Henry Knyvet and Anne Pickering.
Marriage21 July 1597Thomas James Knyvet married Elizabeth Hayward, daughter of Sir Roland Hayward, on 21 July 1597.
Death27 July 1622Thomas James Knyvet died on 27 July 1622.
DateLocationDescription
Thomas James Knyvet (or Knevytt, Knyvett, Knevett, Knevitt; 1558 – 27 July 1622) was the second son of Sir Henry Knyvet of Charlton, Wiltshire and Anne Pickering, daughter of Sir Christopher Pickering of Killington, Westmoreland. His half-sister Catherine Knyvet was married to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk.

He attended Jesus College, Cambridge.[1] He was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I, and in 1592, he was made Master at Arms; and Member of Parliament for Thetford in 1601. In 1603, King James I gave him the manor of Stanwell, Middlesex.

On 21 July 1597 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Roland Hayward and widow of Richard Warren of Essex. He was knighted in either 1603 or 1604. After foiling the Gunpowder Plot, he was appointed a Privy Councillor, Member of the Council to Queen Anne, and Warden of the Mint, and was granted the manor of Stanwell and later (in 1613) the manor of Staines. He was given charge of the education of Princess Mary. He sat in Parliament as Baron Knyvet of Escrick, Yorkshire in 1607.

Lord Knyvet was also famous for a long running feud with Edward de Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford, whom some theorists claim to be the true identity of William Shakespeare. Knyvet's niece was Anne Vavasour, the mistress of the Earl of Oxford who bore him a child. On numerous occasions, servants on either side were killed. On one occasion, Knyvet injured Oxford, apparently in the leg.

Lord Knyvet was the first domestic resident of the site of 10 Downing Street, the modern-day residence of the British Prime Minister, in a building called Knyvett House. It was first leased to him by Queen Elizabeth I. This house later passed to his niece, Elizabeth Hampden, whose nephew was Oliver Cromwell. After the lease expired in 1682, George Downing developed the site.

When Lord Knyvet died in July 1622 his will provided for the foundation of a free-school in Stanwell, and the Lord Knyvet School was founded in 1624. There is an effigy of him and his wife in the chancel of Stanwell parish church.1
1st Baron Knyvet.

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Knyvet,_1st_Baron_Knyvet.

Elizabeth Hayward

F
Father*Sir Roland Hayward
Name TypeDateDescription
Married Name21 July 1597As of 21 July 1597,her married name was Knyvet.
Life EventDateDescription
Elizabeth Hayward was the daughter of Sir Roland Hayward.
Marriage21 July 1597Elizabeth Hayward married Thomas James Knyvet, son of Sir Henry Knyvet and Anne Pickering, on 21 July 1597.

Sir Roland Hayward

M

Child of Sir Roland Hayward

William Bourchier

M, b. 1386, d. 28 May 1420
Father*Sir William Bourchier
Mother*Alianore de Lovayne b. 27 Mar 1345, d. 5 Oct 1397
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageWilliam Bourchier married Anne of Woodstock.
Birth1386William Bourchier was born in 1386.
He was the son of Sir William Bourchier and Alianore de Lovayne.
Death28 May 1420William Bourchier died on 28 May 1420.
DateLocationDescription
William Bourchier (1386 — Troyes, 28 May 1420), founder of the fortunes of the Bourchier family, was Count of Eu, in Normandy.

He was the son of Sir William Bourchier and Alianore de Lovayne (27 March 1345- 5 October 1397). He married Anne Plantagenet, Countess of Stafford, the daughter of the Plantagenet prince, Thomas of Woodstock and Eleanor de Bohun.

Children:
Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex. (1404 – 4 April 1483)
Eleanor Bourchier, (c. 1417 – November, 1474) she became Duchess of Norfolk, as wife to John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
William Bourchier, 1st Baron FitzWarin.
Thomas Bourchier, (c. 1404 – 30 March 1486) later cardinal
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners (1415 – 16 May 1474.)1

Children of William Bourchier and Anne of Woodstock

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bourchier,_Count_of_Eu.

Anne of Woodstock

F
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Bourchier.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageAnne of Woodstock married William Bourchier, son of Sir William Bourchier and Alianore de Lovayne.

Children of Anne of Woodstock and William Bourchier

Henry Bourchier

M, b. 1404, d. 4 April 1483
Father*William Bourchier b. 1386, d. 28 May 1420
Mother*Anne of Woodstock
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1404Henry Bourchier was born in 1404.
He was the son of William Bourchier and Anne of Woodstock.
Marriagebefore 1426Henry Bourchier married Isabel Plantagenet, daughter of Richard of England and Anne Mortimer, before 1426.
Death4 April 1483Henry Bourchier died on 4 April 1483.
DateLocationDescription
1st Earl of Essex.

Child of Henry Bourchier and Isabel Plantagenet

William Bourchier

M
Father*William Bourchier b. 1386, d. 28 May 1420
Mother*Anne of Woodstock
Life EventDateDescription
William Bourchier was the son of William Bourchier and Anne of Woodstock.
DateLocationDescription
Baron FitzWarine.

John Bourchier

M, b. 1467, d. 1533
Father*Sir Humphrey Bourchier d. 1471
Mother*Elizabeth Tilney b. b 1445, d. 4 Apr 1497
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1467John Bourchier was born in 1467.
He was the son of Sir Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney.
Death1533John Bourchier died in 1533.
DateLocationDescription
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (1467 – 1533) was a statesman and translator, born at Sherfield, Hertfordshire, England, and educated at Oxford University. He held various Offices of State, including that of Chancellor of the Exchequer to King Henry VIII, and Lieutenant of Calais.

He translated, at the King's desire, Froissart's Chronicles (1523-1525), in such a manner as to make distinct advance in English historical writing, and the Golden Book of Marcus Aurelius (1534); also The History of Arthur of Lytell Brytaine (Brittany), and the romance of Huon of Bordeaux.[1]

He died at Calais in 1533.

His illegitimate daughter Ursula married William Sharington.[2]1

Child of John Bourchier

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bourchier,_2nd_Baron_Berners.

Jane Bourchier

F, d. 1562
Father*John Bourchier b. 1467, d. 1533
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Knyvett.
Life EventDateDescription
Jane Bourchier was the daughter of John Bourchier.
MarriageJane Bourchier married Edmund Knyvett.
Death1562Jane Bourchier died in 1562.

Child of Jane Bourchier and Edmund Knyvett

Edmund Knyvett

M
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageEdmund Knyvett married Jane Bourchier, daughter of John Bourchier.

Child of Edmund Knyvett and Jane Bourchier

John Knyvett

M, d. 1524
Father*Edmund Knyvett
Mother*Jane Bourchier d. 1562
Life EventDateDescription
John Knyvett was the son of Edmund Knyvett and Jane Bourchier.
MarriageJohn Knyvett married Agnes Harcourt, daughter of Sir John Harcourt.
Death1524John Knyvett died in 1524.

Child of John Knyvett and Agnes Harcourt

Agnes Harcourt

F
Father*Sir John Harcourt
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Knyvett.
Life EventDateDescription
Agnes Harcourt was the daughter of Sir John Harcourt.
MarriageAgnes Harcourt married John Knyvett, son of Edmund Knyvett and Jane Bourchier.

Child of Agnes Harcourt and John Knyvett

Sir John Harcourt

M

Child of Sir John Harcourt

Sir Thomas Knyvett

M, b. 1539, d. 1616
Father*John Knyvett d. 1524
Mother*Agnes Harcourt
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1539Sir Thomas Knyvett was born in 1539.
He was the son of John Knyvett and Agnes Harcourt.
Death1616Sir Thomas Knyvett died in 1616.
DateLocationDescription
Sir Thomas Knyvett (1539-1616?) was the High Sheriff of the English county of Norfolk in 1579.

Thomas was the first son of John Knyvett (d. 1524) and Agnes the daughter of Sir John Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire. Knyvett was a native of Ashwellthorpe in Norfolk, and married Muriel Parry, the daughter of Sir Thomas Parry. He was knighted in 1578 and inherited the Ashwellthorpe estates from Jane Bourchier, who was his grandmother. He was buried at Ashwellthorp on February 9th, 1617/1618. It is stated that he unsuccessfully claimed the title of Lord Berners.1

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Knyvett,_4th_Baron_Berners.

King Charles I Stewart

M, b. 19 November 1600, d. 30 January 1649
Father*King James I of England b. 1566, d. 1625
Mother*Anne of Denmark b. 1574, d. 1619
Name TypeDateDescription
Name VariationKing Charles I Stewart was also known as of Great Britain.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth19 November 1600King Charles I Stewart was born on 19 November 1600.
He was the son of King James I of England and Anne of Denmark.
Marriage1625King Charles I Stewart married Henrietta Maria of France in 1625.
Death30 January 1649King Charles I Stewart died on 30 January 1649 at age 48.
DateLocationDescription
King of Great Britain.
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649), the second son of James VI of Scots and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution.[1] Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles believed was divinely ordained. Many of his English subjects opposed his actions, in particular his interference in the English and Scottish Churches, and the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent grew to be seen as those of a tyrannical absolute monarch.[2]

Religious conflicts permeated Charles' reign. His failure to successfully aid Protestant forces during the Thirty Years War, coupled with such actions as marrying a Catholic princess,[3][4] generated deep mistrust concerning the king's dogma. Charles further allied himself with controversial religious figures, such as the ecclesiastic Richard Montagu, and William Laud, whom Charles appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. Many of Charles's subjects felt this brought the Church of England too close to the Catholic Church. Charles's later attempts to force religious reforms upon Scotland led to the Bishops' Wars that weakened England's government and helped precipitate his downfall.

His last years were marked by the English Civil War, in which he fought the forces of the English and Scottish Parliaments, which challenged the king's attempts to overrule and negate Parliamentary authority, whilst simultaneously using his position as head of the English Church to pursue religious policies which generated the antipathy of reformed groups such as the Puritans. Charles was defeated in the First Civil War (1642–45), after which Parliament expected him to accept its demands for a constitutional monarchy. He instead remained defiant by attempting to forge an alliance with Scotland and escaping to the Isle of Wight. This provoked the Second Civil War (1648–49) and a second defeat for Charles, who was subsequently captured, tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. The monarchy was then abolished and a republic called the Commonwealth of England, also referred to as the Cromwellian Interregnum, was declared. Charles's son, Charles II, became king after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.[2] In that same year, Charles I was canonized as "St. Charles Stuart" by the Church of England.[5]1

Children of King Charles I Stewart and Henrietta Maria of France

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England

King Charles II Stewart

M, b. 1630, d. 6 February 1685
Father*King Charles I Stewart b. 19 Nov 1600, d. 30 Jan 1649
Mother*Henrietta Maria of France b. 25 Nov 1609, d. 10 Sep 1669
Name TypeDateDescription
Name VariationKing Charles II Stewart was also known as of Great Britain.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1630King Charles II Stewart was born in 1630.
He was the son of King Charles I Stewart and Henrietta Maria of France.
Death6 February 1685King Charles II Stewart died on 6 February 1685.
DateLocationDescription
King of Great Britain.
Charles II (29 May 1630 OS – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II as king, and instead passed a statute that made any such proclamation unlawful. England entered the period known to history as the English Interregnum or the English Commonwealth and the country was a de facto republic, led by Oliver Cromwell. The Parliament of Scotland, however, proclaimed Charles II king on 5 February 1649 in Edinburgh. He was crowned King of Scotland at Scone on 1 January 1651. Following his defeat by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, Charles fled to mainland Europe and spent the next nine years in exile in France, the United Provinces and the Spanish Netherlands.

A political crisis following the death of Cromwell in 1658 resulted in Charles being invited to return and assume the throne in what became known as the Restoration. Charles II arrived on English soil on 27 May 1660 and entered London on his 30th birthday, 29 May 1660. After 1660, all legal documents were dated as if Charles had succeeded his father in 1649. Charles was crowned King of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661.

Charles's English parliament enacted anti-Puritan laws known as the Clarendon Code, designed to shore up the position of the re-established Church of England. Charles acquiesced to the Clarendon Code even though he himself favoured a policy of religious tolerance. The major foreign policy issue of Charles's early reign was the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In 1670, Charles entered into the secret treaty of Dover, an alliance with his first cousin King Louis XIV of France under the terms of which Louis agreed to aid Charles in the Third Anglo-Dutch War and pay Charles a pension, and Charles promised to convert to Roman Catholicism at an unspecified future date. Charles attempted to introduce religious freedom for Catholics and Protestant dissenters with his 1672 Royal Declaration of Indulgence, but the English Parliament forced him to withdraw it. In 1679, Titus Oates's revelations of a supposed "Popish Plot" sparked the Exclusion Crisis when it was revealed that Charles's brother and heir (James, Duke of York) was a Roman Catholic. This crisis saw the birth of the pro-exclusion Whig and anti-exclusion Tory parties. Charles sided with the Tories, and, following the discovery of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles and James in 1683, some Whig leaders were killed or forced into exile. Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1681, and ruled alone until his death on 6 February 1685. He converted to Roman Catholicism on his deathbed.

Charles was popularly known as the Merrie Monarch, in reference to both the liveliness and hedonism of his court and the general relief at the return to normality after over a decade of rule by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans. Charles's wife, Catherine of Braganza, bore no children, but Charles acknowledged at least 12 illegitimate children by various mistresses.1

Child of King Charles II Stewart

Child of King Charles II Stewart

Child of King Charles II Stewart

Child of King Charles II Stewart and Barbara Villiers

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England

Henry Fitzroy

M, b. 1663, d. 1690
Father*King Charles II Stewart b. 1630, d. 6 Feb 1685
Mother*Barbara Villiers b. 1641, d. 1709
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageHenry Fitzroy married Isabella Bennet.
Birth1663Henry Fitzroy was born in 1663.
He was the son of King Charles II Stewart and Barbara Villiers.
Death1690Henry Fitzroy died in 1690.
DateLocationDescription
1st Duke of Grafton.
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton KG (28 September 1663 – 9 October 1690) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine.

In August 1672 he was married to Isabella, the daughter and heiress of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington. They were parents to Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton. Diana, Princess of Wales was his descendant.

At the time of his marriage, Henry was created Baron Sudbury, Viscount Ipswich, and Earl of Euston; in 1675 he was created Duke of Grafton. Charles II made him a Knight of the Garter in 1680. He was made a colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1681.

He was brought up as a sailor, and saw military service at the siege of Luxembourg in 1684. In that year, he received a warrant to supersede Sir Robert Holmes as Governor of the Isle of Wight, when the latter was charged with making false musters. However, Holmes was acquitted by court-martial and retained the governorship.

At King James II's coronation Grafton was Lord High Constable. In the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth he commanded the royal troops in Somerset; but later he acted with John Churchill, and joined William of Orange to overthrow the King in the Revolution of 1688.

He died of a wound received at the storming of Cork, while leading William's forces. He was 27.1

Child of Henry Fitzroy and Isabella Bennet

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_FitzRoy,_1st_Duke_of_Grafton.

Charles Lennox

M
Father*King Charles II Stewart b. 1630, d. 6 Feb 1685
Life EventDateDescription
Charles Lennox was the son of King Charles II Stewart.
DateLocationDescription
Duke of Richmond (England) and Duke of Lennox (Scotland.)

Barbara Villiers

F, b. 1641, d. 1709
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1641Barbara Villiers was born in 1641.
Death1709She died in 1709.

Child of Barbara Villiers and King Charles II Stewart

Isabella Bennet

F
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Fitzroy.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageIsabella Bennet married Henry Fitzroy, son of King Charles II Stewart and Barbara Villiers.

Child of Isabella Bennet and Henry Fitzroy

Charles Fitzroy

M, b. 1683, d. 1757
Father*Henry Fitzroy b. 1663, d. 1690
Mother*Isabella Bennet
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageCharles Fitzroy married Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort.
Birth1683Charles Fitzroy was born in 1683.
He was the son of Henry Fitzroy and Isabella Bennet.
Death1757Charles Fitzroy died in 1757.
DateLocationDescription
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton PC (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was an Irish and English politician.

He was born the only child of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton and Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington. His father was an illegitimate son of Charles II of England and Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland.

Fitzroy inherited his father's peerages on 9 October 1690. He was Lord High Steward at King George I's coronation. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1715 and a Knight of the Garter in 1721. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1720 to 1724 and Lord Chamberlain from 1724 until his death. In 1719 he was one of main subscribers in the Royal Academy of Music (1719), a corporation that produced baroque opera on stage. In 1739 he supported the creation of what was to become one of London's most notable charities, the Foundling Hospital. He sat on that charity's original Court of Governors with such fellow Governors as the Duke of Bedford, the Lord Vere and the Lord Mayor of London.

He married Lady Henrietta Somerset, daughter of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester and Rebecca Child; they had seven children:

Charles Henry FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (13 April 1714 - 18 December 1715).
George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (24 August 1715 - 7 July 1747). He was married 10 October 1741 to Lady Dorothy Boyle (14 May 1724 - 2 May 1742) elder daughter of Richard Boyle, 4th Earl of Cork, 3rd Earl of Burlington and his wife Lady Dorothy Savile, daughter of William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax. The Earl was notorious for mistreating his wife, who died seven months after their marriage, and died childless.[1]
Lord Augustus FitzRoy (16 October 1716 - 24 May 1741). He was married to Elizabeth Cosby, daughter of Colonel William Cosby who served as a colonial Governor of New York. They were parents to two sons, who founded branches still extant today.
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton and
Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton.
Lord Charles FitzRoy (23 April 1718 - 29 July 1739).
Lady Caroline Fitzroy (8 April 1722 - 26 June 1784). She married William Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Harrington. They were parents to Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington and other six children.
Lady Harriet FitzRoy (8 June 1723 - August 1735).
Lady Isabella FitzRoy (1726 - 10 November 1782). She married Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford. They were parents to Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford and other eleven children. They were ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Duke also fathered an illegitimate son, Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore.1
2nd Duke of Grafton, Earl of Arlington.

Child of Charles Fitzroy and Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_FitzRoy,_2nd_Duke_of_Grafton.

Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort

F
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Fitzroy.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageHenrietta Somerset of Beaufort married Charles Fitzroy, son of Henry Fitzroy and Isabella Bennet.

Child of Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort and Charles Fitzroy

Isabella Fitzroy

F, b. 1726, d. 1782
Father*Charles Fitzroy b. 1683, d. 1757
Mother*Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Seymour.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageIsabella Fitzroy married Francis Seymour.
Birth1726Isabella Fitzroy was born in 1726.
She was the daughter of Charles Fitzroy and Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort.
Death1782Isabella Fitzroy died in 1782.

Child of Isabella Fitzroy and Francis Seymour

Francis Seymour

M, b. 1718, d. 1794
Name TypeDateDescription
Name VariationFrancis Seymour was also known as Seymour-Conway.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageFrancis Seymour married Isabella Fitzroy, daughter of Charles Fitzroy and Henrietta Somerset of Beaufort.
Birth1718Francis Seymour was born in 1718.
Death1794He died in 1794.
DateLocationDescription
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG, PC, PC (Ire) (5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) was born in Chelsea, London, and died in Surrey, England.

He was a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and his first wife Catharine Fillol. Their marriage was annulled and their children declared illegitimate. Their son Sir Edward Seymour (d. 6 May 1593) later served as a Sheriff of Devon.

The Sheriff of Devon was father to Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet, grandfather of Sir Edward Seymour, 2nd Baronet, great-grandfather of Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet and a fourth-generation ancestor of Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet.

The 4th Baronet was father to Sir Edward Seymour, 5th Baronet and grandfather to Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset. His younger son was Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway (1679–1732).

Lord Conway married Charlotte Shorter, a daughter of John Shorter of Bybrook. They were the parents of the Marquess. His father died when the younger Francis was about fourteen years old. The first few years after his father's death were spent in Italy and Paris. On his return to England he took his seat, as 2nd Baron Conway, among the Peers in November 1739. Henry Seymour Conway, politician and soldier, was his younger brother.

On 29 May 1741 he married Lady Isabella Fitzroy, daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, and they became the parents of thirteen children.1
Earl of Hertford, 1st Marquess of Hertford.

Child of Francis Seymour and Isabella Fitzroy

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Seymour-Conway

Admiral Hugh Seymour

M, b. 29 April 1759, d. 11 September 1801
Father*Francis Seymour b. 1718, d. 1794
Mother*Isabella Fitzroy b. 1726, d. 1782
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageAdmiral Hugh Seymour married Anne Horatia Waldegrave.
Birth29 April 1759Admiral Hugh Seymour was born on 29 April 1759.
He was the son of Francis Seymour and Isabella Fitzroy.
Death11 September 1801Admiral Hugh Seymour died on 11 September 1801 at age 42.
DateLocationDescription
Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801) was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth century who was the fifth son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford and became known for being both a prominent society figure and a highly competent naval officer. He served during the American Revolutionary and French Revolutionary Wars and later in his career performed a period of shore duty on the Admiralty board.

Seymour maintained a reputation as a courageous and innovative officer: he was awarded a commemorative medal for his actions at the battle of the Glorious First of June and is credited with introducing epaulettes to Royal Navy uniforms as a method of indicating rank to non-English speaking allies. In his youth he formed close personal friendships with fellow officer John Willett Payne and George, Prince of Wales, through association with whom he gained a reputation as a rake. His marriage in 1785, made at the insistence of his family as an antidote to his dissolution, was brought about through royal connections and proved very successful. During his lifetime he also held several seats as a Member of Parliament in the Parliament of Great Britain, although he did not pursue an active political career.

Hugh Seymour was born in 1759 into one of the wealthiest families in England, as the fifth son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford and his wife Isabella Fitzroy (Hugh retained the surname "Seymour-Conway" until his father's death in 1794, at which point he shortened it to Seymour). He was initially educated at Bracken's Academy in Greenwich, where he met lifelong friend John Willett Payne, before joining the Navy at age 11 at his own insistence. Seymour became a captain's servant on the yacht William & Mary,[1] and two years later moved to HMS Pearl under his relation Captain John Leveson Gower, stationed off Newfoundland. After several short commissions, including service in the West Indies under George Rodney, Seymour was attached to HMS Alarm as a midshipman in the Mediterranean.[2] Apart from a brief spell in HMS Trident, Seymour remained on her for several years, becoming a lieutenant in 1776. By 1776 the American Revolutionary War was underway, and Seymour continued in Alarm until he was made a commander in 1778, taking command of the xebec HMS Minorca.[2]

In 1779, Seymour was promoted once more, making post captain in HMS Porcupine and serving in command of HMS Diana, HMS Ambuscade and HMS Latona, all in the Channel Fleet. The only major operation in which he participated during the period was the conclusion of the Great Siege of Gibraltar, when Latona was attached to Lord Howe's fleet that relieved the fortress.[2] During this service, Seymour was repeatedly engaged in scouting the Franco-Spanish fleet in Algeciras, a task made difficult by bad weather and the erratic movements of the enemy. During much of the operation, Captain Roger Curtis was stationed aboard Latona in order to facilitate communicate between Howe and the Governor of Gibraltar. The effort to relieve and resupply the fortress was a complete success and Latona was sent back to Britain with dispatches, although Seymour remained in Gibraltar.[3]

Following the Peace of Paris in 1783, Seymour took a house in London with his brother Lord George Seymour and John Willett Payne. The three men became notorious socialites, joining the Prince of Wales on many of his drinking exploits across London: Seymour remained close friends with Prince George for the rest of his life. Seymour, already known for his good looks, good manners, height and martial bearing, rapidly gained a reputation for dissolution.[2] In 1785 however, Seymour married Lady Anne Horatia Waldegrave, daughter of Earl Waldegrave and Maria Walpole (later Duchess of Gloucester) at the insistence of his family in a successful attempt to curtail his social activities.[2] It was at this time that Seymour made his first foray into politics, becoming MP for Newport on the Isle of Wight before relinquishing the post two years later. In 1788 he became MP for Tregony, but in 1790 he switched to become MP for Wendover. Seymour remained in this position until 1796 when he changed his seat to Portsmouth, in which he remained until his death. He did not serve as an active politician in any of these positions, preferring his navy career to his political one.[2]1

Children of Admiral Hugh Seymour and Anne Horatia Waldegrave

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Hugh_Seymour

Anne Horatia Waldegrave

F, b. 1762, d. 1801
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Seymour.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageAnne Horatia Waldegrave married Admiral Hugh Seymour, son of Francis Seymour and Isabella Fitzroy.
Birth1762Anne Horatia Waldegrave was born in 1762.
Death1801She died in 1801.

Children of Anne Horatia Waldegrave and Admiral Hugh Seymour

Horace Beaucamp Seymour

M, b. 22 November 1791, d. 23 November 1851
Father*Admiral Hugh Seymour b. 29 Apr 1759, d. 11 Sep 1801
Mother*Anne Horatia Waldegrave b. 1762, d. 1801
Life EventDateDescription
Birth22 November 1791Horace Beaucamp Seymour was born on 22 November 1791.
He was the son of Admiral Hugh Seymour and Anne Horatia Waldegrave.
Marriage15 May 1818Horace Beaucamp Seymour married Elizabeth Malet Palk, daughter of Sir Lawrence Palk and Dorothy Vaughan, on 15 May 1818.
Death23 November 1851Horace Beaucamp Seymour died on 23 November 1851 at age 60.
DateLocationDescription
Colonel Sir Horace Beauchamp Seymour (22 November 1791 - 23 November 1851) was a Peelite Member of Parliament for Lisburn, Antrim, Oxford, Bodmin and Midhurst.

Colonel Sir Horace was the son of Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford) and Lady Anne Horatia Waldegrave. He married, firstly, Elizabeth Malet Palk, daughter of Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt., on 15 May 1818. He married, secondly, Frances Selina Isabella Poyntz, daughter of William Stephen Poyntz and Hon. Elizabeth Mary Browne, in July 1835.

He was invested as a Knight Commander, Hanoverian Order (K.C.H.) and gained the rank of Colonel in the service of the British Army.

By his first wife he had three children;

Lt.-Col. Charles Francis Seymour (13 Sep 1819 - 5 Nov 1854), killed at the Battle of Inkerman
Frederick Beauchamp Paget Seymour, 1st Baron Alcester (12 Apr 1821 - 30 Mar 1895)
Adelaide Horatia Elizabeth Seymour (27 Jan 1825 - 29 Oct 1877), who married Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer and was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales.1

Child of Horace Beaucamp Seymour and Elizabeth Malet Palk

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Beauchamp_Seymour

Elizabeth Malet Palk

F, b. 1793, d. 1827
Father*Sir Lawrence Palk
Mother*Dorothy Vaughan
Name TypeDateDescription
Married Name15 May 1818As of 15 May 1818,her married name was Seymour.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1793Elizabeth Malet Palk was born in 1793.
She was the daughter of Sir Lawrence Palk and Dorothy Vaughan.
Marriage15 May 1818Elizabeth Malet Palk married Horace Beaucamp Seymour, son of Admiral Hugh Seymour and Anne Horatia Waldegrave, on 15 May 1818.
Death1827Elizabeth Malet Palk died in 1827.

Child of Elizabeth Malet Palk and Horace Beaucamp Seymour

Adelaide Horatia Seymour

F, b. 1825, d. 1877
Father*Horace Beaucamp Seymour b. 22 Nov 1791, d. 23 Nov 1851
Mother*Elizabeth Malet Palk b. 1793, d. 1827
Name TypeDateDescription
Married Name9 August 1854As of 9 August 1854,her married name was Spencer.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1825Adelaide Horatia Seymour was born in 1825.
She was the daughter of Horace Beaucamp Seymour and Elizabeth Malet Palk.
Marriage9 August 1854Adelaide Horatia Seymour married Frederick Spencer, son of George John Spencer and Lavinia of Lucan, on 9 August 1854.
Death1877Adelaide Horatia Seymour died in 1877.

Child of Adelaide Horatia Seymour and Frederick Spencer

Frederick Spencer

M, b. 14 April 1798, d. 27 December 1857
Father*George John Spencer b. 1758, d. 1834
Mother*Lavinia of Lucan
Life EventDateDescription
Birth14 April 1798Frederick Spencer was born on 14 April 1798.
He was the son of George John Spencer and Lavinia of Lucan.
Marriage9 August 1854Frederick Spencer married Adelaide Horatia Seymour, daughter of Horace Beaucamp Seymour and Elizabeth Malet Palk, on 9 August 1854.
Death27 December 1857Frederick Spencer died on 27 December 1857 at age 59.
DateLocationDescription
Vice-Admiral Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer KG CB PC (14 April 1798 – 27 December 1857) was a British peer, the son of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer and the younger brother and successor of John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer.

Spencer was born in 1798, at the Admiralty Building, London and was baptised in St Martin-in-the-Fields. He was educated at Eton College from 1808 to 1811, then joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman. He eventually rose to the rank of Captain in 1822 and was awarded several honours from various European countries for fighting in the Napoleonic Wars in the Mediterranean between 1811 and 1815. These were: Knight of the Order of St Louis of France (1828), the Order of St Anne of Russia (1828) and the Order of the Redeemer of Greece (1828).

He then retired from naval life and became Whig MP for Worcestershire (1831–1832) and Midhurst (1832–1834 & 1837–1841). He was later an equerry in the household of the Duchess of Kent (Queen Victoria's mother) from 1840 to 1845.

On 23 February 1830, he married his cousin, Georgiana Poyntz (1799–1851) and they had three children:

Lady Georgina Frances Spencer (1832–1852), died unmarried.
John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (1835–1910)
Lady Sarah Isabella Spencer (1838–1919), died unmarried.
On 9 August 1854, he married secondly, Adelaide Seymour (1825–1877), daughter of Sir Horace Seymour and a great-granddaughter of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford. They had two children:

Lady Victoria Alexandrina Spencer (1855–1906), married William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst and had issue.
Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer (1857–1922)
Thanks to the efforts of Spencer's father, George John, Althorp had one of the finest collections of printed books in Europe. George John was also noteworthy for co-founding and serving as the first president of the Roxburghe Club, widely-regarded as the world's first book club.[citation needed]1

Child of Frederick Spencer and Adelaide Horatia Seymour

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Spencer,_4th_Earl_Spencer.

Charles Robert Spencer

M, b. 30 October 1857, d. 26 September 1922
Father*Frederick Spencer b. 14 Apr 1798, d. 27 Dec 1857
Mother*Adelaide Horatia Seymour b. 1825, d. 1877
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageCharles Robert Spencer married Margaret Baring.
Birth30 October 1857Charles Robert Spencer was born on 30 October 1857.
He was the son of Frederick Spencer and Adelaide Horatia Seymour.
Death26 September 1922Charles Robert Spencer died on 26 September 1922 at age 64.
DateLocationDescription
Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer, KG, GCVO, PC, VRD (30 October 1857 – 26 September 1922) was a British Liberal Party politician.

Spencer was born in 1857 in the parish of St. James's, Westminster[1], the son of the 4th Earl Spencer and his second wife Adelaide, daughter of Horace Beauchamp Seymour and granddaughter of Admiral Hugh Seymour. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.[2] On 23 July 1887, he married Margaret Baring (14 December 1868 – 4 July 1906), a daughter of the 1st Baron Revelstoke at St James's Church, Piccadilly. They had six children:

Lady Adelaide Margaret Delia Spencer (1889–1981), married Sir Sidney Peel, 1st Baronet and had issue.
Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975), the grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Lt.-Cdr. Hon. Cecil Edward Robert Spencer RN DSC Croix de guerre (1894–1928), died unmarried in a riding accident.
Lady Lavinia Emily Spencer (1899–1955), married the 4th Baron Annaly and had issue.
Captain Hon. George Charles Spencer (1903–1982), married (1) Barbara Blumenthal and had issue, married (2) Kathleen Henderson; no issue.
Lady (Alexandra) Margaret Elizabeth Spencer (1906–1996), married Hon. Henry Douglas-Home (son of the 13th Earl of Home) and had issue. She was the author of "A Spencer Childhood", published in 1994.[3]
Spencer represented the constituency of North Northamptonshire from 1880 to 1885 and Mid Northamptonshire from 1885 to 1895 and again from 1900 to 1905. In 1898 he contested Hertford.[4] He was a Groom-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria between February and June 1886, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1892 to 1895 and a Privy Councillor from 1892.[5] Between 1900 and 1905 he was a Liberal whip.[6] On 19 December 1905, he was created 1st Viscount Althorp so as to allow him to become Lord Chamberlain (his older brother was still Earl Spencer at that time). From 1908 he was Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire.[5]

On 13 August 1910, he succeeded to his childless brother's titles, and died 12 years later at his home in St James Place, London. He had been ill for four months after contracting a 'chill' at a public event in his home county of Northamptonshire.[7]

He held a large number of foreign decorations: the Grand Cross of Order of the Dannebrog of Denmark, Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav, Order of the Polar Star of Sweden, Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, the White Eagle of Serbia, Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia, Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III and Order of Philippe le Bon of France. He was also an honorary major in[6] and later honorary colonel of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.[5]1

Child of Charles Robert Spencer and Margaret Baring

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spencer,_6th_Earl_Spencer.

Margaret Baring

F, b. 14 December 1868, d. 4 July 1906
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Spencer.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageMargaret Baring married Charles Robert Spencer, son of Frederick Spencer and Adelaide Horatia Seymour.
Birth14 December 1868Margaret Baring was born on 14 December 1868.
Death4 July 1906She died on 4 July 1906 at age 37.

Child of Margaret Baring and Charles Robert Spencer

Albert Edward John Spencer

M, b. 1892, d. 1975
Father*Charles Robert Spencer b. 30 Oct 1857, d. 26 Sep 1922
Mother*Margaret Baring b. 14 Dec 1868, d. 4 Jul 1906
Name TypeDateDescription
Name VariationAlbert Edward John Spencer was also known as Jack.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1892Albert Edward John Spencer was born in 1892.
He was the son of Charles Robert Spencer and Margaret Baring.
Marriage1919Albert Edward John Spencer married Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn in 1919.
Death1975Albert Edward John Spencer died in 1975.
DateLocationDescription
Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (23 May 1892 – 9 June 1975), known formally as The Hon Albert Spencer until 1910 and from then until 1922 as Viscount Althorp, and less formally as "Jack" Spencer, was a British peer. He was the paternal grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lord Spencer was born in London, the son of Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer and his wife, the former Margaret Baring, second daughter of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke.[1] His godparents included King Edward VII.[2]

After his education at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge[3], Spencer served in the First World War as a Captain in the First Life Guards[4], and was active in the local politics of Northamptonshire as a Conservative councillor. He opened his ancestral home, Althorp, to the public and was a well-known art connoisseur, being a trustee of the Wallace Collection and chairman of the Royal School of Needlework.[5] He was a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Society of Arts, and for eight years in the 1960s he was Chair of the Advisory Council of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Spencer was active in the Territorial Army for 43 years from 1924.[3] He was Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire from 1952 to 1967, and Chairman of the Governors at Wellingborough School from 1946 to 1972..

Lord Spencer married Lady Cynthia Hamilton, second daughter of the 3rd Duke of Abercorn in 1919 and they had two children.

Lord Spencer died at St Matthews Nursing Home, Northampton after a short illness[6], and was succeeded as Earl by his son, John, the father of Diana, Princess of Wales.1

Child of Albert Edward John Spencer and Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Spencer,_7th_Earl_Spencer.

Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn

F, b. 1897, d. 1972
Name TypeDateDescription
Married Name1919As of 1919,her married name was Spencer.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1897Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn was born in 1897.
Marriage1919She married Albert Edward John Spencer, son of Charles Robert Spencer and Margaret Baring, in 1919.
Death1972Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn died in 1972.

Child of Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn and Albert Edward John Spencer

Edward John Spencer

M, b. 1924, d. 1992
Father*Albert Edward John Spencer b. 1892, d. 1975
Mother*Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn b. 1897, d. 1972
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageEdward John Spencer married Frances Ruth Roche, daughter of Edmund Maurice Burke Roche and Ruth Sylvia Gill.
Birth1924Edward John Spencer was born in 1924.
He was the son of Albert Edward John Spencer and Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn.
Death1992Edward John Spencer died in 1992.
DateLocationDescription
Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, MVO (24 January 1924–29 March 1992) was the son of Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer and Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton, the daughter of James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, and the father of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lord Spencer was educated in Eton College, in the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, and in the Royal Agricultural College. A Captain in the Royal Scots Greys, Lord Spencer fought in the Second World War from 1944 to 1945. From 1947 to 1950, Lord Spencer served as Aide-de-Camp to then-Governor of South Australia, Willoughby Norrie. [1]

Lord Spencer held the offices of County Councillor for Northamptonshire (1952), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1959) and Justice of the Peace for Norfolk (1970).[1] He served as Equerry to King George VI (1950-52) and to Queen Elizabeth II (1952-54),[2] and was invested as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) in 1954.[1]

On 1 June 1954, Lord Althorp and the Hon. Frances Ruth Roche, the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy, were married in Westminster Abbey by Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich. They had five children:

1955: Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer (Lady Sarah McCorquodale)
1957: Cynthia Jane Spencer (Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes)
1960-1960: John Spencer, who died within 10 hours of his birth
1961-1997: Diana Frances Spencer (Diana, Princess of Wales)
1964: Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
Lord and Lady Althorp were divorced in April 1969. Lord Spencer later won a bitter custody battle for his children. On 14 July 1976, Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the former wife of the 9th Earl of Dartmouth, and the only daughter of the romantic novelist Barbara Cartland and Alexander McCorquodale.

Lord Spencer died on 29 March 1992 at The Wellington Hospital, London, and was succeeded as Earl by his son, Charles, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales.1

Child of Edward John Spencer and Frances Ruth Roche

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Spencer,_8th_Earl_Spencer.

Frances Ruth Roche

F, b. 20 January 1936, d. 3 June 2004
Father*Edmund Maurice Burke Roche b. 15 May 1885, d. 8 Jul 1955
Mother*Ruth Sylvia Gill b. 2 Oct 1908, d. 6 Jul 1993
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Spencer.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageFrances Ruth Roche married Edward John Spencer, son of Albert Edward John Spencer and Cynthia Ellinor Hamilton of Abercorn.
Birth20 January 1936Frances Ruth Roche was born on 20 January 1936.
She was the daughter of Edmund Maurice Burke Roche and Ruth Sylvia Gill.
Death3 June 2004Frances Ruth Roche died on 3 June 2004 at age 68.
DateLocationDescription
Frances Ruth Shand Kydd (née Roche, formerly Viscountess Althorp) (20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the first wife of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer and the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. After two failed marriages and the deaths of two children, she devoted her later years to Roman Catholic charity work.

Frances Ruth Roche was born in Park House, on the royal estate at Sandringham, Norfolk.[1] Her father was Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, a friend of King George VI and the elder son of the American heiress Frances Work and her first husband, the 3rd Baron Fermoy. Her mother Ruth, Lady Fermoy DCVO was a confidante and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother).1

Child of Frances Ruth Roche and Edward John Spencer

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Shand_Kydd

Edmund Maurice Burke Roche

M, b. 15 May 1885, d. 8 July 1955
Father*James Boothby Burke Roche b. 28 Jul 1852, d. 30 Oct 1920
Mother*Frances Ellen Work b. 27 Oct 1857, d. 26 Jan 1947
Life EventDateDescription
Birth15 May 1885Edmund Maurice Burke Roche was born on 15 May 1885.
He was the son of James Boothby Burke Roche and Frances Ellen Work.
Marriage17 September 1931Edmund Maurice Burke Roche married Ruth Sylvia Gill on 17 September 1931.
Death8 July 1955Edmund Maurice Burke Roche died on 8 July 1955 at age 70.
DateLocationDescription
Edmund Maurice Burke Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy (15 May 1885 – 8 July 1955) was a British peer, Conservative Party politician and the maternal grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Roche was born in Chelsea, London[1], the elder of twin sons of the Hon. James Roche (later Baron Fermoy) and his wife, Frances Work. He was educated at Harvard University, but returned to England on succeeding to his father's title in 1920. He rented Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk from the Royal Family and at the 1924 general election, he contested and won the local parliamentary constituency, King's Lynn, holding the seat until he stood down at the 1935 general election[2][3] (having also been elected the town's mayor in 1931[4]).

On 17 September 1931, Lord Fermoy married Ruth Sylvia Gill (the youngest daughter of Col. William Gill) at St. Devenick’s, Bieldside, Aberdeenshire[1] and they had three children:

Hon. Mary Cynthia (b. 1934), married (1) Hon. Sir Anthony Berry (divorced 1966), (2) Denis Geoghegan (divorced 1980), (3) Michael Gunningham (divorced 1989)
Hon. Frances Ruth (b. 1936), married (1) Edward Spencer, Viscount Althorp (divorced 1969), (2) Peter Shand Kydd
Hon. Edmund James Burke (b. 1939), later the 5th Baron Fermoy.
Lord Fermoy joined the Royal Air Force in 1939 at the start of World War II but when the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for King’s Lynn was killed on active service in 1943, he resigned his commission and stood for re-election. He retired from politics when Parliament was dissolved for the 1945 general election.[2]

Lord Fermoy collapsed in a shop at King’s Lynn, Norfolk in June 1955 and died three weeks later.[2] He was succeeded by his only son.1

Child of Edmund Maurice Burke Roche and Ruth Sylvia Gill

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Roche,_4th_Baron_Fermoy.

Diana Frances Spencer

F, b. 1 July 1961, d. 31 August 1997
Father*Edward John Spencer b. 1924, d. 1992
Mother*Frances Ruth Roche b. 20 Jan 1936, d. 3 Jun 2004
Diana, Princess of Wales
Name TypeDateDescription
Married Name1981As of 1981,her married name was Windsor.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1 July 1961Diana Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961.
She was the daughter of Edward John Spencer and Frances Ruth Roche.
Death31 August 1997Diana Frances Spencer died on 31 August 1997 at age 36.
DateLocationDescription
Diana, Princess of Wales, (Diana Frances;[1] née Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Her sons, Princes William and Harry[2], are second and third in line to the throne of the United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth Realms.

A public figure from the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles, Diana remained the focus of near-constant media scrutiny in the United Kingdom and around the world before, during and after her marriage, even in the years following her sudden death in a car crash, which was followed by a spontaneous and prolonged show of public mourning. Contemporary responses to Diana's life and legacy were mixed but a popular fascination with the Princess endures. The long-awaited Coroner's Inquest reported its conclusion on 7 April 2008 that Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed were unlawfully killed by the negligent driving of the following vehicles and also the driver Henri Paul of the vehicle in which she was travelling.[3]

Diana was the youngest daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 8th Earl Spencer) and Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (formerly the Honourable Frances Burke Roche, and later Frances Shand Kydd). She was born at Park House, Sandringham in Norfolk, England on 1 July 1961, and was baptised on 30 August 1961 at St. Mary Magdalene Church by the Rt. Rev. Percy Herbert (rector of the church and former Bishop of Norwich and Blackburn), with godparents that included John Floyd (the chairman of Christie's). She was the fourth child to the couple, with older sisters Sarah (born 19 March 1955) and Jane (born 11 February 1957), as well as an infant brother, The Honourable John Spencer (born and died on 12 January 1960). The heir to the Spencer titles and estates, her younger brother, Charles, was born three years after her on 20 May 1964.

Following her parents' acrimonious divorce in 1969 (over Lady Althorp's affair with wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd), Diana's mother took her and her younger brother to live in an apartment in London's Knightsbridge, where Diana attended a local day school. At Christmas the children returned to Norfolk with their mother, and Lord Althorp subsequently refused to allow them to return to London. Lady Althorp sued for custody, but her mother's testimony during the trial against her contributed to the court awarding custody of Diana and her brother to their father. On 14 July 1976, Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of romantic novelist Barbara Cartland and Alexander McCorquodale, after he was named as the "other party" in the Dartmouths' divorce. During this time Diana travelled between her parents' homes. Her father inherited the earldom and Spencer seat in Althorp, Northamptonshire on 9 June 1975, and her mother moved to the Island of Seil on the west coast of Scotland. Diana, like her siblings, did not get along with her stepmother.

On her father's side, she was a descendant of King Charles II of England through four illegitimate sons:

Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton, son by Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox, son by Louise de Kérouaille
Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, son by Nell Gwyn
James Crofts-Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, leader of a famous rebellion, son by Lucy Walter
She was also a descendant of King James II of England through an illegitimate daughter, Henrietta FitzJames, by his mistress Arabella Churchill. On her mother's side, Diana was Irish and Scottish, as well as a descendant of American heiress Frances Work, her mother's grandmother and namesake, from whom the considerable Roche fortune was derived.[citation needed]

The Spencers had been close to the British Royal Family for centuries, rising in royal favour during the 1600s. Diana's maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a long-time friend and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Her father had served as an equerry to King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II.

In August 2009, the New England Historic Genealogical Society published Richard K. Evans's The Ancestry of Diana, Princess of Wales, for Twelve Generations.

From her marriage in 1981 to her divorce in 1996 she was styled Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. She was generally called Princess Diana by the media despite having no right to that particular honorific, as it is reserved for a princess by birthright rather than marriage. Though she was noted for her pioneering charity work, the Princess's philanthropic endeavours were overshadowed by a scandal-plagued marriage. Her bitter accusations of adultery, mental cruelty and emotional distress visited upon her by her husband entertained many people, spawning biographies, magazine articles and television movies.

From the time of her engagement to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death in a car accident in 1997, Diana was arguably the most famous woman in the world, the pre-eminent female celebrity of her generation: a fashion icon, an ideal of feminine beauty, admired and emulated for her high-profile involvement in AIDS issues and the international campaign against landmines. During her lifetime, she was often referred to as the most photographed person in the world. To her admirers, Diana, Princess of Wales was a role model - after her death, there were even calls for her to be nominated for sainthood - while her detractors saw her life as a cautionary tale of how an obsession with publicity can ultimately destroy an individual.1

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales.

Philip Mountbatten

M, b. 10 June 1921
Name TypeDateDescription
Name VariationPhilip Mountbatten was also known as Prince Philippos of Greece.
Life EventDateDescription
Birth10 June 1921Philip Mountbatten was born on 10 June 1921.
DateLocationDescription
The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark; born 10 June 1921)[N 2] is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

He was born into the Greek and Danish royal families, but his family was exiled from Greece when he was a child. He was educated in Germany and Scotland at schools run by the German Jewish educator Kurt Hahn. At the age of 18, he joined Britain's Royal Navy, in which he served during World War II, even though two of his German brothers-in-law fought on the opposing side. After the war, in March 1947, he renounced his titles, adopted the surname of his British maternal grandparents, and used the style "Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten". Later that year, he married Princess Elizabeth, the heir to the British throne. On his marriage, he was granted the style of His Royal Highness and the title of Duke of Edinburgh by his father-in-law King George VI. When Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, Philip left his naval career to act as her consort. His wife made him a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957. He is Britain's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning monarch.[2]

George John Spencer

M, b. 1758, d. 1834
Father*John Spencer b. 1734, d. 1783
Mother*Margaret Georgiana Poyntz b. 1737, d. 1814
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageGeorge John Spencer married Lavinia of Lucan.
Birth1758George John Spencer was born in 1758.
He was the son of John Spencer and Margaret Georgiana Poyntz.
Death1834George John Spencer died in 1834.
DateLocationDescription
George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer KG PC FRS FSA (1 September 1758–10 November 1834), known as Viscount Althorp from 1765 to 1783, was a British Whig politician. He notably served as Home Secretary from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents. Lord Spencer was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and her son, HRH William.

Lord Spencer was born at Wimbledon Park, London, the son of John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer and his wife Margaret Georgiana, daughter of Stephen Poyntz, and was baptised there on the 16 October 1758. His godparents were King George II, the Earl Cowper (his grandmother's second husband) and his great-aunt the Dowager Viscountess Bateman. His sister Lady Georgiana married the Duke of Devonshire and became a famed Whig hostess. He was educated at Harrow School from 1770 to 1775 and he won the school's Silver Arrow (an archery prize) in 1771. He then attended Trinity College, Cambridge from 1776 to 1778 and graduated with a Master of Arts.[1] He acceded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1783.

Lord Spencer was Whig Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1780 to 1782 and Whig MP for Surrey from 1782 to 1783. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1794 and served under William Pitt the Younger as Lord Privy Seal in 1794 and as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1794 to 1801. He was later Home Secretary from 1806 to 1807 under Lord Grenville in the Ministry of All the Talents.

Lord Spencer was also High Steward of St Albans from 1783 to 1807, Mayor of St Albans in 1790, President of the Royal Institution from 1813 to 1825 and Commissioner of the Public Records in 1831. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1790 and was made a Knight of the Garter in 1799.

Lord Spencer married Lady Lavinia Bingham (1762–1831), daughter of Charles Bingham, 1st Earl of Lucan, on 6 March 1781. They had nine children.1

Child of George John Spencer and Lavinia of Lucan

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Spencer,_2nd_Earl_Spencer.

Lavinia of Lucan

F
Name TypeDateDescription
Married NameHer married name was Spencer.
Life EventDateDescription
MarriageLavinia of Lucan married George John Spencer, son of John Spencer and Margaret Georgiana Poyntz.

Child of Lavinia of Lucan and George John Spencer

John Spencer

M, b. 1734, d. 1783
Life EventDateDescription
Birth1734John Spencer was born in 1734.
Marriage20 December 1755He married Margaret Georgiana Poyntz, daughter of Stephen Poyntz, on 20 December 1755.
Death1783John Spencer died in 1783.
DateLocationDescription
John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer (19 December 1734 – 31 October 1783) was a British peer and politician.

Spencer was born in 1734, at his family home, Althorp. He was the son of Hon. John Spencer and Georgiana Carolina Carteret (1716-1780), and a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Sunderland. On 20 December 1755, Spencer privately married Margaret Poyntz (1737-1814), daughter of Stephen Poyntz, in his mother's dressing room at Althorp. They had five children:

Lady Georgiana Spencer (1757–1806), married William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and had issue.
George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758–1834)
Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer (1761–1821), married Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough and had issue.
Lady Charlotte Spencer (1765–1766), died in infancy.
Lady Louisa Spencer (b. & d. 1769), died in infancy.
Spencer was MP (Whig) for Warwick from 1756 to 1761. He was also High Steward of St Albans in 1772 and Mayor of St Albans in 1779. On 3 April 1761, he was created Baron Spencer of Althorp and Viscount Spencer by George III, and on 1 November 1765, he was created Viscount Althorp and Earl Spencer. Spencer died in 1783, aged 48 in Bath, and was buried in the family vault at St Mary's Church, Great Brington, Northamptonshire.1

Child of John Spencer and Margaret Georgiana Poyntz

Citations

  1. [S369] Encyclopedia website, by compilation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Spencer,_1st_Earl_Spencer.