Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons named Charles Spencer, see Charles Spencer (disambiguation).

The 6th Earl Spencer (1857-1922) painted by William Orpen (1878-1931) (Spencer collection, Althorp House, Northamptonshire)

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, Westminster^[1], the son of the 4th Earl Spencer and was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. On 23 July 1887, he married Margaret Baring, a daughter of the 1st Baron Revelstoke and 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)
• 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.^[2]

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 the seat of East Hertfordshire. 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.^[3] Between 1900 and 1905 he was a Liberal whip.^[4] 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.^[3]

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.^[5]

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^[4] and later honorary colonel of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, Northamptonshire regiment.^[3]

[edit] References

1. ^ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 PRO RG13 Piece 74 Folio 12 p. 16
2. ^ Charles Mosley (ed.), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition (Burke's Peerage and Gentry LLC, 2003) vol. III p. 3695
3. ^ ^{a b c} George Edward Cokayne, H A Doubleday and Lord Howard de Walden, The Complete Peerage (St Catherine's, London, 1940) vol. XIII p. 39
4. ^ ^{a b} Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, Who's Who of British Members of Parliament (Harvester Press, Sussex, 1978) vol. II p. 334
5. ^ The Times (London), Wednesday, 27 September 1922 p. 10 col. D

[edit] Styles

• 1857–1880: The Hon Charles Spencer
• 1880–1892: The Hon Charles Spencer, MP
• 1892–1895: The Rt Hon Charles Spencer, MP
• 1895–1900: The Rt Hon Charles Spencer
• 1900–1905: The Rt Hon Charles Spencer, MP
• 1905–1910: The Rt Hon Viscount Althorp
• 1910–1922: The Rt Hon Earl Spencer