Francis Almeric Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill DCL FRS (26 December 1779 – 10 March 1845) was a

British peer A Peerage is a form of crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary and lifetime titled appointments of various ranks, which form both a constituent part of the legislative process and the British hono ...

and Whig politician from the

Spencer family The Spencer family is an Aristocracy (class), aristocratic British family. From the 16th century, its members have held numerous titles, including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Earl of Sunderland, Sunderland and Earl Spencer (title) ...

Early life

Born Lord Francis Almeric Spencer, he was the second youngest of the 4th Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, Lady Caroline Russell. Among his siblings were Lady Caroline Spencer (wife of Henry Agar-Ellis, 2nd Viscount Clifden), Lady Elizabeth Spencer (who married their cousin John Spencer, a grandson of the 3rd Duke of Marlborough),

George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (6 March 1766 – 5 March 1840), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1817, was a British nobleman, politician, peer, and collector of antiquities and books. ...

, Lady Charlotte Spencer (wife of Rev.

Edward Nares Edward Nares (26 March 1762 – 23 July 1841) was an English historian and theologian, and general writer. Life He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He was Fellow of Merton College, Oxford and in 1813, he became ...

), Lord Henry John Spencer, Lady Anne Spencer (wife of

Cropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury Cropley may refer to: * Cropley (surname) * Cropley (VTA) * Cropley baronets * Cropley Lake, alpine lake in Juneau, Alaska, United States {{Disambiguation ...

), and Lady Amelia Spencer (wife of Henry Pytches Boyce). His paternal grandparents were

Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, (22 November 170620 October 1758), styled as The Honourable Charles Spencer between 1706 and 1729 and as the Earl of Sunderland between 1729 and 1733, was a British Army officer, politician and peer wh ...

, and the former Hon. Elizabeth Trevor (a daughter of

Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

). Among his paternal family were aunts

Lady Diana Beauclerk Lady Diana Beauclerk ( Lady Diana Spencer; other married name Diana St John, Viscountess Bolingbroke; 24 March 1734 – 1 August 1808) was an English noblewoman and celebrated artist. Early life Beauclerk was born into the aristocratric Spence ...

and

Lady Elizabeth Spencer Elizabeth Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery (born Lady Elizabeth Spencer; January/March 1737 – 30 April 1831) was the second daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough and Elizabeth Trevor. Biography She was born ''Eli ...

. His maternal grandparents were

John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (30 September 17105 January 1771) was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman and peer who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1757 to 1761. A leading member of the Whig party durin ...

(the

British Ambassador to France The British Ambassador to France is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in France, and is the head of Britain's diplomatic mission in Paris. The official title is ''His Majesty's Ambassador to France''. Traditionally, the ...

), and, his second wife, the former Gertrude Leveson-Gower (eldest daughter of

John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower, PC (10 August 1694 – 25 December 1754) was a British Tory politician who served as Lord Privy Seal from 1742 to 1743 and again from 1744 to 1754. Leveson-Gower also served in the Parliament of Great Brita ...

). Among his maternal family was uncle

Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock (27 September 1739 – 22 March 1767) was a British politician and heir apparent to the dukedom of Bedford until his death in 1767. Early life Russell was born on 27 September 1739. He was the eldest son o ...

and his first cousins,

Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford (23 July 1765 – 2 March 1802) was an English aristocrat and Whig politician, responsible for much of the development of central Bloomsbury. Life Francis Russell, eldest son of Francis Russell, Marquess of ...

, and

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the father ...

Career

From 1801 to 1815, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

and on his retirement from the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

, was raised to the peerage as Baron Churchill, of

Wychwood Wychwood or Wychwood Forest is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Witney in Oxfordshire. It is also a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 1, and an area of is a national nature reserve (United Kingdom), national natur ...

in the

County of Oxford Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershi ...

. During the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

he raised a

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

of volunteer cavalry in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and was appointed its

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 3 November 1803War Office, ''A List of the Officers of the Militia, the Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry, and Volunteer Infantry of the United Kingdom'', 11th Edn, London: War Office, 14 October 1805/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2005; ISBN 978-1-84574-207-2. After the wars the independent troops in the county were consolidated into the North Western Oxfordshire Regiment of Yeomanry, with Spencer (now Lord Churchill) as Lieutenant-Colonel.

Personal life

Lord Churchill married Lady Frances FitzRoy, daughter of

Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (28 September 173514 March 1811), styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era. He is one of a handful of dukes who have served as Prime Minister of t ...

, on 25 November 1800. Together, they were the parents of: *

Francis George Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill Francis George Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill, (6 October 1802 – 24 November 1886), was a Hereditary peer, British peer and diplomat from the Spencer family. Early life Spencer was born on 6 October 1802 at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshir ...

(1802–1886), who married Lady Jane Conyngham, daughter of Gen. Sir

Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham Francis Nathaniel Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham, KP, GCH, PC (11 June 1797 – 17 July 1876), styled Lord Francis Conyngham between 1816 and 1824 and Earl of Mount Charles between 1824 and 1832, was an Anglo-Irish soldier, courtier, p ...

, in 1849. * Lt.-Col. Hon. George Augustus Spencer (1804–1877), who married Charlotte Munro, daughter of Maj.-Gen. John Munro, in 1834. * Hon. Caroline Elizabeth Spencer (1805–1864), who married Robert Dillon, 3rd Baron Clonbrock, son of

Luke Dillon, 2nd Baron Clonbrock Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...

, in 1830. * Hon. General Sir Augustus Almeric Spencer (1807–1893), who married Helen Maria Campbell, daughter of Lt.-Gen.

Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet (12 March 1769 – 6 October 1843) was a British army officer. From 1824 to 1826, Gen. Campbell commanded the British forces in the First Anglo-Burmese War, the longest and most expensive war in British ...

, in 1836. * Hon. William Henry Spencer (1810–1900), a clergyman who married Elizabeth Rose Thornhill, daughter of Thomas Thornhill, in 1838. After her death, he married Louisa Mercer Call, daughter of Sir William Call, 2nd Baronet, in 1852. After her death, he married Anna Maria Cowley Sheppard, daughter of John Horton Sheppard, in 1893. * Hon. Robert Charles Henry Spencer (1817–1881), a Colonel who married Lady Louisa Spencer-Churchill, daughter of

George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough (né Spencer; 27 December 1793 – 1 July 1857), styled Earl of Sunderland until 1817 and Marquess of Blandford between 1817 and 1840, was a British nobleman, politician, and peer. The great-gra ...

, in 1845. * Hon. Charles Frederic Octavius Spencer (1824–1895), the Vicar at Sutton, Buteshire, who married Hester Eliza Fardell, daughter of Rev. Henry Fardell, in 1847. * Hon. Elizabeth Spencer (d. 1858), who married Rev. Havilland de Sausmarez, son of Thomas de Sausmarez, in 1850. He died in 1845 and was succeeded by his eldest son,

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

. His fourth son,

Hon. Rev. William Henry Spencer ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...

, married Elizabeth Rose Thornhill in January 1838. Their daughter, Isabella Elizabeth Spencer (later Griffin), married Barrister-at-law Marten Harcourt Griffin Esq (Grandson of

William Sandey, Royal Navy (Trafalgar)).

Arms

Honours

Mount Churchill Mount Churchill is a dormant volcano in the Saint Elias Mountains and the Wrangell Volcanic Field (WVF) of eastern Alaska. Churchill and its neighbor Mount Bona are both ice-covered volcanoes with Churchill having a caldera just east of its ...

in British Columbia, Canada, was named in his honor in 1860 by Sir George Henry Richards.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, Francis Spencer, 1st Baron

Churchill, Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill, Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies 1 Peers of the United Kingdom created by George III Churchill, Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer, Lord Francis UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs who were granted peerages Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars officers