Jane Perceval ( Wilson; 1769–1844), later known as "Lady Carr" after her second marriage, was the wife of

Spencer Perceval Spencer Perceval (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and barrister who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. Perceval is the only British prime minister t ...

, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 1809 and 1812, until his

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Early life

Jane was the daughter of Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, a British Army officer and politician, and his wife Jane ( Weller). She had one brother and two sisters. One of her sisters, Margaretta, married

Charles Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden Charles George Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden PC FRS (1 October 1756 – 5 July 1840) was a British politician. Background and education Charles George Perceval was born at Charlton, Kent, the son of John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, by his se ...

. It was during their courtship that she met Lord Arden's younger brother

who was living with his brother in a rented house in Charlton. The brothers fell in love with each sister. Where Sir Thomas approved of the match between Margaretta and the wealthy and successful Lord Arden, he disapproved of the match between Jane and Spencer who was an impecunious barrister on the Midland Circuit. After being told to wait until Jane came of age, Sir Thomas still opposed the marriage as Perceval's career was still not prospering.

Marriage to Spencer Perceval

With her father not approving, the couple decided to elope. They married by special licence in

East Grinstead East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...

. They set up home together in lodgings over a carpet shop in Bedford Row, later moving to

Lindsey House Lindsey House is a Grade II* listed villa in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London. It is owned by the National Trust but tenanted and only open by special arrangement. This house should not be confused with the eponymous 1640 house in Lincoln's Inn Fiel ...

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the List of city squares by size, largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entreprene ...

. The fees from his legal practice eventually allowed Perceval to take out a lease on a country house,

Belsize House Belsize House was a historic residence in Belsize Park in what is today the London Borough of Camden. It was a country estate located south of Hampstead, which was then some distance away from the outskirts of the capital. History An Elizabe ...

in Hampstead. Jane and Spencer had 13 children together, of whom 12 survived to adulthood: # Jane (1791–1824) married her cousin Edward Perceval, son of Lord Arden, in 1821 and lived in

Felpham Felpham (, sometimes pronounced locally as ''Felf-fm'') is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. Although sometimes considered part of the urban area of greater Bognor Regis, it is a village and civil parish in ...

, Sussex. She died three years after marrying, apparently in childbirth. # Frances (1792–1877) lived with three unmarried sisters. # Maria (1794–1877) lived with her three unmarried sisters. #

Spencer Spencer may refer to: People *Spencer (surname) **Spencer family, British aristocratic family **List of people with surname Spencer *Spencer (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia *Spencer, New So ...

(1795–1859) was, like his father, educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. After Perceval's assassination, Spencer junior was voted an annuity of £1000 (), free legal training at Lincoln's Inn and a tellership of the Exchequer, all of which left him financially secure. He became a Member of Parliament at the age of 22 and in 1821 married Anna, a daughter of the chief of the

clan Macleod Clan MacLeod (; gd, Clann Mac Leòid ) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, whose chief is MacLeod of MacLeod, are known in Gaelic as ' ("see ...

, with whom he had eleven children. He joined the

Catholic Apostolic Church The Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC), also known as the Irvingian Church, is a Christian denomination and Protestant sect which originated in Scotland around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States.metropolitan lunacy commissioner. # Charles (born and died 1796) # Frederick James (1797–1861) was the only one of Perceval's sons not to go to Harrow. Due to his fragile health he was sent to school at

Rottingdean Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards. Name The name Rotti ...

. He married for the first time in 1827, spent some time in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...

, Belgium, was a director of the Clerical, Medical and General Life Assurance Society and a justice of the peace for Middlesex and for Kent, but generally led a quiet and retired life. Widowed in 1843, he married for the second time the following year. A grandson, Frederick Joseph Trevelyan Perceval, who was a Canadian rancher, became the 10th ''de jure''

Earl of Egmont Earl of Egmont was a title in the Peerage of Ireland, created in 1733 for John Perceval, 1st Viscount Perceval. It became extinct with the death of the twelfth earl in 2011. History The Percevals claimed to be an ancient Anglo-Norman family, ...

(he did not claim the title) and was the father of the 11th earl. # Rev. Henry (1799–1885) was educated at Harrow, where he was the only Perceval to become head of school. He went to

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

. In 1826 he married his cousin Catherine Drummond. For 46 years Henry was the rector of

Elmley Lovett Elmley Lovett in Worcestershire, England is a civil parish whose residents' homes are quite loosely clustered east of its Hartlebury Trading Estate, as well as in minor neighbourhood Cutnall Green to the near south-east. The latter is a loosely ...

in Worcestershire. # Dudley Montague (1800–1856) was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford. Like his brother Spencer, he was given free legal training at Lincoln's Inn but was not called to the bar. He spent two years as an administrator at the Cape of Good Hope, where he married a daughter of Gen. Sir

Richard Bourke General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB (4 May 1777 – 12 August 1855), was an Irish-born British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837. As a lifelong Whig (Liberal), he encouraged the emancipation of convicts and ...

, future

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

, in 1827. Back in England he obtained a treasury post and defended his father's reputation after it was attacked in Napier's history of the Peninsular War. In 1853 he stood unsuccessfully against

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...

in the election for an MP to represent

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. # Isabella (1801–1886) married her cousin

Spencer Horatio Walpole Spencer Horatio Walpole (11 September 1806 – 22 May 1898) was a British Conservative Party politician who served three times as Home Secretary in the administrations of Lord Derby. Background and education Walpole was the second son of Tho ...

in 1835 and was the only one of Perceval's daughters to have children. Her husband was a lawyer who became an MP in 1846 and served as Home Secretary. They lived in the Hall on Ealing Green, next-door to Isabella's four unmarried sisters. #

John Thomas John Thomas may refer to: Politics United Kingdom * John Thomas (c. 1490–1540/42), British Member of Parliament for Truro * John Thomas (c. 1531–1581/90), British Member of Parliament for Mitchell * John Thomas (British politician) (1897 ...

(1803–1876) was educated at Harrow. After a three-year career as an officer in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

and a term at Oxford University, he spent three years in asylums and became a campaigner for reform of the Lunacy Laws. In 1832, just after his release from an asylum, he married a cheesemonger's daughter. # Louisa (1804–1891) lived with her three unmarried sisters. # Frederica (1805–1900) lived with her three unmarried sisters. In her will she left money to build All Saints Church, Ealing, in memory of her father (he was born on All Saints Day). It is also known as the Spencer Perceval Memorial Church. # Ernest Augustus (1807–1896) was educated at Harrow. He spent nine years in the 15th Hussars, seven of them as a captain. In 1830, he married his cousin Beatrice Trevelyan, daughter of Sir John Trevelyan, 5th Baronet. The couple settled in Somerset and raised a large family, including antiquary

Spencer George Perceval Spencer George Perceval (8 July 1838 – 7 March 1922) was an English amateur antiquary, geologist, and benefactor to Cambridge University. Spencer George Perceval was the second son of Ernest Augustus Perceval of Bridgwater and his cousin Beatri ...

. Ernest served as private secretary to the Home Office on three occasions. After Jane became ill after the birth of her final child, the family moved out of the damp and draughty Belsize House, spending a few months in Lord Teignmouth's house in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

before moving to Elm Grove, a 16th-century house in

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was hi ...

which had been the home of the

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durha ...

; Perceval paid £7,500 for it in 1808 (borrowing from his brother Lord Arden and the trustees of Jane's dowry), and the Perceval family's long association with Ealing began. Jane was widowed on 11 May 1812, when a man named

John Bellingham John Bellingham (176918 May 1812) was an English merchant and perpetrator of the 1812 murder of Spencer Perceval, the only British prime minister to be assassinated. Early life Bellingham's early life is largely unknown, and most post-assass ...

shot Perceval in the chest in the lobby of the House of Commons. He died a few minutes later, just as a surgeon arrived at the scene. After rumours that her husband had not left his widow and 12 children well provided for – he had around £106 (roughly £ today) in the bank at the time of his death – Parliament voted to settle £50,000 on Perceval's children, with additional annuities for his widow and eldest son, a few days after his death.

Later life and death

Three years after Spencer Perceval's assassination, Jane remarried to Lieutenant-Colonel Sir

Henry William Carr Sir Henry William Carr (6 October 1777 – 10 August 1821) was a professional soldier in the British Army who, when peace came in 1814, married the widow of the assassinated prime minister Spencer Perceval. Early life Born in Twickenham, wher ...

, brother of the Reverend

Robert James Carr Robert James Carr (1774–1841) was an English churchman, Bishop of Chichester in 1824 and Bishop of Worcester in 1831. Early life Born 9 May 1774 and christened 9 June at Feltham, London he was the eldest son of the Reverend Colston Carr, at t ...

, then vicar of Brighton. She would be widowed again six years later. Jane died in 1844, aged 74. At the time of her death, she was living with her four unmarried daughters in Elm Grove. She was buried next to her first husband in the Egmont vault at

St Luke's Church, Charlton St Luke's Church in Charlton, London, England, is an Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Southwark. Records suggest that a church dedicated to St Luke existed on the site around 1077. It was rebuilt in 1630 with funds provided by Sir ...

, London.

References

Book sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perceval, Jane 1769 births 1844 deaths Daughters of baronets Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Wives of knights

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...