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

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, nobleman, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from the Spencer family. He briefly served as

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...

in 1755. He led British forces during the

Raid on St Malo The Raid on St Malo took place in June 1758 when an amphibious British naval expedition landed close to the French port of St Malo in Brittany. While the town itself was not attacked, as had been initially planned, the British destroyed large a ...

in 1758.

Early life

He was the second son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, and

Lady Anne Churchill The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Infor ...

, the second daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

. He inherited the Sunderland title from his older brother in 1729, becoming 5th Earl of Sunderland, and then the Marlborough title from his aunt Henrietta, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough in 1733. At that time, he handed over the Sunderland estates to his younger brother John, but he did not obtain

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace (pronounced ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal, non- episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, on ...

until Sarah, the dowager duchess, died in 1744. On Thursday, 14 July 1737, Marlborough captained his own

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team in a match against the Prince of Wales' XI on Kew Green. Wales' XI are known to have won the match which was apparently of minor standard although publicised because of the participants. This is the only known mention of Marlborough in a cricketing connection. He was one of the original governors of London's

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital in London, England, was founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" w ...

, the foundation of which in 1739 marked a watershed in British child care advocacy and attitudes.

Seven Years War

He is best known for his service in the early part of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

. He led the

, a naval descent against the French coastal port. Following the Capture of

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

in 1758, he led the British expeditionary force sent to join Ferdinand of Brunswick's

Army of Observation An army of observation is a military body whose purpose is to monitor a given area or enemy body in preparation for possible hostilities. Some of the more notable armies of observation include: *Third Reserve Army of Observation, a Russian army tas ...

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

, but died the same year, leaving command to

John Manners, Marquess of Granby Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby, (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British soldier and the eldest son of the John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, 3rd Duk ...

Marriage and children

He married The Hon. Elizabeth Trevor (c. 17131761), daughter of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor. They had five children: *Lady

Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

(1734–1808). Married first

Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, 3rd Viscount St John (21 December 1732 – 5 May 1787), was a British Viscount and landowner. His father was John St John, 2nd Viscount St John, half-brother of Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbrok ...

, and secondly Topham Beauclerk. *

Elizabeth Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

(29 December 173730 April 1831). Married

Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke, 7th Earl of Montgomery (3 July 173426 January 1794) of Wilton House in Wiltshire, was an English peer, politician and courtier who served as a Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III in 1769. He was renown ...

. * George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (26 January 173929 January 1817). *

Lord Charles Spencer Lord Charles Spencer PC (31 March 1740 – 16 June 1820) was a British courtier and politician from the Spencer family who sat in the House of Commons between 1761 and 1801. Background Spencer was the second son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of ...

(31 March 174016 June 1820). *

Lord Robert Spencer Lord Robert Spencer (8 May 1747 – 23 June 1831) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons several times between 1768 and 1818. Early life Spencer was born on 8 May 1747. He was the son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, ...

(8 May 174723 June 1831)

Personal life

The amiable Charles was generally well-liked, and he was a loyal husband and loving father. He made sure to write to his wife frequently while on military campaigns and always sent his love to their children. He had no concept of economy, and was a heavy spender. He was so notoriously incompetent with money that when he suddenly died in 1758, acquaintances wryly remarked that he died before he could spend his heir's inheritance on the estate.

Death

In October 1758, Charles was on a campaign in Germany when he caught dysentery that was sweeping the camp. His sudden death shocked his family, friends, and England. However, an autopsy revealed he would have died not long after, as his lungs were ravaged by the consumption that had killed his mother and sister. Surprisingly, Charles did not spread consumption to his children.

Titles

*22 November 1706 – 15 September 1729: ''The Honourable'' Charles Spencer *15 September 1729 – 24 October 1733: ''The Right Honourable'' The Earl of Sunderland *24 October 1733 – 20 October 1758: ''His Grace'' The Duke of Marlborough

Ancestry

References

External Sources

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Marlborough, Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke Of 1706 births 1758 deaths 1st The Royal Dragoons officers British Army generals British Life Guards officers Coldstream Guards officers Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough

103 103 may refer to: *103 (number), the number *AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD *103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment * 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers *103 ( ...

Knights of the Garter Lord-Lieutenants of Buckinghamshire Lord-Lieutenants of Oxfordshire Lords Privy Seal Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Fellows of the Royal Society Cricket patrons Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England 18th-century philanthropists