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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' deri ...

, 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, ...

from the

Spencer family The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. From the 16th century, its members have held numerous titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony. Two prom ...

. 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 in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. Originally, ...

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 Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, KG, PC (23 April 167519 April 1722), known as Lord Spencer from 1688 to 1702, was an English statesman and nobleman from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1714–1717), Lord P ...

, and Lady Anne Churchill, the second daughter of

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

, 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 John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, 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, ...

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 st ...

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 " hospita ...

, 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 ...

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

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 John Manners, Marquess of Granby, (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a British soldier and the eldest son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland. As he did not outlive his father and inherit the dukedom, he was known by his fath ...

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 (1734–1808). Married first Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, and secondly

Topham Beauclerk Topham Beauclerk ( ; 22 December 1739 – 11 March 1780) was a celebrated wit and a friend of Dr Johnson and Horace Walpole. Life Topham Beauclerk was born on 22 December 1739, the only son of Lord Sidney Beauclerk and a great-grandson of King ...

. * Elizabeth Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery (29 December 173730 April 1831). Married Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke. *

George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, (26 January 1739 – 29 January 1817), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1758, was a British courtier, nobleman, and politician from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Chamberlain between 1762 a ...

(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 o ...

(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

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