Francis George Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill, (6 October 1802 – 24 November 1886), was a British peer and diplomat from the Spencer family.

Early life

Spencer was born on 6 October 1802 at

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 ...

, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. He was the eldest son of

Francis Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill Francis Almeric Spencer, 1st Baron Churchill DCL FRS (26 December 1779 – 10 March 1845) was a British peer and Whig politician from the Spencer family. Born Lord Francis Almeric Spencer, he was the second youngest of the 4th Duke of Marlbo ...

, and Lady Frances FitzRoy. His younger sister, Hon. Caroline Elizabeth Spencer, married Robert Dillon, 3rd Baron Clonbrock, and his brother, Sir Augustus Spencer, married Helen Maria Campbell (daughter of Lt.-Gen. Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet). His father served as MP for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

from 1801 to 1815. His paternal grandparents were George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, and the former Lady Caroline Russell (a daughter of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, the British Ambassador to France). His maternal grandparents were the former Elizabeth Wrottesley (daughter of Rev. Sir Richard Wrottesley, 7th Baronet, Dean of Worcester) and Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, who served as Prime Minister from October 1768 to January 1770. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

before matriculating at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, in 1821.

Career

From 1823 and 1828, he served as the British attaché in Austria before becoming the attaché at

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

in 1828. He returned to Oxford, where he graduated with a Doctor of Civil Law in 1834. Upon the death of his father, he succeeded as the 2nd Baron Churchill of Whichwood, on 10 March 1845. He served as Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire and was Lieut.-Col. Commandant of the

Oxfordshire Yeomanry The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) was a Yeomanry Cavalry regiment of the British Army's auxiliary forces, formed in 1798. It saw service in the Second Boer War with 40 and 59 Companies of the Imperial Yeomanry and was the first Yeomanry ...

since 1857.

Personal life

Jane, Baroness Churchill (1826-1900), Darmstadt 1862

On 19 May 1849, he married Lady Jane Conyngham at Bifrons, Kent. She was the eldest daughter of Gen. Sir Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham, and Lady Jane Paget (a daughter of

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768 – 29 April 1854), styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as the Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving as a member ...

). His wife served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria between 1854 and 1900. Together, Francis and Jane were the parents of one son: * Victor Albert Francis Charles (1864–1934), who succeeded his father in the barony in 1886, and was further created Viscount Churchill in 1902. He married Lady Verena Maud Lowther, daughter of Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, in 1887. They divorced in 1927, and he married Christine McRae Sinclair, daughter of William Sinclair, in 1927. He died on 24 November 1886, at age 84, at 32 Albemarle Street in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London.

References

External links

*
Francis George Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill (1802-1886), Diplomat
at the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

Francis George Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill (1802-86) c.1859
at the Royal Collection Trust {{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, Francis Spencer, 2nd Baron 1802 births 1886 deaths

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 2 Deputy Lieutenants Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars officers