Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton (2 January 1790 – 17 January 1851), known as Lord Compton from 1796 to 1812 and as Earl Compton from 1812 to 1828, was a British nobleman and patron of science and the arts.

Life

The second son of the 9th Earl of Northampton (later the First Marquess), Compton studied at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, receiving a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1810. In 1812, following the assassination of his cousin, the prime minister

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 to ...

, Compton, by now Earl Compton as heir to the Marquessate, took his seat for

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. On 24 July 1815, he married Margaret Maclean Clephane, eldest daughter of Major-general Douglas Maclean Clephane.
/ref> In the Commons, Compton established a reputation as something of a maverick. Despite his family's strong

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

credentials, he often voted against the Tory government of the day. This led to his losing his seat in the general election of 1820. After 1820 Compton took up residence in Italy, where his house became a centre of attraction, and exercised his influence in favour of many of the unfortunate victims of despotic authority both in Lombardy and in Naples. He returned to England in 1830, and became a prominent figure in political and cultural life. He supported the Reform Bill in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

, but became more engaged in promoting the arts and sciences. In 1820–22 he was

president of the Geological Society of London This is a list of the presidents of the Geological Society of London. List of presidents * 1807–1813 George Bellas Greenough * 1813–1815 Henry Grey Bennet * 1815–1816 William Blake * 1816–1818 John MacCulloch * 1818–1820 George Bel ...

. He served as president of the

Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...

(1845–46 and 1850–51), and in 1838 became president of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, an office he held for ten years. He took a particular interest in

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

, especially in

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

, although he was not himself a scientist, but more of an interested amateur. The

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

species ''

Regnosaurus ''Regnosaurus'' (meaning "Sussex lizard") is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now England. It was one of the first stegosaurs disvovered. Discovery and species The fossil re ...

northamptoni'' was named after him. He resigned in 1848, due to his opposition to the Society's increasing professionalization. Compton was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 1846. He held the position of president of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

from 1849 until his death. He died on 17 January 1851, and was buried at

Castle Ashby Castle Ashby is the name of a civil parish, an estate village and an English country house in rural Northamptonshire. Historically the village was set up to service the needs of Castle Ashby House, the seat of the Marquess of Northampton. The v ...

on 25 January.

Family

On 24 July 1815 Compton married Margaret Douglas-Maclean-Clephane, who was a poet admired by

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

and

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

, although her poetry was not published. The marriage was a happy one, producing six children. The couple lived in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

for ten years from 1820 to 1830. Compton succeeded his father as Marquess of Northampton in 1828. Following Lady Northampton's death in 1830, Northampton returned to England. Among their children were: Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton

Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton

Charles Compton, 3rd Marquess of Northampton Charles Douglas-Compton, 3rd Marquess of Northampton, DL (26 May 1816 – 3 March 1877), styled Earl Compton from birth until 1851, was a British peer. Early life Born Charles Compton at Parliament Street, London, he was the son of Spencer ...

(1816–1877) *Lady Marianne Margaret Compton (1817–1888), later Lady

Marian Alford Marianne Margaret Egerton, Viscountess Alford, generally known as Lady Marian Alford, (1817–1888), was an English artist, art patron, and author. She was known for her work with the Royal School of Art Needlework, and for writing a his ...

*Admiral

William Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton Admiral William Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton, (20 August 1818 – 11 September 1897), known as Lord William Compton from 1828 to 1877, was a British peer and Royal Navy officer. Biography Northampton was born at York Place, Marylebo ...

(1818–1897) * Lord Alwyne Compton (1825–1906), successively

Dean of Worcester The Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The current dean is Peter Atkinson, who lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester. Crockford's on-line accessed by subscription Tuesday 11 June ...

and

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...

* Lady Margaret Compton, married Frederick Leveson-Gower

References

;Attribution *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Northampton, Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of 1790 births 1851 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Spencer Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Geological Society of London Presidents of the Royal Society of Literature Presidents of the Geological Society of London Compton, Spencer Compton, Earl Fellows of the Royal Society Presidents of the Royal Society Compton, Spencer Compton, Earl Compton, Spencer Compton, Earl UK MPs who inherited peerages Paintings by Henry Raeburn Marquesses of Northampton (1812 creation) Presidents of the Royal Archaeological Institute