HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sir Winston Churchill (18 April 1620 – 26 March 1688), known as the ''Cavalier Colonel'', was an 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, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...
,
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
, and
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. He was the father of
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), 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 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was a Briti ...
and a direct ancestor and eponym of
Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
, who served as British prime minister in the 20th century during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Life and career

Churchill was the son of Sir John Churchill of
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, a lawyer and politician, and his wife Sarah Winston, daughter of Sir Henry Winston. Churchill was educated at
St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...
, but he left university without taking a degree. The main reason for it was the beginning of the Civil War. Churchill was a fervent
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
throughout his life. He fought and was wounded in the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
as a captain in the King's Horse and, after the Royalists were defeated, was forced to pay a recompense fee of £446 (equivalent to around £44,600 in the present day). After the Restoration, he sat as a Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis from 1661 to 1679 and for
Lyme Regis Lyme Regis ( ) is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and ...
from 1685 to 1688. History of Parliament Online - Churchill, Winston
/ref> He was also a Commissioner of the Irish Court of Claims and Explanations between 1662 and 1668, and a Junior Clerk Comptroller to the
Board of Green Cloth The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat. It audited the accounts of the ...
from 1664 to 1679. Churchill was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1664 and made a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
the same year. He also published a history of the kings of England, entitled ''Divi Britannici; being a remark upon the Lives of all the Kings of this Isle, from the year of the World 2855 until the year of Grace 1660'' (1675). He died in March 1688, at the age of 67.


Marriage and children

On 26 May 1648, Churchill married Elizabeth Drake, daughter of
Sir John Drake ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
(d. 25 August 1636) and his wife, Eleanor Boteler, daughter of John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, and maternal niece of
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...
. They had eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, of whom only six survived infancy. Of their sons, Mountjoy died in infancy, while Winston died at the
Battle of Solebay The Battle of Solebay took place on 6 June 1672 New Style, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, near Southwold, Suffolk, in eastern England. A Dutch States Navy, Dutch fleet under Michiel de Ruyter attacked a combined Kingdom of England, Anglo-King ...
in 1672, aged 20. Jasper attended
Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
, and was commissioned in the Duke of York's Regiment in 1678, but he appears to have died soon thereafter. Theobald also attended Queen's College, took holy orders, became chaplain in his brother's regiment ( Churchill's Dragoons) in 1683, but he died in 1685 at age 22.Holmes, Richard. ''Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius''. HarperPress. 2008. Four of their children gained distinction: * John Churchill (1650–1722) became a famous military commander and was created Duke of Marlborough; * George Churchill (1654–1710) became an
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
and never married; * Charles Churchill (1656–1714) became a
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
under his eldest brother and married Mary Gould (later married to the 2nd Earl of Abingdon); * Arabella Churchill (1648–1730) became a mistress of
King James II James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...
and mother of four of his children; among her descendants are
Earl Waldegrave Earl Waldegrave is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1729 for James Waldegrave, 2nd Baron Waldegrave. History The Waldegrave family descends from Sir Richard Waldegrave, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1381 to ...
; the Earls Spencer; the Dukes of Berwick, and the later Dukes of Alba; Viscount Falmouth. For many years he was unfaithful to his wife and his maid Betty. Arabella became mistress of
James, Duke of York James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
in about 1665. In 1667, on most accounts, James obtained a commission for
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 * Second E ...
in the Guards and, in 1675, John was commissioned captain in the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment.
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
was commissioned Ensign (in 1674) and Captain (1679) in the Duke of York's Regiment. George although pursuing a mainly Admiralty career, was commissioned Ensign (1676) and Lieutenant (1678) in the Duke of York's Regiment. Jasper was commissioned ensign in 1678, in the Duke of York's Regiment. Theobald, the cleric, stood out: he was commissioned Chaplain in November 1683, but in the King's Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons commanded then by John, Lord Churchill. Fifteen months after that, James, Duke of York, was king. File:John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Captain-General of the English forces and Master-General of the Ordnance, 1702 (c), attributed to Michael Dahl 91996.jpg, General John Churchill File:GeorgeChurchill.jpg, Admiral George Churchill File:Charles Churchill portrait.jpg, General Charles Churchill File:Arabella Churchill.jpg, Lady Arabella Churchill


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, Winston 1620 births 1688 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Cavaliers Fellows of the Royal Society 17th-century English soldiers English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1685–1687 Knights Bachelor Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Lyme Regis Winston