Topic summary
Lord Salisbury
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury.
Family and personal life
Lord Salisbury's father, James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, a minor Conservative politician, wanted him to marry a rich heiress to protect the family's lands. In 1857, he defied his father and instead married Georgina Alderson, the daughter of Sir Edward Alderson, a moderately notable judge of lower social standing than the Cecils, outside the aristocracy or landed gentry. The marriage proved a happy one. Robert and Georgina had eight children, all but one of whom survived infancy. He was an indulgent father and made sure his children had a much better childhood than the one through which he suffered. Cut off from his family money, Robert supported his family through journalism and was later reconciled with his father.