Lord Charles Spencer | |
---|---|
![]() Portrait of Lord Charles Spencer, by Joshua Reynolds | |
Joint Postmaster General | |
In office 1801–1806 Serving with
| |
Monarch | George III |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | |
Succeeded by | |
Master of the Mint | |
In office 1806–1806 | |
Monarch | George III |
Prime Minister | William Pitt the Younger |
Preceded by | The Earl Bathurst |
Succeeded by | Charles Bathurst |
Personal details | |
Born | 31 March 1740 |
Died | 16 June 1820 | (aged 80)
Nationality | British |
Spouse |
Mary Beauclerk
(m. 1762; died 1812) |
Children | Robert Spencer John Spencer William Robert Spencer |
Parent(s) | Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough Hon. Elizabeth Trevor |
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.
Early life
Spencer was born on 31 March 1740. He was the second son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and the Hon. Elizabeth Trevor, daughter of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor. George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, was his elder brother.[1]
Career
Spencer sat as Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1761 to 1790 and 1796 to 1801[2] and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1763.[3]
He served as Comptroller of the Household from 1763 to 1765, as a Junior Lord of the Admiralty from 1768 to 1779 and as Treasurer of the Chamber from 1779 to 1782, when that sinecure post was abolished. He was later Postmaster General from 1801 to 1806 and Master of the Mint in 1806. From 1806 until his death, he was a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to George III.[4]
Personal life
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Reynolds-joshua-sir--lady-charles-spencer-792789.jpg/220px-Reynolds-joshua-sir--lady-charles-spencer-792789.jpg)
On 2 October 1762, Spencer was married to Lady Mary Beauclerk (1743–1812), a daughter of Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere and the sister of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans.[5] Together, they had three sons:[6]
- Robert Spencer (1764–1831), who married Henrietta (née Fawkener) Bouverie, a daughter of Sir Everard Fawkener,[7] and widow of Hon. Edward Bouverie, in 1811.[8]
- John Spencer (1767–1831), MP for Wilton who married his cousin, Lady Elizabeth Spencer, a daughter of the 4th Duke of Marlborough.[9]
- William Robert Spencer (1769–1834), who married Countess Susan von Jenison-Walworth.[10]
Lady Spencer died in January 1812 aged 68. Charles survived her by eight years and died in June 1820, aged 80.[1]
References
- ^ a b Cannon, John (2010) [2004]. "Spencer, Charles". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26118. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "SPENCER, Lord Charles (1740–1820), of Wheatfield, Oxon." History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "No. 10306". The London Gazette. 19 April 1763. p. 1.
- ^ "Gentlemen of the Bedchamber 1660–1702, 1714–1837". British History Online. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Burkes Peerage (1939 edition), s.v Marlborough, Duke
- ^ "SPENCER, Lord Charles (1740–1820), of Wheatfield, Oxon." History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ Stephens, Frederic George (1884). English Children, as Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds: An Essay on Some of the Characteristics of Reynolds as a Painter, with Especial Reference to His Portraiture of Children. Seeley, Jackson and Halliday. p. 19. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Troide, Lars E. (1 February 1991). Early Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney, Volume 2. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-7735-8510-2. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ "SPENCER, John (1767-1831), of Wheatfield, Oxon". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Hicks, Carola (19 August 2014). Improper Pursuits: The Scandalous Life of an Earlier Lady Diana Spencer. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4668-7864-8. Retrieved 30 January 2023.