The Spencer Family and Ancestry (inc. Althorp Estate)

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

I had asked some Diana ancestry questions on this forum last year, the last time I’d been here.
I saw that a lot of them weren’t answered.

[Dman]

The 8th Earl Spencer, the WWII leading liberator-
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nch-towns.html

[Moonmaiden23]

The Spencer genes are pretty strong...Charles Spencer is a virtual clone of his late father the 8th Earl.

[eya]

Earl Spencer posted:

"The Spencer flag at half-mast at ⁦@AlthorpHouse⁩ today, marking the death of my father’s older sister (& only sibling) Anne, aged 99 1/2. An officer in the WRENS in World War 2, she was the mother of 3 sons and 2 daughters. Lady Anne Wake-Walker (née Spencer), 1920-2020"


https://twitter.com/cspencer1508/sta...169991/photo/1

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

Who are famous royals or people (past and present) that Diana is related to?

[Alison H]

Like most of the aristocracy :-), she was descended from one (well, more than one) of Charles II's illegitimate children, so she was distantly related to all the British Royals, and therefore all the other Royal families into which British royals married.


Due to various marriages in the early 18th century, which I won't bore you with, one branch of the Spencer family became the Spencer Churchill family, so she was also related to Winston Churchill.


If you saw the Keira Knightley film about the Duchess of Devonshire - or even if you didn't! - the Spencers are related to the Dukes of Devonshire by various marriages over the years.

[eya]

Earl Spencer posted some beautiful pictures from Althorp House the last days!


"This morning at ⁦@AlthorpHouse " on 11 April

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVTPVOUX...jpg&name=large


"The Round Oval at ⁦@AlthorpHouse this crisp spring morning"on 15 April

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVn_brsU...jpg&name=large


"Black fallow bucks breakfasting together this morning, at ⁦@AlthorpHouse" in 16 April

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVtJ_G7W...jpg&name=large


"Tim the Peacock looking rather fine this afternoon. Full plumage out, for the ladies."

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV0RjPxX...jpg&name=large

[Alouette]

Thanks for sharing, eya. Those are beautiful.

[Moonmaiden23]

Breathtaking! I love Althorp House.

[Durham]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

Breathtaking! I love Althorp House.

Northamptonshire has other lovely country houses. Three of the finest are Boughton, Easton Neston & Castle Ashby.

The Gloucester's Barnwell Manor is also in the county. Another more modest manor house is Sulgrave, ancestal home of the Washingtons.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Durham

Northamptonshire has other lovely country houses. Three of the finest are Boughton, Easton Neston & Castle Ashby.

The Gloucester's Barnwell Manor is also in the county. Another more modest manor house is Sulgrave, ancestal home of the Washingtons.

Here's an article I found on Barnwell Manor.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...d-1614055.html

[Durham]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

Here's an article I found on Barnwell Manor.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...d-1614055.html

Thank you for that. There's interesting information & photos about Barnwell in Princess Alice's memoirs as you probably already know. It was in her family of course. Nearby Boughton is one of the four enormous Montague Douglas Scott houses.

[An Ard Ri]

I wondered if the Gloucester's and the Spencer's ever mingled together pre Diana and Charles wedding?

[Durham]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

I wondered if the Gloucester's and the Spencer's ever mingled together pre Diana and Charles wedding?

Good question. I don't know. They probably did as part of the county set. The older generations at least had the same sort of interests & upbringing. Birds of a feather & all that.

Both the old Duke of Gloucester & Earl Spencer were army men so they would have had that in common.

[An Ard Ri]

That's what I was thinking too being part of the country set and with dinners/receptions and so on,its quite possible.

[Durham]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

That's what I was thinking too being part of the country set and with dinners/receptions and so on,its quite possible.

And hunting. Both the Gloucesters hunted.The big hunt in this part of the world was/is the Pytchley which the Spencers would have been involved with.

[An Ard Ri]

Althorp House was illuminated in Red as part of the #LightItInRed lighting action campaign on Monday night, 6th of July.Lord Spencer posed for photos in front of the Spencer family seat.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/...ible-makeover/

[princeofitaly]

I read that an ancestor of Princess Diana was the popular Eleanor Nell Gwyn. How are the two women related?

[Gawin]

Originally Posted by princeofitaly

I read that an ancestor of Princess Diana was the popular Eleanor Nell Gwyn. How are the two women related?

Nope, the two women were not related.

But Diana was a descendant of Charles II by two of his other mistresses: Barbara Villiers and Louise de Kérouaille.

She was also a descendant of a third, Lucy Walter, but while Charles fathered Lucy's son he probably wasn't the father of her daughter, who was Diana's ancestor.

[Moonmaiden23]

Sarah Ferguson is also a direct descendant of Lucy Walter and Charles II.