Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland (1683-1716)
Encyclopedia
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
and Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill , Duchess of Marlborough rose to be one of the most influential women in British history as a result of her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain.Sarah's friendship and influence with Princess Anne was widely known, and leading public figures...
. As her father was created a sovereign prince by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, Anne was also a princess of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Mindelheim.
Amongst her descendants are Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(from her son Charles), and Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
(from her son John).
Marriage and children
She married 2 January 1700, Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of SunderlandCharles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland
Sir Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland KG PC , known as Lord Spencer from 1688 to 1702, was an English statesman...
and had five children:
- Robert Spencer, 4th Earl of SunderlandRobert Spencer, 4th Earl of SunderlandRobert Spencer, 4th Earl of Sunderland was a British peer, the son of the Whig politician, Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland. His mother was Lady Anne Churchill, the daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough...
(24 October 1701 – 27 November 1729). - Lady Anne Spencer (1702 – 19 February 1769). Married William Bateman, 1st Viscount BatemanViscount BatemanViscount Bateman was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 July 1725 for William Bateman, previously Member of Parliament for Leominster and the son of Sir James Bateman, Lord Mayor of London from 1716 to 1717. He was made Baron Culmore, in the County of Londonderry, at the same...
. - Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of MarlboroughCharles Spencer, 3rd Duke of MarlboroughCharles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough KG, PC , known as The Earl of Sunderland between 1729 and 1733, was a British soldier and politician. He briefly served as Lord Privy Seal in 1755...
(22 November 1706 – 20 October 1758). - Hon. John SpencerJohn Spencer (British politician)John Spencer was a British politician and an ancestor of the Earls Spencer.-Biography:Born the Hon. John Spencer, he was the youngest son of the 3rd Earl of Sunderland and his wife, Lady Anne Churchill. In 1732, he succeeded his cousin, William Godolphin, Marquess of Blandford as Member of...
(13 May 1708 – 19 June 1746). Father of John Spencer, 1st Earl SpencerJohn Spencer, 1st Earl SpencerJohn Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer was a British peer and politician.Spencer was born in 1734, at his family home, Althorp. He was the son of Hon. John Spencer and Georgiana Carolina Carteret , and a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Sunderland...
. - Lady Diana SpencerDiana Spencer (1710-1735)Diana Russell, Duchess of Bedford was a prospective Princess of Wales and, later, Duchess of Bedford....
(1710 – 27 September 1735). Married John Russell, 4th Duke of BedfordJohn Russell, 4th Duke of BedfordJohn Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, FRS was an 18th century British statesman. He was the fourth son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey...
.
Her married name became Lady Spencer.
She held the office of Lady of the Bedchamber
Lady of the Bedchamber
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Lady of the Bedchamber in the British Royal Household...
to Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
from 1702 to 1712.
As a result of her marriage, Lady Anne Churchill was styled as Countess of Sunderland on September 28, 1702, but is not to be confused with her mother-in-law Anne Digby
Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland
Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland, originally Anne Digby was the wife of Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland and the daughter of George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol. Her mother was the former Lady Anne Russell....
, also named Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland.
The title of Duke of Marlborough passed over from her elder sister Henrietta to her son Charles
Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough
Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough KG, PC , known as The Earl of Sunderland between 1729 and 1733, was a British soldier and politician. He briefly served as Lord Privy Seal in 1755...
.
She died at the age of 33, and was buried on April 24, 1716 in Brington
Brington
Brington is a civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish population was 482 people.It contains three villages:*Great Brington*Little Brington*Nobottle-Notable people:...
, Northamptonshire.
Titles and styles
- 1683 - 1689: The Honourable Anne Churchill
- 1689 - 1700: The Lady Anne Churchill
- 1702 - 1716: The Right Honorable The Countess of Sunderland
- 1704 - 1716: Her Highness Princess of the Holy Roman Empire
- 1705 - 1716: Her Serene Highness Princess Anne of Mindelheim
Anne, despite being a princess as a daughter of a sovereign prince, could not pass her Imperial titles to her children as the Empire operated Salic Law which prevented female succession.