George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton,
PCThe Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
(18 October 1664 – 15 April 1727), styled
Lord Compton from 1664 to 1681, was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
peerThe Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Northampton was the son of
James Compton, 3rd Earl of NorthamptonJames Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton , known as Lord Compton from 1630 to 1643, was an English peer, soldier and politician....
, and his wife Mary (née Noel). Prime Minister
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of WilmingtonSpencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington KG, KB, PC was a British Whig statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death. He served as the nominal head of government from 1742 until his death in 1743, but was merely a figurehead for the true leader of the government, Lord...
, was his younger brother. He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1681, aged 17. Lord Northampton later served as
Lord Lieutenant of WarwickshireThis is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire. Since 1728, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Warwickshire.-Lord Lieutenants of Warwickshire:*Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick 1569–1570*vacant...
from 1686 to 1687 and again from 1689 to 1727 and was Constable of the Tower of London from 1712 to 1715. At the coronation of
WilliamWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and
MaryMary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
in 1689 he bore the King's sceptre and cross. In 1702 he was admitted to the
Privy CouncilThe Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
.
Lord Northampton married Jane Fox, daughter of
Sir Stephen FoxSir Stephen Fox was an English politician.-Life:Stephen Fox was the son of William Fox, of Farley, in Wiltshire, a yeoman farmer...
and his first wife Elizabeth Whittle and half-sister of
Henry Fox, 1st Baron HollandHenry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction...
, in 1686. She died on 10 June 1721. He married, secondly, Elizabeth Rushout, daughter of
Sir James Rushout, 1st BaronetSir James Rushout, 1st Baronet was an English Member of Parliament and baronet.Sir James was made a Baronet at the young age of 17 in 1661 , and later served as Member of Parliament for Evesham and Worcestershire in the Parliament of England.He had several children,...
and Alice Pitt, on 3 July 1726.
Northampton died in 15 April 1727, aged 62, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son
JamesJames Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton , known as Lord Compton from 1687 to 1727, was a British peer and politician.Northampton was the eldest son of George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton, and his wife Jane...
.