Mary Butler1

F, (say 1603 - )
Birth*say 1603 She was born say 1603. Mary, the sister of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, was the daughter of Thomas Butler, Viscount Thurles, and of Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Poyntz, and the granddaughter of Walter, 11th Earl of Ormonde. The Butlers of Ormonde were an Old English dynasty who had dominated the southeast of Ireland since the Middle Ages.2 
Marriage*say 1619 She married Sir George Hamilton 1st Baronet, of Donalong say 1619.1 
Married Namesay 1619  As of say 1619, her married name was Hamilton.1 

Family

Sir George Hamilton 1st Baronet, of Donalong (say 1601 - 1679)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet, of Donalong. (2008, March 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:20, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sir_George_Hamilton%2C_1st_Baronet%2C_of_Donalong&oldid=195573083
  2. James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde. (2007, December 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:34, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Butler%2C_1st_Duke_of_Ormonde&oldid=180572700

Elizabeth Reading1

F, (say 1665 - )
Birth*say 1665 She was born say 1665. Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir Robert Reading, 1st Baronet.1 
Marriage*21 January 1684 She married Sir James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn on 21 January 1684.1 
Married Name21 January 1684  As of 21 January 1684, her married name was Hamilton.1 

Family

Sir James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn (circa 1661 - 28 September 1734)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:45, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_6th_Earl_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266660
  2. James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:58, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_7th_Earl_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266746

Sir James Hamilton 7th Earl of Abercorn1

M, (22 March 1686 - 11 January 1744)
FatherSir James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn1 (c 1661 - 28 Sep 1734)
MotherElizabeth Reading1 (s 1665 - )
Birth*22 March 1686 He was born on 22 March 1686.1 
Marriage*April 1711 He married Anne Plummer in April 1711 at age 25.1 
Death*11 January 1744 He died on 11 January 1744 at age 57.1 
Biography* James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn FRS PC (March 22, 1686 – January 11, 1744) was a Scottish and Irish nobleman, the son of James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn and Elizabeth Reading. He was styled Lord Paisley from 1701 until his accession in 1734.

In April 1711, he married Anne Plumer (1690–1776), by whom he had eight children:
     1. James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn (1712–1789)
     2. Captain Hon. John Hamilton (c. 1714–1755)
     3. Hon. William Hamilton, died young
     4. Reverend Hon. George Hamilton (August 11, 1718 – November 26, 1787), Canon of Windsor, married Elizabeth Onslow (d. 1800) and had issue
     5. Hon. Plumer Hamilton, died young
     6. Hon. William Hamilton (February 18, 1721 – 1744)
     7. Lady Anne Hamilton (June 12, 1715 – December 14, 1792), married on August 16, 1746 Sir Henry Mackworth, 6th Baronet

A scientist, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society on November 10, 1715, and published Calculations and Tables on the Attractive Power of Lodestones, a book on magnetism, in 1729.

He was sworn a Privy Counsellor in Great Britain on July 20, 1738 and a Privy Counsellor in Ireland on September 26, 1739. On October 17 of that same year, George II issued a royal charter to the nation's first orphanage for abandoned children, the Foundling Hospital, of which Hamilton was a founding Governor.1 

Family

Anne Plummer (1690 - 1776)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:58, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_7th_Earl_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266746
  2. John Hamilton (Royal Navy officer). (2007, December 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:06, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29&oldid=175508412

Anne Plummer1

F, (1690 - 1776)
Birth*1690 She was born in 1690.1 
Marriage*April 1711 She married Sir James Hamilton 7th Earl of Abercorn in April 1711.1 
Married NameApril 1711  As of April 1711, her married name was Hamilton.1 
Death*1776 She died in 1776.1 

Family

Sir James Hamilton 7th Earl of Abercorn (22 March 1686 - 11 January 1744)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:58, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_7th_Earl_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266746
  2. John Hamilton (Royal Navy officer). (2007, December 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:06, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29&oldid=175508412

Captain John Hamilton (Royal Navy Officer)1

M, (2 March 1714 - 18 December 1755)
FatherSir James Hamilton 7th Earl of Abercorn1 (22 Mar 1686 - 11 Jan 1744)
MotherAnne Plummer1 (1690 - 1776)
Birth*2 March 1714 He was born on 2 March 1714.1 
Marriage*1749 He married Harriet Craggs in 1749.1 
Death*18 December 1755 He died on 18 December 1755 at age 41.1 
Biography* Captain John Hamilton (March 2, 1714 – December 18, 1755) was a British naval officer, the second son of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn and Anne Plumer.

Hamilton chose a career in the Royal Navy and served in Guinea and the West Indies from 1737 to 1740. He was promoted to captain the next year and served throughout the War of the Austrian Succession, mostly in escorting convoys. In 1742, he was given command of HMS Kinsale, and captured a privateer off Dieppe on September 7. He took command of HMS Augusta in 1744. His portrait by Joshua Reynolds in 1746 brought the artist his initial fame.

In 1749, Hamilton married Harriet Eliot, the daughter of James Craggs and widow of Richard Eliot of Port Eliot (d. 1748). He remained on active service for a few years after the close of the war in 1748, but went on half-pay from 1751 to 1755. He was called back into service as commander of HMS Lancaster, and accidentally drowned while in Portsmouth harbor. He left two children:
     1. John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn (1756–1818)
     2. Lady Anne Hamilton (c. 1751 – November 4, 1764.)1 

Family

Harriet Craggs (say 1720 - )
Child
Last Edited12 March 2008

Citations

  1. John Hamilton (Royal Navy officer). (2007, December 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:06, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29&oldid=175508412

Harriet Craggs1

F, (say 1720 - )
Birth*say 1720 She was born say 1720. Harriet was the daughter of James Craggs and widow of Richard Eliot of Port Eliot (d. 1748).1 
Marriage*1749 She married Captain John Hamilton (Royal Navy Officer) in 1749.1 
Married Name1749  As of 1749, her married name was Hamilton.1 

Family

Captain John Hamilton (Royal Navy Officer) (2 March 1714 - 18 December 1755)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. John Hamilton (Royal Navy officer). (2007, December 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:06, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29&oldid=175508412

John Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn1

M, (July 1756 - 27 January 1818)
FatherCaptain John Hamilton (Royal Navy Officer)1 (2 Mar 1714 - 18 Dec 1755)
MotherHarriet Craggs1 (s 1720 - )
Birth*July 1756 He was born in July 1756.2 
Marriage*20 June 1779 He married Catherine Copley on 20 June 1779 at age 22.2 
Death*27 January 1818 He died at Bentley Priory, Stanmore, London, England, on 27 January 1818 at age 61.2 
Biography* John James Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn KG PC (July 1756 – January 27, 1818) was the son of Captain Hon. John Hamilton and grandson of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn.

He was educated at Harrow and Pembroke College, Cambridge. There he became the friend of William Pitt the Younger, a connection that would serve him well in later years.

He married, firstly, Catherine Copley, daughter of Sir Joseph Copley, 1st Baronet, on 20 June 1779. They had five children:
     1. Lady Harriet Margaret Hamilton (1780–1803), died unmarried.
     2. Lady Maria Hamilton (1782–1814), died unmarried.
     3. Lady Catherine Elizabeth Hamilton (1784–1812), married George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen and had issue.
     4. James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton (1786–1814), married Harriet Douglas, granddaughter of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton and had issue.
     5. Lord Claud Hamilton (1787–1808), died unmarried.

He was a Tory MP for two boroughs in Cornwall from 1783 to 1789, when he succeeded to the Earldom. He was a supporter of his friend Pitt's first ministry, and a friend of William Pitt the Younger. He was created 1st Marquess of Abercorn on 15 October 1790, doubtless due to his political connections.

He married, secondly, his first cousin, Lady Cecil Hamilton, daughter of Reverend The Hon. George Hamilton, on 4 March 1792, but they were divorced in 1799 by an Act of Parliament. They had one child:
     1. The Lady Cecil Frances Hamilton (July 19, 1795 – July 7, 1860), married William Howard, 4th Earl of Wicklow and had issue.

He was sworn of the Privy Council of Ireland on 7 February 1794. Most of the Abercorn lands were in Ireland, and the Marquess made great efforts to build a voting bloc in the Irish Parliament from County Donegal and County Tyrone, although with relatively little success.

He married, thirdly, Lady Anne Jane Gore, daughter of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran, on 3 April 1800.

He was invested as a Knight of the Garter on 17 January 1805.

Lord Abercorn died in 1818, aged 61 at Bentley Priory, Stanmore and his titles passed to his grandson, James Hamilton.2 

Family

Catherine Copley (say 1759 - )
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. John Hamilton (Royal Navy officer). (2007, December 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:06, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29&oldid=175508412
  2. John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:17, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton%2C_1st_Marquess_of_Abercorn&oldid=196260247

Catherine Copley1

F, (say 1759 - )
Birth*say 1759 She was born say 1759. Catherine was the daughter of Sir Joseph Copley, 1st Baronet.1 
Marriage*20 June 1779 She married John Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn on 20 June 1779.1 
Married Name20 June 1779  As of 20 June 1779, her married name was Hamilton.1 

Family

John Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn (July 1756 - 27 January 1818)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:17, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton%2C_1st_Marquess_of_Abercorn&oldid=196260247

James Hamilton Viscount Hamilton1

M, (7 October 1786 - 27 May 1814)
FatherJohn Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn1 (Jul 1756 - 27 Jan 1818)
MotherCatherine Copley1 (s 1759 - )
Birth*7 October 1786 He was born on 7 October 1786 at Petersham Lodge, co. Surrey, England.2 
Marriage*25 November 1809 He married Harriet Douglas on 25 November 1809 at age 23.2 
Death*27 May 1814 He died at Mayfair, London, England, on 27 May 1814 at age 27.2 
Biography* James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton (Petersham Lodge, Surrey, 7 October 1786 – 27 May 1814, Mayfair) was a British nobleman and politician, the eldest son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn.

He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford and matriculated on 24 October 1805.

On November 25, 1809, he married Harriet Douglas, granddaughter of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, by whom he had three children:
     1. Harriet Hamilton (c. 1812 – March 19, 1884), married Admiral William Alexander Baillie-Hamilton and had issue
     2. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn (1811–1885)
     3. Lord Claud Hamilton (1813–1884)

He died in his house in London at the age of 27, leaving three young children; James, the eldest son, would succeed his grandfather as Marquess of Abercorn four years later.2 

Family

Harriet Douglas (say 1789 - )
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:17, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hamilton%2C_1st_Marquess_of_Abercorn&oldid=196260247
  2. James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton. (2007, July 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:29, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_Viscount_Hamilton&oldid=145554962

Harriet Douglas1

F, (say 1789 - )
Birth*say 1789 She was born say 1789. Harriet was the granddaughter of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton.1 
Marriage*25 November 1809 She married James Hamilton Viscount Hamilton on 25 November 1809.1 
Married Name25 November 1809  As of 25 November 1809, her married name was Hamilton.1 

Family

James Hamilton Viscount Hamilton (7 October 1786 - 27 May 1814)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton. (2007, July 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:29, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_Viscount_Hamilton&oldid=145554962

James Lord Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn1

M, (21 January 1811 - 31 October 1885)
FatherJames Hamilton Viscount Hamilton1 (7 Oct 1786 - 27 May 1814)
MotherHarriet Douglas1 (s 1789 - )
Birth*21 January 1811 He was born on 21 January 1811 at Mayfair, London, England.2 
Marriage*circa 1833 He married Lady Lousia Jane Russell circa 1833.2 
Death*31 October 1885 He died at Baronscourt, co. Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland, on 31 October 1885 at age 74.2 
Biography* James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, KG, PC (January 21, 1811 – October 31, 1885) was a British Conservative nobleman and statesman who twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He had various styles during his lifetime, namely The Hon. James Hamilton (until 1814, by virtue of his father's courtesy viscountcy), Viscount Hamilton (1814–1818, while heir to the Marquessate of Abercorn), The Marquess of Abercorn (inherited in 1818), and finally The Duke of Abercorn (so created in 1868).

Born in Mayfair, London, Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, who died when his son was only three. Hamilton was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford. In 1818 he succeeded his grandfather as second Marquess of Abercorn, and in 1832 married Lady Louisa Russell, daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.

In 1844, Lord Abercorn was made a Knight of the Garter at the relatively young age of 33, becoming that same year Lord Lieutenant of County Donegal. Two years later he was appointed a Privy Counsellor and Groom of the Stole to Prince Albert, and remained a prominent figure in the royal court for the next two decades. In 1866, he was appointed Viceroy of Ireland, and two years later was created Duke of Abercorn and Marquess of Hamilton, resigning shortly after Gladstone won the 1868 general election. He was reappointed to the post in 1874, and the Duke served as Viceroy until his resignation in 1876, partly on account of his wife's ill health. He was also Grand Master of the Freemasons (Ireland) from 1874 until his death. On 2 March 1878, Abercorn was Envoy-Extraordinary for the investiture of King Umberto I of Italy with the Order of the Garter. He was elected Chancellor of the University of Ireland in 1881, and died four years later at his home of Baronscourt, County Tyrone.

With his wife Lady Louisa Jane Russell (1812–1905), daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, he had fourteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy:
     1. Lady Harriet Georgiana Louisa Hamilton (1834–1913), married in 1855 to Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield. They had eight sons and five daughters.
     2. Lady Beatrix Frances Hamilton (1835–1871), married in 1854 to George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham
     3. Lady Louisa Jane Hamilton (1836–1912), married in 1859 to William Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch
     4. Lady Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton (c. 1838–1874), married in 1858 to William Henry Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
     5. James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn (1838–1913)
     6. Lady Georgiana Susan Hamilton (1841–1913), married in 1882 to Edward Turnour, 5th Earl Winterton
     7. Lord Claud John Hamilton (1843–1925)
     8. Lord George Hamilton (1845–1927)
     9. Lady Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton (1847–1932), married in 1869 to George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough. The marriage was annulled in 1883.
     10. Lord Ronald Douglas Hamilton (1849–1867)
     11. Lady Maud Evelyn Hamilton (1850–1932), married in 1869 to Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne
     12. Lord Cosmo Hamilton (1853–1853, on the same day)
     13. Lord Frederick Spencer Hamilton (1856–1928)
     14. Lord Ernest William Hamilton (1858–1939.)2 

Family

Lady Lousia Jane Russell (1812 - 1905)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton. (2007, July 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:29, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_Viscount_Hamilton&oldid=145554962
  2. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:41, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_1st_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266914

Lady Lousia Jane Russell1

F, (1812 - 1905)
Birth*1812 She was born in 1812. Louisa was the daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.1 
Marriage*circa 1833 She married James Lord Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn circa 1833.1 
Married Namecirca 1833  As of circa 1833, her married name was Hamilton.1 
Death*1905 She died in 1905.1 

Family

James Lord Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn (21 January 1811 - 31 October 1885)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:41, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_1st_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266914

James Lord Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn1

M, (24 August 1838 - 3 January 1913)
FatherJames Lord Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn1 (21 Jan 1811 - 31 Oct 1885)
MotherLady Lousia Jane Russell1 (1812 - 1905)
Birth*24 August 1838 He was born on 24 August 1838.2 
Marriage*1869 He married Lady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe in 1869.2 
Death*3 January 1913 He died at London, England, on 3 January 1913 at age 74.2 
Biography* James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn, KG, CB, PC (24 August 1838 – 3 January 1913) was a British nobleman and diplomat. He was the son of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and Lady Louisa Russell. He was variously styled Viscount Hamilton (until 1868), Marquess of Hamilton (1868–1885), and finally Duke of Abercorn (from 1885).

The duke as Marquess of Hamilton by Leslie Ward, 1881.Lord Hamilton was educated, like his father, at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford. After graduating from Oxford with a B.A., he entered Parliament as Conservative MP for County Donegal, a constituency he represented from 1860 to 1880. After serving as Sheriff of County Tyrone, he re-entered university and emerged with an M.A. in 1865 (he was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath the same year). That year, he also embarked upon a diplomatic mission to Denmark. He served as a Lord of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales from 1866 to 1885; in the latter year, he took over his father's position of Lord Lieutenant of County Donegal, and inherited his father's peerage titles. In 1887 he was appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland.

Abercorn held several positions after acceding to that title, including Grandmaster of the Ireland Freemasons (1886), Groom of the Stole (1886–1891), Chairman of the British South Africa Company, and announced Edward VII's accession to the throne in 1901 to several countries as a Special Envoy. He was also created a Knight of the Garter, and died of pneumonia in London at the age of seventy-three.

In 1869 he married Lady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe (1848–1929), daughter of Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1796–1870) and Anne Gore (bef. 1832–1877, daughter of Adm. Sir John Gore (d. 1836). They had seven sons and two daughters:
     1. James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn (1869–1953)
     2. Lord Claud Penn Alexander Hamilton (1871–1871, on the same day)
     3. Lord Charlie Hamilton (1874–1874, on the same day)
     4. Lady Alexandra Phyllis Hamilton (1876–1918), who had HRH Princess Alexandra of Wales as sponsor at her baptism, she was lost at sea aboard RMS Leinster, unmarried.
     5. Lord Claud Francis Hamilton (1874–1874, on the same day)
     6. Lady Gladys Mary Hamilton (1880–1917), who in 1902 married Ralph Francis Forward-Howard, 7th Earl of Wicklow (1877–1946) She was his first wife; and they had one son.
     7. Lord Arthur John Hamilton (1883–1914), who was Deputy Master of the Household from 1913, Captain in the Irish Guards and was killed in action at the First Battle of Ypres.
     8. Lord unnamed Hamilton (1886–1886, on the same day)
     9. Lord Claud Nigel Hamilton (1889–1975), Captain in the Grenadier Guards, fought in the Second World War and served in the household of King George V, his widow and Queen Elizabeth II as Deputy Master of the Household, as Extra Equerry, as Equerry in Ordinary and as Comptroller, Treasurer and Extra Equerry. In 1933 he married Violet Ruby Ashton. They had no issue.2 

Family

Lady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe (1848 - 1929)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:41, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_1st_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196266914
  2. James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:53, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_2nd_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196267019

Lady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe1

F, (1848 - 1929)
Birth*1848 She was born in 1848. Maria was the daughter of Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1796–1870) and Anne Gore (bef. 1832–1877, daughter of Adm. Sir John Gore (d. 1836.)1 
Marriage*1869 She married James Lord Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn in 1869.1 
Married Name1869  As of 1869, her married name was Hamilton.1 
Death*1929 She died in 1929.1 

Family

James Lord Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn (24 August 1838 - 3 January 1913)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:53, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_2nd_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196267019

James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn1

M, (30 November 1869 - 12 September 1953)
FatherJames Lord Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn1 (24 Aug 1838 - 3 Jan 1913)
MotherLady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe1 (1848 - 1929)
Birth*30 November 1869 He was born on 30 November 1869 at Hamilton Place, Picadilly, London, England.2 
Name Variationbetween 1869 and 1885  As of between 1869 and 1885, James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn was also known as Lord James Hamilton Lord Paisley.2 
Name Variationbetween 1885 and 1913  As of between 1885 and 1913, James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn was also known as Lord James Hamilton Marquess of Hamilton.2 
Marriage*1 November 1894 He married Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham on 1 November 1894 at age 24.2 
Name Variationbetween 1913 and 1953  As of between 1913 and 1953, James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn was also known as His Grace The Duke of Abercorn.2 
Death*12 September 1953 He died at London, England, on 12 September 1953 at age 83.2 
Burial*circa 18 September 1953 His body was interred circa 18 September 1953 at Baronscourt, co. Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland.2 
Biography* James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, KG, KP, PC (30 November 1869 – 12 September 1953) was a British Unionist politician and nobleman who became the first Governor of Northern Ireland.

Born in Hamilton Place, Piccadilly, London, the eldest son of James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn, and godson of the Prince of Wales, he was educated at Eton and subsequently served first in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers until 1892 when he joined the 1st Life Guards. In the 1900 General Election, he was elected Unionist Member of Parliament for Londonderry City, and three years later he became Treasurer of the Household, a post he held until the fall of Balfour's Conservative administration in 1905.

After serving for a time as an Opposition whip, Hamilton succeeded his father as third Duke of Abercorn in 1913, and nine years later was appointed Governor of the newly-created Northern Ireland. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone from 1917 until his death, and as a major in the North Irish Horse. He proved a popular royal representative, and was reappointed to the post in 1928 after completing his first term of office. In 1931, he declined the offer of the Governor Generalship of Canada, and three years later he was again reappointed Governor for a third term. He remained in this capacity until his resignation in July 1945.

The Duke was made a Knight of St Patrick in 1922, and six years later became a Knight of the Garter. In the latter year, he was also the recipient of an honorary degree from the Queen's University of Belfast, and received the Royal Victorian Chain in 1945, the same year he became a Privy Counsellor.

On 1 November 1894 he married Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (1869–1958), daughter of Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan (1830–1914) and Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox (1838–1910, daughter of the 5th Duke of Richmond and Lennox) at St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge.

They had three daughters and two sons:
     1. Lady Mary Cecilia Rhodesia Hamilton (1896–1984), who married twice, firstly in 1917 Capt/Maj. Robert Orlando Rudolph Kenyon-Slaney (1892–1965), with whom she divorced in 1930, and secondly in 1930 Sir John Little Gilmour, 2nd Baronet. With her first husband she had two sons and a daughter, and with her second husband one son.
     2. Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton (1897–1972), who married in 1919 Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975). They had a son and two daughters. By their son they became grandparents of Diana, Princess of Wales.
     3. Lady Katherine Hamilton (1900–1985), who married in 1930 Lt-Col. Sir Reginald Henry Seymour (1878–1938), a descendant of the 1st Marquess of Hertford.
     4. Sir James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn (1904–1979)
     5. Lord Claud David Hamilton (1907–1968), who worked as a barrister in the Inner Temple, and who in 1946 married Genesta Mary Heath. He was her third husband, and they had no offspring.
The Duke died at his London home in 1953, and was buried at Baronscourt, County Tyrone.2 

Family

Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (26 February 1869 - 18 January 1958)
Child
Last Edited10 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:53, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_2nd_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196267019
  2. James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:09, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_3rd_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196267107

Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham1

F, (26 February 1869 - 18 January 1958)
Birth*26 February 1869 She was born on 26 February 1869. Rosalind was the daughter of Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan (1830–1914) and Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox (1838–1910, daughter of the 5th Duke of Richm.1 
Marriage*1 November 1894 She married James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn on 1 November 1894 at age 25.1 
Married Name1 November 1894  As of 1 November 1894, her married name was Hamilton.1 
Death*18 January 1958 She died on 18 January 1958 at age 88.1 

Family

James Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn (30 November 1869 - 12 September 1953)
Child
Last Edited9 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:09, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_3rd_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196267107

Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton1

F, (16 August 1897 - 4 December 1972)
FatherJames Albert Edward Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn1 (30 Nov 1869 - 12 Sep 1953)
MotherLady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham1 (26 Feb 1869 - 18 Jan 1958)
Birth*16 August 1897 She was born on 16 August 1897.2 
Marriage*26 February 1919 She married Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer at St. James, Picadilly, London, England, on 26 February 1919 at age 21. They had two children:
     1. Lady Anne Spencer (born 4 August 1920) who married Christopher Balwin Hughes Wake-Walker, a Captain of the Royal Navy.
Edward Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (January 24, 1924 - March 29, 1992).
     2. Countess Spencer was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth from 1937 to her death, and was the grandmother of Lady Diana Spencer, later the Princess of Wales. Cynthia, Countess Spencer died at the Spencer’s ancestral home, Althorp of a brain tumour, aged 75.3 
Married Namebetween 1919 and 1922  As of between 1919 and 1922, her married name was Viscountess Althorp.2 
Name Variationbetween 1922 and 1972  As of between 1922 and 1972, Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton was also known as Cynthia Spencer Countess Spencer.2 
Death*4 December 1972 She died at Althorp, Northamptonshire, England, on 4 December 1972 at age 75.2 
Biography* Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer, DCVO, OBE (16 August 1897 – 4 December 1972), known as Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton until her marriage, and from then as Viscountess Althorp until 1922 when her husband inherited his father's title of Earl Spencer, was a British peeress.

She was the daughter of James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton, later 3rd Duke of Abercorn (30 November 1869 - 12 September 1953) and Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (26 February 1869 - 18 January 1958). Her maternal grandparents were Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan and Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox, a daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and Lady Caroline Paget.

Cynthia Hamilton married Viscount Althorp on 26 February 1919 at St. James’s, Piccadilly, London.

She was little known outside court and local circles until, twenty years after her death, Andrew Morton wrote that the Princess of Wales "believes that her grandmother looks after her in the spirit world."2 

Family

Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer (23 May 1892 - 9 June 1975)
Child
Last Edited10 March 2008

Citations

  1. James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn. (2008, March 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:09, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hamilton%2C_3rd_Duke_of_Abercorn&oldid=196267107
  2. Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer. (2007, November 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:25, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cynthia_Spencer%2C_Countess_Spencer&oldid=173526661
  3. Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer. (2008, January 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:31, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Albert_Spencer%2C_7th_Earl_Spencer&oldid=185038144

Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer1

M, (23 May 1892 - 9 June 1975)
Name Variation He was also known as Jack Spencer.1 
Birth*23 May 1892 He was born on 23 May 1892 at London, England. Albert was the son of Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer and his wife, the former Margaret Baring, second daughter of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke.1 
Name Variationbetween 1892 and 1910  As of between 1892 and 1910, Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer was also known as The Honourable Albert Spencer.1 
Name Variationbetween 1910 and 1922  As of between 1910 and 1922, Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer was also known as Viscount Althorp.1 
Marriage*26 February 1919 He married Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton at St. James, Picadilly, London, England, on 26 February 1919 at age 26. They had two children:
     1. Lady Anne Spencer (born 4 August 1920) who married Christopher Balwin Hughes Wake-Walker, a Captain of the Royal Navy.
Edward Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (January 24, 1924 - March 29, 1992).
     2. Countess Spencer was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth from 1937 to her death, and was the grandmother of Lady Diana Spencer, later the Princess of Wales. Cynthia, Countess Spencer died at the Spencer’s ancestral home, Althorp of a brain tumour, aged 75.1 
Death*9 June 1975 He died at Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, on 9 June 1975 at age 83.1 
Biography* Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (23 May 1892-9 June 1975), known formally as The Hon Albert Spencer until 1910 and from then until 1922 as Viscount Althorp, and less formally as "Jack" Spencer, was a British peer. He was the paternal grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.

He was born in London, the son of Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer and his wife, the former Margaret Baring, second daughter of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke. His godparents included King Edward VII.

After his education at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, he served in the First World War as a Captain in the First Life Guards, and was active in the local politics of Northamptonshire as a Conservative councillor. He opened his ancestral home, Althorp, to the public and was a well-known art connoisseur, being a trustee of the Wallace Collection and chairman of the Royal School of Needlework. He was a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Society of Arts, and for eight years in the 1960s he was Chair of the Advisory Council of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He was active in the Territorial Army for 43 years from 1924.

He married Lady Cynthia Hamilton, second daughter of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, in 1919 and had two children.

He died at St Matthews Nursing Home, Northampton after a short illness, and was succeeded as Earl by his son, Edward Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, who was the father of Diana, Princess of Wales.1 

Family

Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton (16 August 1897 - 4 December 1972)
Child
Last Edited10 March 2008

Citations

  1. Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer. (2008, January 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:31, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Albert_Spencer%2C_7th_Earl_Spencer&oldid=185038144
  2. Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer. (2007, November 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:25, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cynthia_Spencer%2C_Countess_Spencer&oldid=173526661

Edward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer1

M, (24 January 1924 - 29 March 1992)
FatherAlbert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer1 (23 May 1892 - 9 Jun 1975)
MotherLady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton1 (16 Aug 1897 - 4 Dec 1972)
Birth*24 January 1924 He was born on 24 January 1924 at Sussex Square, London, England.2 
Marriage*1 June 1954 He married Frances Ruth Burke Roche on 1 June 1954 at age 30.2 
Divorce*April 1969 He and Frances Ruth Burke Roche were divorced in April 1969.2 
Death*29 March 1992 He died at Wellington, London, England, on 29 March 1992 at age 68.2 
Biography* Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (24 January 1924–29 March 1992) was born at 24 Sussex Square, London, England. He was the son of Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer and his wife the former Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton, a daughter of James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn.

Lord Spencer was educated in Eton College, in the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, and in the Royal Agricultural College. A Captain in the Royal Scots Greys, Lord Spencer fought in the Second World War from 1944 to 1945. From 1947 to 1950, Lord Spencer served as Aide-de-Camp to then-Governor of South Australia Malcolm Barclay-Harvey.

Lord Spencer held the offices of County Councillor for Northamptonshire (1952), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1959) and Justice of the Peace for Norfolk (1970). He served as Equerry to King George VI (1950-52) and to Queen Elizabeth II (1952-54), and was invested as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) in 1954.

On 1 June 1954 the Lord Spencer and the Hon. Frances Ruth Burke-Roche, a daughter of Edmund Burke Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, were married in Westminster Abbey by Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich. They had five children:
     1955: Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer (Lady Sarah McCorquodale)
     1957: Cynthia Jane Spencer (Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes)
     1960-1960: John Spencer, who died within 10 hours of his birth
     1961-1997: Diana Frances Spencer (Diana, Princess of Wales)
     1964: Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

The Spencers were divorced in April 1969. Lord Spencer later won a bitter custody battle for the children.

In 1976, Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the former wife of Gerald Legge, 9th Earl of Dartmouth. She is the daughter of the romance novelist Barbara Cartland.

Lord Spencer died at Humana Hospital, Wellington, London, at the age of 68. He was suceeded by his son, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales.2 

Family

Frances Ruth Burke Roche (20 January 1936 - 3 June 2004)
Child
Last Edited10 March 2008

Citations

  1. Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer. (2007, November 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:25, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cynthia_Spencer%2C_Countess_Spencer&oldid=173526661
  2. John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer. (2008, March 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:41, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Spencer%2C_8th_Earl_Spencer&oldid=196413805
  3. Diana, Princess of Wales. (2008, March 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:01, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales&oldid=196575084

Frances Ruth Burke Roche1

F, (20 January 1936 - 3 June 2004)
Birth*20 January 1936 She was born on 20 January 1936 at Sandringham, Norfolk, co. Norfolk, England. Frances was the daughter of Edmund Burke Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy.2 
Name Variationbetween 1936 and 1954  As of between 1936 and 1954, Frances Ruth Burke Roche was also known as The Honourable Frances Burke Roche.2 
Name Variationbetween 1954 and 1969  As of between 1954 and 1969, Frances Ruth Burke Roche was also known as Viscountess Althorp.2 
Marriage*1 June 1954 She married Edward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer on 1 June 1954 at age 18.1 
Married Name1 June 1954  As of 1 June 1954, her married name was Spencer.1 
Name Variationbetween 1969 and 2004  As of between 1969 and 2004, Frances Ruth Burke Roche was also known as The Honourable Mrs. Shand Kydd.2 
Divorce*April 1969 She and Edward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer were divorced in April 1969.1 
Death*3 June 2004 She died on 3 June 2004 at age 68.2 
Biography* The Honourable Frances Ruth Burke Shand Kydd (20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the wife of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer and the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. After two failed marriages and the deaths of two children, she devoted her later years to Roman Catholic charity work.

Shand Kydd was born Frances Ruth Burke Roche in Park House, on the royal estate at Sandringham, Norfolk. Her father was Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, a friend of King George VI and the elder son of the American heiress Frances Work and her first husband, the 3rd Baron Fermoy. Her mother Ruth, Lady Fermoy DCVO was a confidante and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother).

On 1 June 1954, aged 18, Roche married John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 8th Earl Spencer) at Westminster Abbey. She was then known as Viscountess Althorp (the name is pronounced Altrup).

The Althorps had five children:
     1. Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer (19 March 1955), who married Neil Edmund McCorquodale, a distant cousin of Raine, Countess Spencer
     2. Cynthia Jane Spencer (11 February 1957), who married Sir Robert Fellowes, later Baron Fellowes
     3. John Spencer, who died within 10 hours of his birth on 12 January 1960
     4. Diana Frances Spencer later Diana, Princess of Wales (1 July 1961–31 August 1997), first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales
     5. Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (20 May 1964), who married Victoria Lockwood, then Caroline Freud (the latter formerly wife of Matthew Freud)

The British media made comparisons between Lady Althorp's and Diana's lives, because both were inexperienced young women who were thrust into the spotlight by marriage to much older men in higher stations. As with the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the marriage between Lord and Lady Althorp was not a happy one. Diana, Princess of Wales strongly resembled her mother in appearance and character, as well.

In 1967, Lady Althorp ran off with Peter Shand Kydd, an heir to a wallpaper fortune, whom she had met the year before. Subsequently, she was named "the other woman" in Janet Shand Kydd's divorce action against her husband. The Althorps were divorced in April 1969, and Lady Althorp was now known as Frances, Viscountess Althorp.

In 1976, Lord Althorp married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the daughter of novelist Barbara Cartland. (Deeply unpopular with her step-children, she was nicknamed "Acid Raine".) He eventually won a bitter custody battle over the children. Lady Althorp married Shand Kydd on 2 May 1969, and she was known as The Honourable Mrs. Shand Kydd. They lived on the remote Scottish island of Seil. Much against her wishes, she was forced into public view following the marriage of Diana to the Prince of Wales in 1981.

The Shand Kydds separated in June 1988 after he left his wife for a younger woman, and were later divorced. Frances Shand Kydd blamed the pressure of media attention for the breakdown of the marriage. She was well respected on the island and was known for taking long walks and for her love of fishing. Peter Shand Kydd died in 2006.

In 1996 Shand Kydd was banned from driving after being convicted of drunk-driving, but denied she had a problem with alcohol. She and Diana quarrelled in May 1997 after she told Hello! magazine that Diana was happy to lose her title of "Her Royal Highness" following her divorce from the Prince of Wales. They were reportedly not on speaking terms at the time of Diana's death.

After Diana's death, Shand Kydd made a point of visiting the family of Henri Paul, the man driving the Mercedes Diana and her companion Dodi Al-Fayed were in when it crashed in a Paris tunnel, killing all three of them. "Strange though it may seem, Diana's funeral was probably the proudest day of my life," she said. "Proud of her, proud of my daughters who were rock steady in their readings, and my son who gave the ultimate tribute of brotherly love for her."

In 2002 Shand Kydd testified at the trial of Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, where she was forced to admit that she and Diana had been estranged for several months before Diana's death. She spent her final years in solitude on Seil. She converted to Roman Catholicism and devoted herself to Catholic charities.

She died on 3 June 2004 following a long illness that included Parkinson's disease and brain cancer, aged 68. This was the anniversary of the birth of King George V, a curious coincidence given that she was born on the very day that George V died. (George V was the great-grandfather of her one-time son-in-law Prince Charles.)

Her funeral at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Oban on 10 June was attended by many of her children and grandchildren, including Princes William (who gave a reading) and Harry. Their father, her former son-in-law, Prince Charles, did not attend because he was en route to another funeral - going to Washington to lead the British delegation at the funeral of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan the following day.2 

Family

Edward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer (24 January 1924 - 29 March 1992)
Child
Last Edited10 March 2008

Citations

  1. John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer. (2008, March 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:41, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Spencer%2C_8th_Earl_Spencer&oldid=196413805
  2. Frances Shand Kydd. (2008, March 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:48, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frances_Shand_Kydd&oldid=195237460
  3. Diana, Princess of Wales. (2008, March 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:01, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales&oldid=196575084

Diana Frances Spencer1

F, (1 July 1961 - 31 August 1997)
FatherEdward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer1 (24 Jan 1924 - 29 Mar 1992)
MotherFrances Ruth Burke Roche1 (20 Jan 1936 - 3 Jun 2004)
Birth*1 July 1961 She was born on 1 July 1961 at Park House, Sandringham, co. Norfolk, England. Diana and most modern day Culpeppers, descend from John Culpeper of Wigsell (1531-1612). Diana descends through John's great-granddaughter Elizabeth Culpeper, a second cousin of the American progenitor, Henry Culpepper of Lower Norfolk, Virginia. Elizabeth Culpeper married Col. James Hamilton, and Diana's line continues in the Hamilton family through nine generations -- mostly Dukes and Earls of Abercorn -- down to her grandmother Lady Cynthia Hamilton. Lady Hamilton married Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, and their son John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, is Diana's father. In 1992, upon John's death, Diana's brother Charles succeeded as 9th Earl Spencer.1 
Name Variationbetween 1975 and 1981  As of between 1975 and 1981, Diana Frances Spencer was also known as The Lady Diana Frances Spencer.1 
Marriage*29 July 1981 She married Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor at St. Paul's Cathedral, City of London, London, England, on 29 July 1981 at age 20.2 
Name Variationbetween 1981 and 1996  As of between 1981 and 1996, Diana Frances Spencer was also known as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales.1 
Name Variationbetween 1996 and 1997  As of between 1996 and 1997, Diana Frances Spencer was also known as Diana Princess of Wales.1 
Death*31 August 1997 She died at Paris, France, on 31 August 1997 at age 36.1 
Biography* Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances; née Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Their sons, Princes William and Henry (Harry), are second and third in line to the thrones of the United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth Realms.

A public figure from the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles, Diana remained the focus of near-constant media scrutiny in the United Kingdom and around the world up to and during her marriage, and after her subsequent divorce. Her sudden death in a car accident was followed by a spontaneous and prolonged show of public mourning. Contemporary responses to Diana's life and legacy have been mixed but a popular fascination with the Princess endures, and conspiracy theories about her death are currently the subject of an inquest.

Early life
Diana Frances Spencer was the youngest daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, later John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, and his first wife, Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (formerly the Honourable Frances Burke Roche). She was born at Park House, Sandringham in Norfolk, England and baptised there at St. Mary Magdalene Church by the Rt. Rev. Percy Herbert (rector of the church and former Bishop of Norwich and Blackburn); her godparents included John Floyd (the chairman of Christie's). She was the third child to the couple, her four siblings being The Lady Sarah Spencer (born 19 March 1955), The Lady Jane Spencer (born 11 February 1957), The Honourable John Spencer (born and died 12 January 1960), and Charles Spencer (born 20 May 1964).

During her parents' reasonably acrimonious divorce in 1969 (over Lady Althorp's affair with wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd), Diana's mother took her and her younger brother to live in an apartment in London's Knightsbridge, where Diana attended a local day school. That Christmas the Spencer children went to celebrate with their father and he subsequently refused to allow them to return to London and their mother. Lady Althorp sued for custody of her children, but Lady Althorp's mother's testimony against her daughter during the trial contributed to the court's decision to award custody of Diana and her brother to their father. On the death of her paternal grandfather, Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer in 1975, Diana's father became the 8th Earl Spencer, at which time she became Lady Diana Spencer and moved from her childhood home at Park House to her family's sixteenth-century ancestral home of Althorp.

In 1976 Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of romantic novelist Barbara Cartland, after he was named as the "other party" in the Dartmouths' divorce. During this time Diana travelled up and down the country, living between her parents' homes—with her father at the Spencer seat in Northamptonshire, and with her mother, who had moved to the Island of Seil off the west coast of Scotland. Diana, like her siblings, did not get along with her new stepmother.

Royal descent
Diana was born into an aristocratic family. On her mother's side, Diana had Irish, Scottish, English, and American ancestry. One of her great-grandmothers was the New York heiress Frances Work. On her father's side, she was a descendant of King Charles II of England through two illegitimate sons:
     1. Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton, son by Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
     2. Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox, son by Louise de Kérouaille, 1st Duchess of Portsmouth

She was also a descendant of King James II of England through an illegitimate daughter, Henrietta FitzJames. Henrietta's mother was Arabella Churchill, the sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her other notable ancestors included Robert I (the Bruce) and Mary, Queen of Scots (an aspect of family history in which Diana expressed great interest); Mary Boleyn; Lady Catherine Grey; Maria de Salinas; John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater; and James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby.

The Spencers had been close to the British Royal Family for centuries, rising in royal favour during the 1600s. Diana's maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a long-time friend and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Actor Oliver Platt is a second cousin, as he is also a great-grandchild of Frances Work. Diana was also a cousin of one of her favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn. Her other notable cousins include Humphrey Bogart and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.

In August 2007, the New England Historic Genealogical Society published Richard K. Evans's The Ancestry of Diana, Princess of Wales, for Twelve Generations.

Education
Diana was first educated at Silfield School in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, then at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk and at West Heath Girls' School (later reorganised as the New School at West Heath, a special school for boys and girls) in Sevenoaks, Kent, where she was regarded as a poor student, having attempted and failed all of her O-levels twice. In 1977, at the age of 16, she left West Heath and briefly attended Institut Alpin Videmanette, a finishing school in Rougemont, Switzerland. At about that time, she first met her future husband, who was dating her sister, Lady Sarah. Diana reportedly excelled in swimming and diving and is said to have longed to be a ballerina. She studied ballet for a time, but at 5'10" was too tall.

Diana moved to London before she became seventeen. An apartment was purchased for her at Coleherne Court in the Earls Court area, and she lived there until 1981 with three flatmates.

Marriage
Prince Charles' love life had always been the subject of press speculation, and he was linked to numerous glamorous and aristocratic women. In his early thirties, he was under increasing pressure to marry. Legally, the only requirement was that he could not marry a Roman Catholic; a member of the Church of England was preferred. In order to gain the approval of his family and their advisers, any potential bride was expected to have a royal or aristocratic background, be a virgin, as well as be Protestant. Diana met these qualifications.

Engagement and Wedding
Their engagement became official February 24, 1981 with the heir to the throne presenting the princess with a walnut-sized £30,000 ring consisting of 14 diamonds and a sapphire.

The 20-year-old princess married at St Paul's Cathedral, which offered more seating than Westminster Abbey which was previously used for royal nuptials, on 29 July 1981 in what was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" watched by a global television audience of 750 million. Bride and groom both scrambled their vows a bit, the 11:20 A.M. BST wedding was flawless and as opulent as one would expect for a royal couple. The princess wore a gown valued at £9000 with 25 foot train and the finest lace.

Problems and separation
In the late 1980s, the marriage of Diana and Charles fell apart, an event at first suppressed, then sensationalised, by the world media. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales allegedly spoke to the press through friends, each blaming the other for the marriage's demise. Charles resumed his old, pre-marital affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Asked what part Camilla Parker-Bowles had played in the break-up of her marriage, Diana commented during the BBC programme Panorama, "Well there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." Diana had an affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. She confirmed this during the Panorama television interview. Charles had confirmed his own affair over a year earlier in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. The Prince and Princess of Wales were separated on 9 December 1992. While she blamed Camilla Parker-Bowles for her marital troubles, as early as October 1993, Diana was writing to a friend that she believed her husband was now in love with Tiggy Legge-Bourke and wanted to marry her. On 3 December 1993, Diana announced her withdrawal from public life.

Divorce
In December 1995, the Queen asked Charles and Diana for "an early divorce". This followed shortly after Diana's accusation that Tiggy Legge-Bourke had aborted Charles's child, causing Tiggy to instruct Peter Carter-Ruck to demand an apology. Two days before this story broke, Diana's secretary Patrick Jephson resigned, later claiming that Diana had "exulted in accusing Legge-Bourke of having had an abortion".

The divorce was finalised on 28 August 1996, and Diana received a lump sum settlement of around £17,000,000 along with a legal order preventing her from discussing the details.

Days before the decree absolute of divorce, Letters Patent were issued by Queen Elizabeth II containing general rules to regulate the titles of people who married into the Royal Family after divorce. In accordance with those rules, as she was no longer married to the Prince of Wales, and so had ceased to be a Royal by-marriage, Diana lost the style, Her Royal Highness and instead was styled, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Buckingham Palace stated that Diana was still officially a member of the Royal Family, since she was the mother of the second- and third-in-line to the throne. This was confirmed by the Deputy Coroner of the Queen’s Household, Baroness Butler-Sloss, who after a pre-hearing on 8 January 2007 ruled that: "I am satisfied that at her death, Diana, Princess of Wales continued to be considered as a member of the Royal Household." This appears to have been confirmed in the High Court judicial review matter of Al Fayed & Ors v Butler-Sloss. In that case, three High Court judges accepted submissions that the "very name ‘Coroner to the Queen’s Household’ gave the appearance of partiality in the context of inquests into the deaths of two people, one of whom was a member of the Royal Family and the other was not."

Personal life after divorce
After the divorce, Diana retained her apartment in Kensington Palace, completely redecorated, and it remained her home until her death.

She publicly dated the respected heart surgeon from Pakistan, Hasnat Khan, who was called "the love of her life", for almost two years, before Khan ended the relationship due to cultural differences. She soon after began her relationship with Dodi Al-Fayed. These details were confirmed by witnesses at her inquest in November/December 2007.

After her divorce, Diana worked particularly for the Red Cross and campaigned to rid the world of land mines. Her work was on a humanitarian rather than a political level. She was extremely aware of her status as mother of a future King and was prepared to do anything to prevent harm to her sons. She pursued her own interests in philanthropy, music, fashion and travel—although she still required royal consent to take her children on holiday or to represent the UK abroad. Without a holiday or weekend home, Diana spent most of her time in London, often without her sons, who were with Prince Charles or at boarding school. She assuaged her loneliness with visits to the gym and cinema, private charity work, incognito midnight walks through Central London and by compulsively watching her favourite soap operas (EastEnders and Brookside) with a 'TV dinner' in the isolation of her apartment.

The alternative 'court' she cultivated was sometimes seen as unconventional and controversial. Included within it were numerous New Age healers and spiritualists, the feminist empowerment therapist Susie Orbach, well known personalities such as Gianni Versace, George Michael, Elton John, and Michael Barrymore with whom she would visit Soho nightclubs, bohemian members of the aristocracy such as Annabel Goldsmith, university students, several tabloid journalists and Stephen Twigg.

When asked in an interview about the people who she most admired, Diana replied that she had always admired Margaret Thatcher, Madonna and Mother Teresa as they were all strong women and at the front of their specific fields, being politics, entertainment and religion.

Charity work
Starting in the mid- to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of several charity projects. This stemmed naturally from her role as Princess of Wales—she was expected to engage in hospital visitations where she comforted the sick and in so doing, assumed the patronage of various charitable organisations—and from an interest in certain illnesses and health-related matters. Diana was a supporter of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a campaign that went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

AIDS Awareness. In April 1987, the Princess of Wales was one of the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed touching a person infected with HIV at the 'chain of hope' organization. Her contribution to changing the public opinion of AIDS sufferers was summarised in December 2001 by Bill Clinton at the 'Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on AIDS': "In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS could be contracted through casual contact, Princess Diana sat on the sickbed of a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped change world's opinion, and gave hope to people with AIDS."

Diana also made clandestine visits to show kindness to the sick. According to nurses, she would turn up unannounced (for example, at the Mildmay Hospice in London) with specific instructions that her visit was to be concealed from the media.

Landmines. The pictures of Diana touring an Angolan minefield, in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket, were seen worldwide. It was during this campaign that some accused the Princess of meddling in politics and declared her a 'loose cannon.' In August 1997, just days before her death, she visited Bosnia with the Landmine Survivors Network. Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they create, often to children, long after a conflict is over.

She is believed to have influenced the signing, though only after her death, of the Ottawa Treaty, which created an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines. Introducing the Second Reading of the Landmines Bill 1998 to the British House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, paid tribute to Diana's work on landmines: "All Honourable Members will be aware from their postbags of the immense contribution made by Diana, Princess of Wales to bringing home to many of our constituents the human costs of landmines. The best way in which to record our appreciation of her work, and the work of NGOs that have campaigned against landmines, is to pass the Bill, and to pave the way towards a global ban on landmines."

The United Nations appealed to the nations which produced and stockpiled the largest numbers of landmines (China, Japan, India, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States) to sign the Ottawa Treaty forbidding their production and use, for which Diana had campaigned. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that landmines remained "a deadly attraction for children, whose innate curiosity and need for play often lure them directly into harm's way".

Death
On 31 August 1997, Diana died after a high speed car accident in the Pont d'Alma road tunnel in Paris along with Dodi Al-Fayed and the acting security manager of the Hôtel Ritz Paris, Henri Paul, who was instructed to drive the hired Mercedes-Benz through Paris secretly eluding the paparazzi. Their black 1994 Mercedes-Benz S280 crashed into the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel. The two-lane tunnel was built without metal barriers between the pillars, so a slight change in vehicle direction could easily result in a head-on collision with a tunnel pillar. None of the four occupants wore seatbelts.

Fayed's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was in the passenger seat, was closest to the point of impact and yet he was the only survivor of the crash. Henri Paul and Dodi Fayed were killed instantly, and Diana—unbelted in the back seat—slid forward during the impact and, having been violently thrown around the interior, "submarined" under the seat in front of her, suffering massive damage to her heart with subsequent internal bleeding. She was eventually, after considerable delay, transported by ambulance to the Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, but on the way she went into cardiac arrest twice. Despite lengthy resuscitation attempts, including internal cardiac massage, she died at 4 a.m. local time. Her funeral on 6 September 1997 was broadcast and watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide.

Tribute, Funeral and Burial
The funeral procession of Diana passing St. James' Park, London.The late Diana, Princess of Wales' funeral took place in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997. The previous day, Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute to her former daughter-in-law in a live television broadcast: “Since last Sunday's dreadful news we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana's death. .... I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her - for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys. ... No-one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her. I for one believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory.”

Diana's funeral saw a widespread and genuine outpouring of grief at her passing. It was attended by all members of the royal family. Her burial occurred privately, later the same day. The Prince of Wales, her sons, her mother, siblings, a close friend, and a clergyman were present. Diana's remains had been dressed in a black long sleeved dress designed by Catherine Walker; ironically she had chosen the dress a few weeks before. A set of rosary beads had been placed in her hands, a gift she received from Mother Teresa, who died the same week as Diana. Her grave is on an island within the grounds of Althorp Park, the Spencer family home.

The original plan was for Diana to be buried in the Spencer family vault at the local church in nearby Great Brington, but her brother, Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, said that he was concerned about public safety and security and the onslaught of visitors that might overwhelm Great Brington. He decided that he wanted his sister to be buried where her grave could be easily cared for and visited in privacy by her sons and other relations.

The island is in an ornamental lake known as The Round Oval within Althorp Park's gardens. A path with thirty-six oak trees, marking each year of her life, leads to the Oval. Four black swans swim in the lake, guarding the island. In the water there are water lilies, which, in addition to white roses, were Diana's favourite flowers.

On the southern verge of the Round Oval sits the Summerhouse, previously in the gardens of Admiralty House, London, and now adapted to serve as a memorial to Diana. An ancient arboretum stands nearby, which contains trees planted by Prince William and Prince Harry, other members of her family, and Diana herself. 

Family

Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor (14 November 1948 - )
Children
Last Edited8 February 2011

Citations

  1. Diana, Princess of Wales. (2008, March 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:01, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales&oldid=196575084
  2. Charles, Prince of Wales. (2008, March 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:11, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles%2C_Prince_of_Wales&oldid=197019078
  3. Prince William of Wales. (2008, March 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:21, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/inex.php?title=Prince_William_of_Wales&oldid=196973559
  4. Prince Henry of Wales. (2008, March 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:42, March 9, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Henry_of_Wales&oldid=197085737