Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax

For her daughter-in-law, see Dorothy Boyle, Countess of Burlington.

Dorothy Savile, Viscountess Halifax (née Spencer; 1640^[1] – 16 December 1670) was the first wife of George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax, and the mother of the 2nd Marquess.

The Right Honourable The Viscountess Halifax
Lady Dorothy, Marchioness of Halifax, by Jan van der Vaart
Born	Dorothy Spencer 1640
Died	16 December 1670(1670-12-16) (aged 29–30)
Spouse(s)	George Savile, 1st Viscount Halifax ​ ​ (m. 1656)​
Issue	William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax Anne Savile
Parents	Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland Dorothy Sidney

Dorothy was the daughter of Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland, and his wife, the former Lady Dorothy Sidney (or Sydney).^[2]

Lady Dorothy married George Savile on 29 December 1656, at St Giles in the Fields in London.^[3] They had two children:

• William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax^[4]
• Anne Savile, later Countess of Carbery (c.1663-1690)

In 1667, George Savile was created Viscount Halifax. Following his wife's death, he remarried, in 1672, his second wife being Gertrude Pierrepont, daughter of William Pierrepont of Thoresby. His elevation to the title of Marquess of Halifax came in 1682, some years after Dorothy's death.^[5]

References

1. John Pearson, Blood Royal: The Story of the Spencers and the Royals (London, U.K.: HarperCollins, 1999), endpiece.
2. Kenyon, J.P. Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland 1641-1702 Longman Green and Co. 1958 p. 5
3. G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume VII, page 243.
4. Kenyon p. 228
5. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 49. Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 99. ISBN 0-19-861399-7.Article by Mark N. Brown.