Earl of Sunderland

Earl of Sunderland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1627 in favour of Emanuel Scrope, 11th Baron Scrope of Bolton. The earldom became extinct upon his death in 1630, while the barony became either extinct or dormant (see Baron Scrope of Bolton for more information on this title). The second creation came in 1643 in favour of the Royalist soldier Henry Spencer, 3rd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton.

Earldom of Sunderland
Arms of Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland
Creation date	1643
Creation	Second
Created by	Charles I
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Henry Spencer, 3rd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
Present holder	James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough
Heir apparent	George Spencer-Churchill (who formerly used this title as a courtesy title)

History

The Spencer family descended from Sir John Spencer (d. 1522), who acquired the Wormleighton estate in Warwickshire and the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire. His grandson Sir John Spencer (d. 1586) was a Knight of the Shire for Northamptonshire. The latter's grandson Sir Robert Spencer represented Brackley in Parliament during the late 16th century. In 1603, Sir Robert was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Spencer of Wormleighton. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, William, the second Baron. He had previously represented Northamptonshire in Parliament. His eldest son was the aforementioned third Baron. In July 1643, he was created Earl of Sunderland in the Peerage of England, but he was killed at the Battle of Newbury in September of the same year. He was succeeded by his two-year-old only son, Robert, the second Earl. He later gained great distinction as a statesman and notably served four times as Secretary of State for the Southern Department.

His eldest surviving son, Charles, the third Earl, also gained prominence as a statesman. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Privy Seal, Secretary of State for both the Northern and Southern Departments, Lord President of the Council and First Lord of the Treasury. However, his political career was ruined by the South Sea Bubble of 1720. Lord Sunderland married (as his second wife) Lady Anne Churchill, second daughter of the distinguished soldier John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and Sarah Jennings. The dukedom of Marlborough was allowed to descend to the Duke's daughters and their sons after a special Act of Parliament was passed in 1716.

The third Earl was succeeded by his eldest surviving son (by his second wife), Robert, the fourth Earl. He died unmarried in 1729 at the age of 27 and was succeeded by his younger brother, Charles, the fifth Earl. In 1733, he succeeded his maternal aunt, Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, as third Duke of Marlborough. The barony of Spencer of Wormleighton and earldom of Sunderland have remained subsidiary titles of the dukedom ever since. Earl of Sunderland has been used as the courtesy title of the Duke's eldest male-line grandson.

John Spencer, fourth son of the third Earl of Sunderland by his second wife, succeeded to the family estates in Northamptonshire in 1733 after his elder brother inherited the dukedom of Marlborough. His son John was created Earl Spencer in 1765. Robert Spencer, second son of the second Baron, had been created Viscount Teviot in 1685.

Earl of Sunderland, first creation (1627)

• Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland (d. 1630)

Earl of Sunderland, second creation

Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1603)

• Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1570–1627)
  • John Spencer (1590–1610)
• William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1592–1636)
• Henry Spencer, 3rd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1620–1643) (created Earl of Sunderland in 1643)

Earl of Sunderland (1643)

• Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland (1620–1643)
• Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland (1640–1702)
  • Robert Spencer, Lord Spencer (1666–1688)
• Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1675–1722)
  • Robert Spencer (1700–1701)
• Robert Spencer, 4th Earl of Sunderland (1701–1729)
• Charles Spencer, 5th Earl of Sunderland (1706–1758) (succeeded as Duke of Marlborough in 1733)

For further succession, see Duke of Marlborough (title).

Family tree

v t e Spencer-Churchill family tree of the Dukes of Marlborough, Earls of Sunderland[1] and Earls Spencer

Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, 1603 Robert Spencer 1570–1627 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Spencer 1590–1610 William Spencer 1592–1636 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Churchill 1600–1673 Earl of Sunderland (2nd creation), 1643 Henry Spencer 1620–1643 1st Earl of Sunderland, 3rd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Winston Churchill 1620–1688 Lord Churchill of Eyemouth (Scotland), 1682 Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 1685 Earl of Marlborough (2nd creation), 1689 Duke of Marlborough and Marquess of Blandford, 1702 Robert Spencer 1640–1702 2nd Earl of Sunderland, 4th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Churchill 1650–1722 1st Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge King James VII and II 1633–1701 Arabella Churchill 1648–1730 Francis Godolphin 1678–1766 Earl of Godolphin Henrietta Churchill 1681–1733 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, Marchioness of Blandford, Countess of Marlborough, Lady Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baroness Churchill of Sandridge Charles Spencer 1675–1722 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 5th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Anne Churchill 1683–1716 John Churchill 1686–1703 Styled Marquess of Blandford James FitzJames 1670–1734 Duke of Berwick[2] Henry FitzJames 1673–1702 Duke of Albemarle (Jacobite) Henry Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave 1661–1689 Henrietta FitzJames 1667–1730 William Godolphin 1700–1731 Styled Marquess of Blandford Robert Spencer 1701–1729 4th Earl of Sunderland, 6th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Charles Spencer 1706–1758 3rd Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 5th Earl of Sunderland, 7th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Spencer 1708–1746 Dukes of Berwick (Jacobite) Dukes of Albemarle (Jacobite) James Waldegrave, Earl Waldegrave 1684–1741 Viscount Spencer and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 1761 Earl Spencer, 1765 George Spencer 1739–1817 4th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 6th Earl of Sunderland, 8th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton John Spencer 1734–1783 1st Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp James Waldegrave, Earl Waldegrave 1715–1763 Baron Churchill of Wychwood, 1815 George Spencer-Churchill 1766–1840 5th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 7th Earl of Sunderland, 9th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Francis Almeric Spencer 1779–1845 1st Baron Churchill of Wychwood George Spencer 1758–1834 2nd Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp Hugh Seymour 1759–1801 Anne Horatia Waldegrave 1762–1801 George Spencer-Churchill 1793–1857 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 8th Earl of Sunderland, 10th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Francis George Spencer 1802–1886 2nd Baron Churchill of Wychwood Augustus Spencer 1807–1893 John Spencer 1782–1845 3rd Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, Baron Spencer of Althorp Horace Beauchamp Seymour 1791–1851 John Winston Spencer-Churchill 1822–1883 7th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 9th Earl of Sunderland, 11th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Georgiana Poyntz 1799–1851 Frederick Spencer 1798–1857 4th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp Adelaide Horatia Seymour 1825–1877 Viscount Althorp, 1905 George Charles Spencer-Churchill 1844–1892 8th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 10th Earl of Sunderland, 12th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill 1849–1895 Augustus Spencer 1851–1912 John Poyntz Spencer 1835–1910 5th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp Charles Robert Spencer 1857–1922 6th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 1st Viscount Althorp Viscount Churchill, 1902 Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 1871–1934 9th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 11th Earl of Sunderland, 13th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1874–1965 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940–1945 and 1951–1955 Victor Albert Francis Charles Spencer 1864–1934 1st Viscount Churchill, 3rd Baron Churchill of Wychwood (Descendants of Winston Churchill) John Albert William Spencer-Churchill 1897–1972 10th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 12th Earl of Sunderland, 14th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Victor Alexander Spencer 1890–1973 2nd Viscount Churchill, 4th Baron Churchill of Wychwood Richard Spencer 1888–1956 Albert Spencer 1892–1975 7th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 2nd Viscount Althorp John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill 1926–2014 11th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 13th Earl of Sunderland, 15th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Victor George Spencer 1934–2017 3rd Viscount Churchill, 5th Baron Churchill of Wychwood Richard Spencer 1926–2020 6th Baron Churchill of Wychwood Edward John Spencer 1924–1992 8th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 3rd Viscount Althorp Viscountcy Churchill extinct, 2017 Charles James Spencer-Churchill b. 1955 12th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Earl of Marlborough, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge, 14th Earl of Sunderland, 16th Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Michael Spencer b. 1960 7th Baron Churchill of Wychwood David Anthony Spencer b. 1970 Heir Presumptive to Wychwood King Charles III b. 1948 Diana Frances Spencer 1961–1997 Charles Edward Maurice Spencer b. 1964 9th Earl Spencer, Viscount Spencer, and Baron Spencer of Althorp, 4th Viscount Althorp George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill b. 1992 Styled Marquess of Blandford William, Prince of Wales b. 1982 Harry, Duke of Sussex b. 1984 Louis Frederick John Spencer b. 1994 Styled Viscount Althorp Lady Olympia Spencer-Churchill b. 2020

References

• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages ^{[self-published source] [better source needed]}

1. Kate Fleming, The Churchills, Viking Press, 1975
2. Herman, Eleanor (2005). Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge. Pushed into War, Sold into Marriage: William Morrow. p. 190. ISBN 0060585439.