Third, Lord Robert Spencer, born on May 8th, 1747. In 1768, elected member of parliament for Woodstock; and in 1770, appointed a commissioner of trade and plantations; and having vacated his seat in January 1771, was chosen for the city of Oxford, to which he was re-elected in 1774, 1780, and 1784. In 1790, and 1796, he was elected for Wareham. In 1782, he was made one of the vice treasurers of Ireland.

Fourth, Lady Diana, born on March 24th, 1734, and married, on September 9th, 1757, to Frederic Viscount Bolingbroke and St. John, which marriage being dissolved by act of parliament, on March 10th, 1768, her Ladyship, two days after, was married to the Honourable Topham Beauclerk, only son of the late Lord Sidney Beauclerk, fifth son of Charles, first Duke of St. Albans, by whom she was left a widow, March 11th, 1780, with two daughters and a son; of whom Elizabeth married, April 8th, 1787, George Augustus, the present Earl of Pembroke, and died March 25th, 1793; and Charles George Beauclerk, the son, married, April 29th, 1799, Charlotte, daughter of William Ogilvie, Esq. by the Duchess Dowager of Leinster.

Fifth, Lady Elizabeth, born on December 29th, 1737, and wedded on March 12th, 1756, to Henry Earl of Pembroke, by whom she is mother of the present Earl of Pembroke.

GEORGE, THIRD DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH, was born on January 26th, 1738-9; and, upon returning from his travels, was made a captain in the twentieth regiment of foot, but afterwards resigned. In April, 1760, his Grace was appointed Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Oxfordshire, and continued in those offices by his present Majesty, at whose coronation, he carried the scepter with the cross. On November 22d, 1762, being then lord chamberlain of the houshold, his Grace was sworn of the privy-council; and upon his resigning the chamberlain's key, was on April 22d, 1763, appointed lord privy-seal, but in August, 1765, quitted that place. In 1768, he was chosen one of the elder brethren of the Trinity House. At a chapter of the most noble order of the Garter, held at St. James's, December 12th, 1768, his Grace was elected one of the knights companions of that order, and was installed at Windsor July 25th, 1771. His Grace is also one of the governors of the Charter House; president of the Radcliffe Infirmary near Oxford; high steward of the corporation of Woodstock, and LL. D.; and Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.

His Grace, on August 23d, 1762, wedded Lady Caroline Russell, daughter of John Duke of Bedford, by whom he has issue, George, Marquis of Blandford, born March 3d, 1766; of whom under the title of Lord Spencer of Wormleighton. Lord Henry John, born December 20th, 1770, elected member of parliament for Woodstock 1790; secretary of legation at the Hague; made envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the court of Stockholm, July 13th, 1793; in March 1795, made envoy extraordinary at the court of Berlin, where he died July 3d same year; third, Lord Francis Almeric, born December 26th, 1779; elected member of parliament for Oxfordshire 1806, and again 1807; married, November 25th, 1800, Lady Frances Fitzroy, fifth daughter of the Duke of Grafton, and has a son born October 13th, 1802; fourth, Lady Caroline, born October 27th, 1763, married, March 10th, 1792, Henry Viscount Clifden, of Ireland, (now Lord Mendip) and has issue; fifth, Lady Elizabeth, born Dec. 20, 1764, married her cousin John Spencer, Esq. and has issue; sixth, Lady Charlotte, born October 18th, 1769, married, April 16th, 1797, the Reverend Edward Nares, Vicar of Biddenden, Kent, son of Judge Nares, and died January 10th, 1802, leaving issue; seventh, Lady Anne, born Nov. 5th, 1773, married, December 10th, 1796, the Honourable Cropley Ashley, brother to the Earl of Shaftsbury, and has issue; eighth, Lady Amelia Sophia, born September 8th, 1785.

His Grace has for many years passed much of his time in a studious and learned retirement.

Titles. George Spencer, Duke of Marlborough, Marquis of Blandford, Earl of Sunderland, and of Marlborough, Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, and Baron Churchill of Sandridge.

Creations. Baron Churchill of Sandridge, in com. Hertford, May 14th, 1685, 1 Jac. II. Baron Spencer of Wormleighton, in com. Warwick, July 21st, 1603, 1 Jac. I. Earl of Marlborough, in com. Wilts, April 9th, 1689, 1 William and Mary; Earl of Sunderland, June 8th, 1643, 19 Car. I. and Marquis of Blandford, in com. Dorset, and Duke of Marlborough aforesaid, December 14th, 1702, 1 Anne.

Arms. Quarterly, first and fourth quarterly, Argent and Gules, in the second and third a fret, Or; over all, on a bend, Sable, three Escalops of the first; for Spencer. Second and third, Sable, a lion rampant, Argent; on a canton, of the last, a cross, Gules; for Churchill.

Crest. In a ducal coronet, Or, a, gryphon's head between two wings erect, Argent, gorged with two plain collars, Gules.

Supporters. The dexter, a gryphon party per fess, Argent and Or; sinister, a Wyvern, Argent, their wings expanded, each collared and chained, Sable; and each collar charged with three escalops, Argent.

Motto. Dieu defend le droit.

Chief Seats. At Blenheim, near Woodstock, and at Blandford Lodge, near Charlbury, Oxfordshire.

THE nobility of this family, in right of the heiress of Roos, whom they married in the reign of Henry VI. is as old as the conquest.

a

C

With regard to their descent in the male line, it is the opinion of the famous Camden, and other antiquaries, that this family had denomination from a place of their own name, and in all probability from the village of Manor, near Lanchester, in the bishopric of Durham; it being evident, that the ancestors of his Grace the Duke of Rutland were of great note, for many ages past, in the northern parts of this realm.

"Though none of this family arrived to the dignity of peerage, until the reign of King Henry VIII." says Dugdale, "yet were they persons of great note in Northumberland for many ages before for in 25 Henry II. Henry de Maners paid lxxx marks for livery of his father's lands in that county."e

But this Henry is not mentioned in the following pedigree. The first of this noble family, that occurs, is f Sir ROBERT de Manners, Lord of the manor of Ethale (now Etall), in Northumberland, father of GILES de Manners, whose son ROBERT was father of another GILES, who had a son, Sir & ROBERT de Manners, who married Philippa, daughter of Sir Bartholomew de

a Remains, p. 122.

b It is somewhere mentioned in the Percy pedigree that they took their name De Maneriis as stewards of the manors of that great family. But this might be said to gratify the Percy claims of superiority.

< Index Villaris, p. 231.

d Rot Pip. 25 Hen II. Northumb. e Dugd. Bar. vol. ii. p. 296. f Mr. Edmondson's Baronagium Genealogicum.

Ex Lib. MS. Genealog in Bib. Lambeth, p. 112, 113.

Mont Boucher, Knight, and had issue Sir ROBERT de Manners, his son and heir, who had to wife Hawise, daughter of Robert de Muschamp, Baron of Waldye, and by her was father of EuSTACE de Manners, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Hugh Proffia, Knight; their son and heir was Sir ROBERT de Manners, Knight, who in the reign of Henry III. was a witness to the i charter of Alexander, King of Scots, to Sir William Swinburne ; · and in 5 Edward I. was summoned to meet the King at Worcester, on the Octaves of St. John Baptist, with horse and arms to go against Llewellen, Prince of Wales, and his adherents, according to the service he owed for two knights fees in the county of Northumberland; but being infirm, Sir Robert Talebois served for him. This Sir Robert Manners espoused Agnes, daughter of Sir David Coupland, Knight, and had issue another Sir ROBERT Manners, who was not knighted before 1278, 6 Edward I. for in that year the King directing his præcipe (dated at Westminster, June 26th) to the sheriff of Northumberland, to constrain ail persons in that county, who held 207. per annum, or a knight's fee of that value, in chief, to take upon them the order of knighthood at Christmas, he was then returned among others who had not been knighted.

He married Helen, daughter of Alan or Adam de Heton, and by her had four sons, Robert de Manners of Barrington, in Northumberland, who died without issue; William de Manners, who then became heir; Sir John de Manners, and Adam de Manners, who both deceased without progeny. William de Manners, above mentioned, married Ellen or Jennetta, daughter of David Baxter of Derby, and departed this life, A. D. 1349, leaving a son, Sir Robert de " Manners.

n

Which Sir ROBERT de Manners, in 17 Edward II. was returned into chancery among the principal persons of the county of Northumberland, who were certified to bear arms by descent from their ancestors. And in 1 Edward III. signalized himself in the defence of Norham Castle, whereof he was governor; of which Mr. Barnes, in his history of Edward III. page 5, gives this account: "The Scots, encouraged by former successes, and despising King Edward's youth, on the very night of that day

MS. Baronage by Sir H. St George, Knt.
i Inter Cart. D Will. Swinburn, Bart.

* MS in Bibl. Anstis, Ar. Notat. B. 5. p. 102.
m MS. Baron, prædict.
" Mr. Edmondson's Baronagium prædict.

1 Geneal in MS. præd.