470 HERA 
bert, the fourteenth in defcent from Geoffrey, was by 
James I. at his acceffion, created baron Spencer of 
Wormleighton in the county of Warwick. He diftin- 
guifhed himfelf in oppofition to what were confidered as 
the encroachments of prerogative, and was reputed to 
be one of the bed parliamentary.fpeakers of his time. 
He died Odlober 25, 1627. 
Henry, third lord Spencer, his grandfon, was one of 
thole noblemen, in the time of Charles I. who were de- 
firous of moderating the differences between the king 
and his parliament; but, being unable to prevail, he 
followed the royal.'army'; though, as he obferves in a 
letter to his lady, “ if there could be an expedient 
found to folve the punctilio of honour, he would not 
have continued in it an hour.” He was created, foon 
after the commencement of the civil war, earl of Sun¬ 
derland.'. He married Dorothy, daughter of Robert 
Sydney earl of Leiceder,. who*is celebrated by Waller 
in his’poems, under the appellation of Sachariffa, and 
died September 20, 1643, in the twenty-third year of 
his age. Robert, his next brother, was ip 16B6 created 
a peer of Scotland, by the title of vifcount Tiviot, and 
died,without iffue. 
Robert, fecond earl of Sunderland, was, in the ear¬ 
lier part of the reign of Charles II. employed in feve- 
ral important embaflies, and, being being.recalled from 
the court of France, where he then refided, was, Febru¬ 
ary 9, 1679, appointed one of his majedy’s principal fe- 
cretaries of date, at the fame time that the earl ofEffex 
was appointed fird lord of the treafury, and the earl of 
Shaftibury lord prefident of rite council, and that the 
office of fecretaVy of date, in conjunction with lord Sun¬ 
derland, was offered to lir William Temple. He was, 
April 1680, removed from the office of Secretary of 
date* in confequence of his fupporting the bill for ex¬ 
cluding the duke of York from the fucceffion to the 
throne, but was redored January 28, 1682. He con¬ 
tinued in this office during the greater part of the reign 
of James 11.,and December 4, 1685, obtained the addi¬ 
tional appointment of lofd prefident of the council. 
Becoming fufpeCted by the government, lie was, Octo¬ 
ber^, 1688, difmiffed from all his employments, and, 
departing from the kingdom, arrived in Holland about 
the fame time that the prince of Orange landed at Tor- 
bay. ' A few ye.ars after the earl of Sunderland acquired 
n high degree of credit with'king William, and, April 
1 9 > i 6 97> was appointed lord chamberlain of the houfe- 
bold, which office he refigned December 2 6, in the fame 
year: The fituation in which this nobleman was placed 
during thefe tranfaftions, was in many refpeCts extreme¬ 
ly delicate and dangerous. 
Charles, third earl of Sunderland, having married 
Anne, fecond daughter of John Churchill duke of 
Marlborough, was, December 3, 1706, appointed one 
of the principal fecretaries of date ; which office he held 
till June 14, 1710. At the time of his difmiffion he very 
difintereftedly refufed to accept the offer of the queen to 
fettle upon him a peufion of three thoufand pounds per 
annum. Uppn the acceffion of George I. he was,'Sep¬ 
tember 24, 1714, appointed lord lieutenant of tire king¬ 
dom of Ireland ; and, having refigned that office, was 
farther promoted, Augud 28, 1715, to be lord keeper 
of the privy feal. Having, refigned this appointment, 
he was, April 12, 1717, condituted'one of the principal 
fecretaries of date ; March 16, 1718, he exchanged that 
fituation for the place of lord prefident of five council ; 
and, in the following week was promoted to be fird lord 
co in midi oner of the treafury. The office of lord prefi- 
dent of the^council he refigned February 6, 1719, and 
his pod at the head of adminidration in April 1721. He 
died April 19, 1722. From his third iurvivingTon, the 
family of Spencer, earl Spencer, is delcended. 
Charles, fifth earl of Sunderland, and fecond fon of 
Charles, the third earl, fucceeded, Augud 24, 1731, (ac¬ 
cording to the tenor of the patent, creating the cele- 
L D R Y. 
brated John Churchill, marquis of Blandford and duke 
of Marlborough,) to the title of marquis of Blandford, 
and, October 24, 1733, to the title of duke of Marlbo¬ 
rough. 
The family of Churchill is lineally defeended from 
Roger de Courcil, grandfon of Gitto de Leon, progeni¬ 
tor of. the noble hottfe pf Leon in France, who came 
over to England with William the Conqueror. Sir 
Winfton Churchill, in the reign of Charles I. was a dre- 
nuous partiz.an of the royal caufe, and fuftered under 
the fequeftrations of the parliamentarians. He had iffne, 
x. Arabella, much admired by James II. to whom (he 
bore James Fitz-James, duke of Berwick. She married 
colonel Charles Godfrey, mader of the jewel-office in 
the reign of queen Anne. 2. John, duke of Marlbo¬ 
rough. 3. George Churchill, who didingufhed him- 
felf at the.battle of La Hogue,«-and was admiral of the 
blue. 4. Charles, a general in the army. 
Charles Churchill, fird duke of Marlborough, was 
created, November 21, 1682, baron Churchill of the 
kingdom of Scotland ; and upon the acceffion of James II. 
a peer of Great Britain, by the title of baron Churchill, 
of Sandridge, in the county of Herts. He was fecond 
in command at the defeat of the duke of Monmouth ; 
but, upon the invafion of the prince of Orange, was 
among the fird wlio went over to his party, and was by 
that prince advanced to the rank of earl of Marlbo¬ 
rough. He ferved feme campaigns in Ireland and the 
Low Countries ; but, falling under the diipleafure of 
king William, was dripped of all his employments, and 
lent prifoner to the Tower. He was, in June 1698, ap¬ 
pointed governor to William duke of Glouceder, Ion 
of the princefs Anne. By king William, June 1, 1701, 
he was appointed Commander-in-chief of the forces in 
Holland, and this appointment was confirmed and ex¬ 
tended to him by queen Anne, with the addition, June 
29, 1702, of the appointment of mafter-general of the 
ordnance. By that princefs he was created marquis of 
Blandford and duke of Marlborough, Decembei 4, 1702 ; 
and he illudrated her reign by the mod-fignal victories 
ever gained upon the continent of Europe. By the em¬ 
peror Jofeph, he was, November 12, 1705, created 
prince of Mildenheim, in the duchy of Swabia, which 
lie afterwards exchanged for the county of Ncllenburg 
in the circle of Auftria. In compenfation for his un¬ 
exampled fervices, the manor of Wooddock and houfe 
pf Blenheim, were fettled on him and his heirs by a£t of 
parliament January 28, 1705, and January 28, 1,707., an. 
annuity of rive thoufand pounds per annum was in a 
fimilar manner entailed; yet, on December 30, 1711, 
lie was divpded of all bis offices, at the fame time that 
his duchcls was deprived of hers! By George I. he 
was-redored September 24, 1714, to the office of tnader- 
general of the ordnance.—For the military hiftory, and 
portrait, of this great Englilli general, fee. the articles 
Churchill, vol. iv. p. 580; and Eng land, vol. vi* 
p. 702-710. 
The duke of Marlborough married Sarah, daughter 
of Richard Jennings of Sandridge in the county of Hert¬ 
ford, e (quire ; by which lady he had iffue: 1. John, 
marquis of Blandford. 2. Henrietta, married to Francis 
earl of Gbdolphin, fon to lord-treafurer Godolphin. 
3. Anne, married to Charles, the third earl of Sunder¬ 
land. 4. Elizabeth, married to Scroop, firft duke of 
Bridgewater. 5. Mary, married.to John Montague, 
duke of Montague. The marquis of Blandford dying 
in the thirteenth year of his age, an add of parliament 
was obtained, Deceriiber 21, 1706, by which his grace’s 
honours and dignities were to delcend to all the heirs of 
his body,’ male and ^female. He died June 16, 1722. 
Upon his death, Henrietta, countefs of Godolphin, his, 
elded daughter, fucceeded to the title of duchefs of 
Marlborough, and her fon William to that of marquis 
of Blandford. 
Charles, fecond duke of Marlborough, embraced the 
military 
