Edward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer1

Male, #58238, (24 Jan 1924 - 29 Mar 1992)

Parent*Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer1 (23 May 1892 - 9 Jun 1975)
Parent*Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton1 (16 Aug 1897 - 4 Dec 1972)
Edward John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer|b. 24 Jan 1924\nd. 29 Mar 1992|p58238.htm|Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer|b. 23 May 1892\nd. 9 Jun 1975|p58237.htm|Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton|b. 16 Aug 1897\nd. 4 Dec 1972|p58236.htm|||||||James A. E. Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn|b. 30 Nov 1869\nd. 12 Sep 1953|p58234.htm|Lady Rosalind C. C. Bingham|b. 26 Feb 1869\nd. 18 Jan 1958|p58235.htm|

Birth*24 Jan 1924 He was born on 24 Jan 1924 at Sussex Square, London, England.2 
 He was the son of Albert Spencer 7th Earl Spencer and Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton.1 
Marriage*1 Jun 1954 He married Frances Ruth Burke Roche on 1 Jun 1954.2 
Divorce*Apr 1969 Edward was divorced from Frances Ruth Burke Roche in Apr 1969.2 
Death*29 Mar 1992 He died at Wellington, London, England, on 29 Mar 1992.2 
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 Jan 1936 - 3 Jun 2004)
Child

Charts Ancestry of Diana, Princess of Wales
The Culpepers of Hollingbourne, from 1539 to present? (Possibly extinct)
Last Edited 10 Mar 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