page_title: John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer / Early life
context_page_description: John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer was a British peer and politician.
context_section_description: Spencer was born on 19 December 1734 at Althorp, his family home in Northamptonshire.  He was the only son of Hon. John Spencer and his wife, the former Georgiana Caroline Carteret (1716–1780). His only sibling was sister Diana Spencer, who died at eight years old. After his father's alcohol-related death in 1746, his mother married secondly William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper.
  His father was the youngest son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, the First Lord of the Treasury and Lord President of the Council under George I, and his second wife, Lady Anne Churchill (third daughter of the 1st Duke of Marlborough), who served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Anne. Among his paternal family were uncle Robert Spencer, 4th Earl of Sunderland; aunt Lady Anne Spencer (wife of 1st Viscount Bateman); Charles Spencer, 5th Earl of Sunderland (who succeeded his great-aunt, Henrietta becoming the 3rd Duke of Marlborough), aunt Lady Diana Spencer (wife of the 4th Duke of Bedford).
  His mother was the third daughter and heiress of Lord President of the Council John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville and his first wife, Frances Worsley (a daughter of Sir Robert Worsley, 4th Baronet). Among his maternal family were aunts Louisa Carteret (wife of the 2nd Viscount Weymouth), Grace Carteret (wife of the 4th Earl of Dysart), Frances Carteret (wife of the 4th Marquess of Tweeddale), and Sophia Carteret (wife of the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne).
  Spencer was the principal beneficiary under the will of his great-grandmother Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough who stipulated, however, that should he at any time accept "from any King or Queen of these realms any pension, or any office or employment, civil or military" (except the Rangership of Windsor Great or Little Park), the estate would pass to the next heir "as if the same John Spencer were actually dead."
caption: Portrait of Spencer and his father, by George Knapton, c. 1744.
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