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The House of Spencer was founded in the 15th century by Henry Spencer (died c. 1478), from whom all members descend.
Henry Spencer of Badby was a successful yeoman and was a lessee of the demesne and tithes of Badby under the Abbey of Evesham in the reign of Henry VI, and also during the reign of Edward IV.
Note: Henry G. Spencer. Will dated 1476. Married Isabel, daughter of Henry Lincoln (Badby, Northamptonshire, England).
http://nielsenhayden.com/genealogy-tng/getperson.php?personID=I2160...
Parents unknown. Henry Spencer is the earliest known member of this line. The pedigree in the 1619 Visitation of Warwickshire linking this Spencer family with the Despencers has been disproved.
Wife: Isabel, d. Between 4 Mar 1478 and 3 Mar 1479 Married Bef 1444 [1]
Children
https://www.americanancestors.org/browse/publications/the-register/...
NEHGR Vol. 174, Summer 2020
Our lead article is Ancestry of Agnes Spencer, Wife of Thomas Higginson of Berkeswell, Warwickshire, Ancestor of Nine American Immigrants, Cousin to Diana, Princess of Wales, Sir Winston Churchill, President George Washington, and Others. Building on his earlier Higginson article, author Clifford L. Stott shows how all these people were descended from three Spencer brothers of Warwickshire and Badby, Northamptonshire, born in the mid-fifteenth century. The immediate descendants of the three brothers are traced in the text, and a two-page chart shows how those named in the article’s title and U.S. Presidents Washington, Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, and the two Bushes are descended from one of the three Spencer brothers. As the author’s major articles have shown, finding a network of distantly related American immigrants is not surprising.
The article begins with “The Despencer Forgery.” In 1595 a successful Spen-cer descendant paid a corrupt herald to grant him arms based on the arms of the extinct noble Despencer family. This Spencer family clearly was not descended from the Despencer family, as proved in print in 1901. However, the Spencers rose to gentry status, several men were knighted, and Robert Spencer (1570–1627), ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sir Winston Churchill was granted a title.
Parents unknown.
WARNING - there appear to be TWO Henry Spencers, each married to Isabel Lincoln in Badby. See http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~riss/baldwin/bw/sp_engl_im...
http://www.badbyhistory.org.uk/bhistory.html
With the decline of the Monastic life in the 14th century it became the practice for Evesham Abbey to lease out land in Badby. The Spencer family rented the “Manor” from 1451–71 and may well have carried out renovations marked on the plan. In 1530 they still held a lease on part of the Manor lands. This family is now associated with Althorpe.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_family
Spencer family
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Spencer-210
Henry Spencer of Badby, Esquire, held certain lands and was lessee of the demesne and tithes of Badby under the Abbey of Evesham in the reign of Henry VI, and also during the reign of Edward IV, from 1451 to 1477.
The Spencer Family removed to Everdon. The death of William Spencer of Badby and Everdon on August 17, 1576 is noted in Baker's History. Henry died in 1476.[1][2]
Beginning 1595, it was claimed that Henry Spencer was the son of Thomas Despencer. This, along with a number of other false pedigrees, was refuted by Horace Round in his 1901 Studies in Peerage and Family History.
Round describes the Spencer pedigree as, “a typical case of the Heralds' College providing a family, when it has acquired wealth, with arms to which it is not entitled on the strength of a pedigree concocted for the purpose”.[3]
Citing Round, The Complete Peerage dismissed the false Spencer pedigree as "an elaborate imposture," ... "incapable of deceiving the most credulous."[4]
The November 1902 edition of The Ancestor had some fun with the Spencer family's fake pedigree, describing them as, "that pushful house of shepherd kings" -- referring to the well-known origin of the family's wealth.[5]
In a more gentle tone, the March 1996 edition of Soul Search sadly noted that the forged pedigree, "obscures the real achievement of the Spencers of Althorpe. Alone, perhaps among the English nobility, the Spencers owed their riches and their rise not to the favour of a king or to the spoils of monasteries, nor even to a fortune made in trade, but to successful farming."[6]
Ancestral Note
Beginning with Henry, "de" was said to be omitted from the Spencer surname. But this may not be correct, since the connection between the DeSpencer and Spencer lines was refuted by John Horace Round in Peerage Studies and Allied Families. To demonstrate, note the following book excerpts and sources.
Source: Collin, A. (1785). Peerage of England, Vol.1 with Addenda by Sir Egerton Brydeges, K.J., 1812. NYC: AMS Pres Inc. 1970. pp. 382.
Thomas, the eldest son and heir of Nicholas, was father (g) of HENRY SPENCER, of Badby in com. Northampton, Esq. as appears by a (h) receipt (i), dated 13 Henry VI, for subsidies then paid to the King. Which HENRY took to wife Isabel, daughter and coheir of Henry Lincoln, from whom proceeded four sons, John, Thomas, William and Nicholas; and died about (k) 16 Edward IV, his last will and testament bearing date 1476, wherein he appoints his sons, John and Thomas, executors, and Isabel his wife overseer. The seal affix had the arms the family now bear, viz, quarterly in the first and third, a fret, over all, on a bend, three Escallops (l). He was succeded by his eldest son.
(My notes: No where else in this Volume, Vol. 5 or Vol. 7 do we seen any mention of this Henry and his wife Isabel.
Source: The Worthies of Warwickshire, who lived between 1500 and 1800, by Frederick Leigh Colville, M.A., printed by Henry T. Cooke and Sons, London: J.R. Smith, Soho Square, prefaced by Lee Wooton, December, 1869.
The history of the SPENCERS' begins on page 706 with Sir John Spencer (d.1522) of Snittenfield, later of Wormleighton and Hodell and Althorp. The lineage in this volume descends to Henry Spencer, 3rd Lord Spencer, and 1st Earl of Sunderland. He succeeded his father, Sir Robert Spencer, 1st Lord Spencer (d.1627 Wormleighton).
Sir Henry succeeded his father in 1637, and died at the Battle of Newbury in 1643 .[7]
In his disertation, Round (n.d.) attempts to disprove the connection between the Le De Spencer and Spencer lines.[8] He mentions where:
"The family of Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorpe recorded in its pedigree at the Hearlds Vistionation of the County of Northampton in 1564 (H.IV in Coll.Arms) beginning with Sir John Spencer of Hodnell (d.1521), in the County of Warwick Kt.
At that time no pretension was made to a descent from the Despencers or of any relationship to the Earls of Winchester and Gloucester, nor was there the least similitude in the arms.
In 1595, Clarencieux Lee made a pedigree for the then Sir John Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorpe. In it, the descent is close to Dugdale's record. He professes to have complied it from diverse records, registers, wills, and other good sufficient proofs which he carefully researched, and in his character of Clarencieux King of Arms he confirms and allows it officially. Whatever proofs he ... examined, I confess that I cannot give implicit credit to his work".
On pps 325 and 326 we find: "One must repeat that Lee's deeds and persons may be genuine, but that he connected and combined them at his own sweet will,[9] and that his wife's name was Isabel; for, although it has been supposed that there is now no evidence for this Henry, I have found Henry Spencer of Badby", with Isabel (Lincoln) his wife, occurring in 1468.[10]
Clarke (n.d.), starts off with John Spencer, who died at Edworth, Bedfordshire, 9 June 1558.[11]
Spencer (1956), starts the line with Henry G. Spencer of Badby, who married Isabel Lincoln.[12]
Spencer (1927), starts the line from Amaury d' Abbetot and continues on to Henry Spencer of Northamptonshire, who married Isabel Lincoln. Between Robert Le De Spencer and Henry Spencer, the author follows the line drawn up by Arthur Collins.[13]
Brainerd (1991), also begins the line with Amauri d' Abbetot.[14]
Of the 9 Proposed Lineages to the 4 Brothers, Spencer, Spencer & Spencer (1993) feel the lineage given to LDS in 1993 by Dr. John Kimball and Virgil Spencer to be the most accurate. They begin the line with Henry of Badby.[15]
Genealogical Bulletins, begins the lineage with Robert Le Despencer. He sites many many references, but I believe, as Rounds states, there is no connection between the DeSpencer and the Spencers of our line.[16]
Spencer (1914), begins the line with John Le Spencer of Southampton, 1273, Henry Le Spencer of Cambridge about the same time, Thomas and Agnes Spencer of Yorkshire in 1379, to John Spencer of Bedfordshire! There is much lacking in this lineage! [17]
With this, we wonder where Henry Spencer came from. How do we make the connection between him and John Spencer of Bedfordshire? Is this all speculation, or can it be proven? Is anyone pursuing this? I myself am trying via various Bulletin Board Systems and the Internet to make the connection, and hopefully in the near future will succeed in doing so. But I do believe we can put to "rest" the connection between the le Despencer line and our Spencer line, and concentrate on finding Henry's whereabouts and his ancestors.[18]
Vitals
Henry G. Spencer.[18][19]
The article 'de' was dropped, and omitted frome the Spencer line at this point with Henry.[18]
This statement may not be correct, as the connection between the DeSpencer line and the Spencer was disproven by John Horace Round in his book Peerage Studies and Allied Families.[18]
Family m. abt. 1415 Isabella Lincoln (b. abt 1394 Badby, Northamptonshire).[19][20]
Issue:
Will Date: 1476[19]
Genealogy Of The Spencer Family[22]
First Generation
Henry G. Spencer. Will dated 1476. Married Isabel, daughter of Henry Lincoln (Badby, Northamptonshire, England).
Second Generation
Thomas F. Spencer of Eton Socon, England, in 1433.
Third Generation
Robert Spencer, of South Mylles, Bedfordshire, Later St. Albans, England. Married Ann Peck (Peake, Peak, Peek, Pack).
Fourth Generation
John Spencer, South Mylles, Bedfordshire 1533 at St. Albans, later in Edworth, Bedfordshire, England. Married Christian Baker.
Fifth Generation
Copy attached.[19]
(k) 16 Edward IV, his last will and testament bearing date 1476, wherein he appoints his sons, John and Thomas, executors, and Isabel his wife overseer. The seal affix had the arms the family now bear, viz, quarterly in the first and third, a fret, over all, on a bend, three Escallops (l). He was succeded by his eldest son.(g)Orignal proof wanting
(h) Visit. com. Northampton praed
(i) Query, whether this receipt is cited to prove that Henry was son of Thomas? (k) Visi. comm. Northampton, praed.
(l) ... disprove the connection of the Le De Spencer line and the Spencer line. He mentions where: " The family of Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorpe recorded in its pedigree at the Hearlds Vistionation of the County of Northampton in 1564 (H.IV in Coll.Arms) beginning with Sir John Spencer of Hodnell, in the County of Warwick Kt who died in 1521.
At that time no pretension was made to a descent from the Despencers or of any relationship to the Earls of Winchester and Gloucester, nor was there the least similitude in the arms. Clarencieux Lee in 1595 made a pedigree for the then Sir John Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorpe, in which he drew the descednt nearly in the manner in which Dugdale has given it; he professes to have complied it from divers records, registers, wills, and other good sufficient proofs which he had diligently and carefully perused, and in his character of Clarencieux King of Arms he confims and allows it officially. Whatever the proofs which he saw and examined, I confess that I cannot give implicit credit to his work". ...
From A Short History of Badby by A.E.Evens (?) c: 1940. Henry Spencer, son of Thomas Spencer and Joan, daughter of Richard Pollock, of Kent, lived here. Henry Spencer of Badby, Esquire, held certain lands and was lessee of the demesne and tithes of Badby under the Abbey of Evesham in the reign of Henry VI., and also in the reign of Edward IV, from 1451 to 1477. The Spencer Family removed to Everdon. The death of William Spencer of Badby and Everdon on August 17, 1576, is noted in Baker's History.
Four U.S. Presidents, Princess Diana Spencer, and Winston Churchill
HENRY G. SPENCER and Isabella LINCOLN were married about 1415. Isabella LINCOLN (daughter of Henry LINCOLN and (?) (?)) was born about 1394 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. She was daughter and co-heir of Henry Lincoln. HENRY G. SPENCER and Isabella LINCOLN had the following children:
+23
i. John SPENCER feofee of Wormlighton.
+24
ii. THOMAS SPENCER.
25
iii. William SPENCER was born in Badby, Northhamptonshire, England.
26
iv. Nicholas SPENCER was born in Badby, Northamptonshire, England.
27
v. Margaret SPENCER.
Source List Attached [23]
Ancestral File Number: HNX3-R5 Source
The Spencer lineage I give is from "SPENCER-HUXLEY: From the files of Stephen M. Lawson". "The following lineage is generally accurate. However, some differences are reported in other sources. A series begun January 1983 in le Despencer, Newsletter of the Spencer Family Association, by Flora Spencer Clark, includes the final 3 English generations as proved. This series continues with the American Spencers. Identification of Henry SPENCER and Isabella LINCOLN as parents of Sir John SPENCER is from Ancestors of American Presidents, by Gary Boyd Roberts (Santa Clarita, CA, 1995)."
Henry SPENCER (d. 1477/8) of Badby, Northants. m. Isabella LINCOLN. Son William m. Elizabeth EMPSON and became ancestor of Pres. F. D. ROOSEVELT, Sir Winston SPENCER-CHURCHILL, Lady Diana (SPENCER), Princess of Wales, and her sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Son Thomas m. Margaret SMITH became ancestor of Pres. WASHINGTON and Pres. F. D. ROOSEVELT. Son John, as noted below, became ancestor of Pres. COOLIDGE and Pres. BUSH.
Biography
Henry was born in 1392. Henry Spencer ... He passed away in 1476. [24]
This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress. Can you contribute information or sources?
Source: The Worthies of Warwickshire, who lived between 1500 and 1800, by Frederick Leigh Colville, M.A., printed by Henry T. Cooke and Sons, London: J.R. Smith, Soho Square, prefaced by Lee Wooton, December, 1869.
The history of the SPENCERS' begins on page 706 with Sir John Spencer (d.1522) of Snittenfield, later of Wormleighton and Hodell and Althorp. The lineage in this volume descends to Henry Spencer, 3rd Lord Spencer, and 1st Earl of Sunderland. He succeeded his father, Sir Robert Spencer, 1st Lord Spencer (d.1627 Wormleighton).
Sir Henry succeeded his father in 1637, and died at the Battle of Newbury in 1643 .[7]
In his disertation, Round (n.d.) attempts to disprove the connection between the Le De Spencer and Spencer lines.[8] He mentions where:
"The family of Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorpe recorded in its pedigree at the Hearlds Vistionation of the County of Northampton in 1564 (H.IV in Coll.Arms) beginning with Sir John Spencer of Hodnell (d.1521), in the County of Warwick Kt. At that time no pretension was made to a descent from the Despencers or of any relationship to the Earls of Winchester and Gloucester, nor was there the least similitude in the arms.
In 1595, Clarencieux Lee made a pedigree for the then Sir John Spencer of Wormleighton and Althorpe. In it, the descent is close to Dugdale's record. He professes to have complied it from diverse records, registers, wills, and other good sufficient proofs which he carefully researched, and in his character of Clarencieux King of Arms he confirms and allows it officially. Whatever proofs he ... examined, I confess that I cannot give implicit credit to his work".
On pps 325 and 326 we find: "One must repeat that Lee's deeds and persons may be genuine, but that he connected and combined them at his own sweet will,[9] and that his wife's name was Isabel; for, although it has been supposed that there is now no evidence for this Henry, I have found Henry Spencer of Badby", with Isabel (Lincoln) his wife, occurring in 1468.[10]
1400 |
1400
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Badby, Northhamptonshire, England
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1440 |
1440
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Wormleighton, Warwickshire, England
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1444 |
1444
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Of, Hodnell, Warwickshire, England
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1452 |
1452
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Badby, Northamptonshire, England
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1469 |
June 1, 1469
Age 69
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Badby, Northamptonshire, England
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1940 |
June 22, 1940
Age 69
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1941 |
March 5, 1941
Age 69
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April 21, 1941
Age 69
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???? |