Churchill's Grandmama Read online

  To dearest John, Simon, Benedict, Nicholas

  my support and inspiration

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  * * *

  My grateful thanks to the following:

  His Grace The Duke of Marlborough, for generous access to the Archives and Library at Blenheim, for permission to reproduce a great deal of material from these sources, and for writing the Foreword;

  Lady Soames, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, Lady Mairi Bury, Celia Sandys, Anthea Morton-Saner, Hugo Vickers, Professor Anthony Fletcher, and those who prefer not to be named, for their invaluable help, encouragement and advice;

  Frances Harris (Head of Modern Historical Manuscripts at the British Library), Richard Olney (Historical Manuscripts Commission), Allen Packwood (Director of the Churchill Archives Centre) and Caroline Herbert, Carole Kenwright (Property Manager at Chartwell), Francesca Odell and Gudrun Muller (National Portrait Gallery), Dawn van Ee (Library of Congress), Richard Edgcumbe (Victoria and Albert Museum), Lucy MacMillan, Henry Porter and Els Rowlands (Porter-Design), Rowan Gilhespie and Louise Holbrow, Roger Shepherd, Maldwin Drummond, Shaheeda Sabir (Churchill Permissions), Rev. Roger Humphreys, Richard and Marie Cragg, John Forster (Archivist to the Duke of Marlborough), whose specialist knowledge has been given so generously;

  the staffs of Oxfordshire Records Office, Durham Records Office, Oxfordshire Centre for Local Studies and Woodstock Public Library (especially Gill Morris and Anne Elsmore), and Dr Melanie White of the Sorbonne, my researcher in Dublin, and the many individual members of the public who wrote to me of their own accord or responded to the TV documentaries about Blenheim;

  my many colleagues at Blenheim Palace, in particular John Hoy, Dominic Hare, Heather Carter, Victoria Bellamy, Sandra French, Antonia Keaney, Caroline McCormack, Tim Mayhew, Hannah Payne, Odette Christie de Rivas, Cathy Tuckey, Karen Wiseman;

  the Palace Guides, in particular Marae Griffin, Sue Thorne, Veronica Thorneloe, Ros Campbell, Lesley Deane, Jenny Grubb, Liz Chapman, Christine Gadsby, Julia Lennon, Wendy Neale, Sumie Smith, and the welcoming Guides at Floors Castle;

  Sue Hawker, headmistress now retired, Tracey Smith her successor, Maureen Clifford, Wendy Heppell, Caroline Hudspeth and all the staff at Bladon C.E. Primary School, Oxfordshire;

  my family and friends, my sister Wendy Heslop, my brother Jack Heslop, Mary and Nicholas Grey, Eileen and Bob Mason, Carol and Allen Mason, Robert and Ann Parkin, Jeri Bapasola, Gill Brounger, Monica and Gerard Coleman, Tineke and Peter Gill, Alan Jamieson, Sarah and Michael Lyon, Irene and Tom Maddison, Harold and Pamela Redwood, Mary and Chris White, Ann and George Wilson, my sons Simon, Ben and Nicholas for their unfailing encouragement and support, often of a very practical kind, and my husband John, who devoted so much time and patience to researching illustrations.

  Finally, to Shelley Grimwood of The History Press, whose experienced advice and insight over many months has been invaluable to me, and to all her colleagues, I offer my most grateful thanks.

  Margaret Elizabeth Forster

  2009

  CONTENTS

  * * *

  Title

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  List of Illustrations

  Illustration Acknowledgements

  Foreword

  Family Tree

  Chronology

  Introduction

  1. A Glamorous Beginning

  2. From Crisis to Crisis

  3. An Emotional Farewell

  4. A Privileged Childhood

  5. An Eventful Adolescence

  6. A Marriage has been Arranged

  7. Frances and Blenheim

  8. Duchess of Marlborough

  9. The Triumphant Revival

  10. A Beloved Son

  11. Randolph at Oxford

  12. Randolph and Jennie

  13. A Parental Dilemma

  14. Resolution

  15. Family Life

  16. Disappointed Hopes

  17. The Prince’s Revenge

  18. Ireland, 1887-1880

  19. The Famine Fund

  20. The Sad Aftermath

  21. Randolph Ascendant

  22. A Caring Grandmother

  23. … and Others

  24. An Error of Judgement

  25. Mixed Emotions

  26. The Last Days

  27. Looking Ahead

  Bibliography

  Plates

  Copyright

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  * * *

  1. Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough, aged about twelve

  2. Wynyard Hall and Park, a watercolour by J.W. Carmichael

  3. Frances Anne, 3rd Marchioness of Londonderry, 1819, by Sir Thomas Lawrence

  4. John Winston, 7th Duke of Marlborough, 1843, marble, Lawrence MacDonald

  5. Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough, 1843, marble, Lawrence MacDonald

  6. Londonderry House, Park Lane, London

  7. Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough, by Buckner, 1840s

  8. Silver centrepiece, Blenheim Palace, by Robert Garrard

  9. 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, 10th Hussars, a bronze

  10. Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough, photographed in the 1860s

  11. John Winston, 7th Duke of Marlborough, photographed in the 1860s

  12. Frances, John Winston and members of the family, c.1860

  14. Pages from the Visitors’ Book at Blenheim Palace

  15. Royal Yacht Squadron yacht Wyvern, 1876

  16. Winston Churchill, 1880, aged seven

  17. Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough, 1880, aged 56

  18. The Famine Relief Committee, 1879

  19. The Irish Famine Memorial, Toronto, by Rowan Gillespie, 2007

  20. The Fourth Party, 1880, a cartoon by Spy in Vanity Fair

  21. Subscribers to the Famine Relief Fund

  22. Illuminated address of thanks, 1877

  23. Citation from the City of Dublin, 1880

  24. Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough, 1880

  25. Memorial of Lord Randolph, Blenheim Chapel, by Waldo Story

  26. Memorial inscription

  27. Winston Churchill, 1895

  28. Blenheim Palace

  29. Winston Churchill, 1900

  ILLUSTRATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Many of the photographs in this book have been taken by Richard Cragg, my friend and colleague at Blenheim Palace to whom I express my deepest gratitude. Without his skill, talent and unfailing enthusiasm a great many of the illustrations simply would not have been possible. I am grateful, too, to my son, Simon Forster, for his discovery and photography of the Famine Memorial sculptures in Toronto.

  The author and publisher are grateful for permission to reproduce images:

  Alamy, 33; Richard Cragg, 10; Rowan Gillespie, 22 (and inset); the Reverend Canon R. Humphreys, 32; His Grace The Duke of Marlborough, 1, 5, 6, 8 (photographed by Porter-Design), 9, 12-14, 16-17, 20-1, 23, 24-7, 29-30; Private Collection, 2, 4, 7; R. Shepherd, 18; TopFoto, 16, 31.

  FOREWORD BY HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH

  I am very pleased to introduce this book about my great great-grandmother, Frances, 7th Duchess of Marlborough and grandmother of Sir Winston Churchill. Almost an exact contemporary of Queen Victoria, she has never had the recognition she deserves. The picture of her in the public eye is of a Victorian martinet, unbending and rather cold. This book throws a clear and rewarding light on a lady who, it is now revealed, had the warmest of hearts and a most generous nature. By examining her commitment as a caring grandmother, notably of Winston Churchill, by demonstrating her commitment to the local community, especially in the field of education, and by sharing the sadness in her life, when she buried he
r five sons as well as her husband, this book brings alive the personality of a truly admirable woman.

  However, it was the breaking out of famine yet again in Ireland during her husband’s term as Viceroy which moved her on to the world stage and drew from her talents and qualities hitherto unrecognised. In her speedy and effective creation and administration of her Famine Relief Fund on an international scale, she revealed not only her warmth and compassion but also qualities of leadership, judgement and organisation of the highest order. The letters of thanks and farewell she received throughout the Irish press, from all shades of political opinion, are particularly illuminating and make moving reading.

  I welcome this publication with its vivid and stimulating insights into a hitherto overlooked member of my family.

  FAMILY TREE

  * * *

  CHRONOLOGY

  * * *

  DATE

  NATIONAL AND FAMILY EVENTS

  1815

  Battle of Waterloo; Defeat of Napoleon; Peace in Europe; Congress of Vienna.

  Lord Charles Stewart, Adjutant-General to the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic wars, is appointed British Ambassador to Austria with special reference to the Congress of Vienna.

  1819

  Frances Anne Vane-Tempest (born 1800) meets and marries Lord Charles Stewart. They arrive in Vienna, having first restored the estates and collieries at Wynyard Hall, the Vane-Tempest home near Durham.

  1820

  Death of George III; accession of George IV.

  Charles sent to Italy to facilitate King George’s divorce from his wife Caroline.

  1821

  Birth of Harry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, eldest son and heir to Charles and Frances Anne. Family returns to England.

  1822

  Birth of Frances Anne Emily, eldest daughter to Charles and Frances Anne, in London. Birth at Blenheim Palace of John Winston Spencer-Churchill, eldest son and heir to the 6th Duke of Marlborough.

  Purchase by Charles Stewart of Seaham estate from Sir Ralph Milbanke. Purchase of houses in Mayfair.

  Death of Lord Castlereagh, Charles’ stepbrother, British Foreign Secretary. Charles resigns from embassy at Vienna but is ordered to Congress of Verona. He becomes 3rd Marquess of Londonderry in place of Castlereagh.

  Family travel across the Alps to Verona. Frances Anne meets Tsar Alexander I for the second time. Family returns to England.

  1823

  Birth of Alexandrina, second daughter, with Tsar as godfather.

  1825

  Stockton and Darlington railway opens.

  Birth of Adolphus, second son, with two royal Dukes as godparents, York and Cambridge.

  1826

  Housewarming of Wynyard Hall, rebuilt in classical style.

  1827

  Duke of Wellington visits Wynyard.

  1830

  Death of George IV. Accession of William IV. Whigs in power under Earl Grey.

  Birth of Adelaide, daughter, with Queen Adelaide as sponsor.

  1831

  Liverpool and Manchester railway opens. Seaham Harbour constructed and opened. Cholera epidemic in Sunderland.

  1832

  Great Reform Bill enlarges political franchise and restructures representation in Parliament. Charles stoned in Whitehall by angry London mob.

  1833

  Beginning of Oxford Movement in Church of England.

  1834

  Slavery abolished throughout British Empire.

  1836

  Wellington, Prime Minister, offers Charles the Ambassador’s post in St Petersburg; he courteously declines. Private family visit to Russia in Tsar Nicholas’ (brother of Tsar Alexander) yacht.

  1837

  Death of William IV. Accession of Queen Victoria.

  1840

  Penny post introduced.

  1841

  Conservatives in government; Robert Peel Prime Minister.

  Wynyard Hall burns down; rebuilt by John Dobson and Ignatius Bonomi.

  1842

  Harry Vane-Tempest-Stewart’s coming-of-age celebrated at Wynyard. Beginnings of first Irish potato famine.

  1843

  Frances marries John Winston Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford and heir to the 6th Duke of Marlborough, attended by royal and aristocratic guests. The couple take up residence in Hensington House.

  1844-80

  Development of British coal industry and the railways. London docks built.

  Birth of George Charles, first son of Frances and John Winston, and heir to the dukedom and Earl of Sunderland.

  1846

  Whigs in government.

  Birth of Frederick John, second son of Frances and John Winston; dies 1850.

  1847

  Birth of Cornelia Henrietta Maria, first daughter of Frances and John Winston.

  1848

  Revolutions in Europe.

  1849

  Birth of Randolph Henry, third son of Frances and John Winston.

  1850

  Frances Anne builds Garron Tower, near Belfast, to help relieve Irish unemployment.

  1851

  Great Exhibition, organised by Albert, Prince Consort.

  Birth of Rosamund Jane Frances, second daughter of Frances and John Winston.

  1852

  Earl of Derby Prime Minister. Death of Duke of Wellington. Charles is honoured to receive Wellington’s Order of the Garter. He cuts the turf to begin the Seaham to Sunderland railway.

  1853

  Birth of Fanny Octavia Louisa, third daughter of Frances and John Winston.

  1854

  Death of Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. Frederick, Charles’ son by his first marriage, becomes 4th Marquess of Londonderry. Harry, Frances’ brother, becomes Earl Vane. Frances Anne, her lands and collieries restored to her, establishes herself at Seaham Hall.

  Birth of Anne Emily, fourth daughter to John Winston and Frances.

  1854-6

  Crimean War.

  1855

  Viscount Palmerston becomes Prime Minister.

  1856

  Frances Anne entertains 4,000 miners to dinner at Chilton Moor.

  Birth of Charles Ashley, fourth son to John Winston and Frances; dies 1858.

  1857

  Death of 6th Duke. John Winston and Frances become Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.

  1857-83

  Restoration and development of Blenheim and its neighbourhood.

  1858

  Indian Mutiny.

  Augustus Robert born, fifth son of John Winston and Frances; dies 1859.

  1859

  Publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

  Opening of Bladon School.

  1860

  Duchess’s school established in Woodstock to train girls for posts in domestic service.

  Birth of Georgiana Elizabeth, fifth daughter of John Winston and Frances.

  1861

  Death of Albert, Prince Consort.

  1863

  Randolph attends Eton.

  1865

  Death of Palmerston.

  Death of Frances Anne.

  Birth of Sarah Isabella Augusta, sixth daughter of Frances and John Winston.

  1866-8

  Derby minority Conservative government.

  John Winston now Lord Steward of the Royal Household.

  1867

  John Winston becomes Lord President of the Council, with responsibility for education. Randolph attends Merton College, Oxford.

  1868

  Disraeli becomes Prime Minister (Conservative) but resigns in same year. Gladstone’s first Liberal government.

  John Winston becomes a Knight of the Garter.

  Movement of Blenheim household staff to lodges and independent homes outside the Palace.

  1869

  Suez Canal opened.

  1873

  Randolph Spencer-Churchill meets American Jennie Jerome and proposes marriage.

  1874

  John Win
ston refuses post of Viceroy of Ireland because of expense. Randolph becomes Member of Parliament for Woodstock. Randolph and Jennie marry at the British Embassy in Paris.

  Winston Churchill born at Blenheim Palace.

  Great Western Railway disaster at Hampton Gay, near Blenheim.

  1875

  Disraeli buys shares for Britain in Suez Canal, to gain a controlling interest. John Winston sells Marlborough Gems and also sells land to Lord Rothschild to build Waddesdon Manor.

  1876

  Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India.

  Lord George Blandford and Lord Randolph attract the anger of Edward, Prince of Wales.

  1877

  Despite the efforts of Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales refuses to be reconciled and makes the Spencer-Churchills social outcasts in London.