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| John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough |
(1650-1722).
Earl of Marlborough 1689
Marques of Blandford 1702
Duke of Marlborough 1702
Knight of the Garter 1702
HRE Prince of Mindenheim 1705
Page of Honour to James, Duke of York
Groom of the Bedchamber to the Duke of York
Commissioned in the Foot Guards.
Son of: Sir Winston Churchill & Helena Butler, daughter of John, 1st Lord Butler of Bramfield.
Husband of: Sarah Jennings, daughter of Richard Jennings
Cashing in on his 'beauty' to get a good career start.
"It is a relief to turn to a man who did manage to use his good looks to get him started on the road to the highest peaks of success. John Churchill's career began in service to James, Duke of York, later the James II Monmouth rebelled against. At twenty-one, Churchill, with his slim elegant figure, brilliant grey-green eyes, long eyelashes and long fair hair, noble nose and well-proportioned features, almost merits the adjective 'pretty', save that the word is too weak fo the powerful impact he had on those around him. It was at this age that he was taken up by Barbara Villiers, now twenty-nine and Duchess of Cleveland. Although the King himself acknowledged her daughter Barbara born in 1672, the father was almost certainly Churchill. The proposition that Churchill owed the financial security upon which he built his subsequent glorious career to the loving generosity of Barbara Villiers is based on the testimony of the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, writing to his son in 1748, but seems plausible --- the receipt fo the annuity which Churchill purchased certainly exists, and there would not appear to be any other possible source for the purchasing price other than those of personal appearance. The only point being suggested here is that Marlborough's beauty brought him the security and independence of a regular income upon which he was able to build his political and military career, and that that security might well not have come any other way. Indeed it seems possible to venture the generalisation, perhaps an obvious one, that beauty has its most critical effects in the early stages of a career, other qualities then becoming increasingly important; but between getting a start and not getting a start there can sometimes be the whole difference." (A History of Human Beauty: 62)
"From his frist youthm young Churchill was distinguished by the elegance of his manners and the beauty if his countenance and figure---advantages which, coupled with the known loyal principles and the sufferings of his father in the royal cause, procured for him, at the early age of fifteen, the situation of page in the household of the Duke of York, afterwards James II. His inclination for arms was then so decided, that the prince procured for him a commission in one of the regimanets of Giuards when he was only sixteen years old. His uncommonly handsome figure then attracted no small share of notice from the beauties of the court of Charles II, and even awakened a passion in one of the royal mistresses herself. Impatient to sugnalise himself, however, he left their seducations, and embarked as a volunteer in the expedition against Tangiers in 1666.
Cashing in on his 'beauty' to get a good career start.
"It is a relief to turn to a man who did manage to use his good looks to get him started on the road to the highest peaks of success. John Churchill's career began in service to James, Duke of York, later the James II Monmouth rebelled against. At twenty-one, Churchill, with his slim elegant figure, brilliant grey-green eyes, long eyelashes and long fair hair, noble nose and well-proportioned features, almost merits the adjective 'pretty', save that the word is too weak fo the powerful impact he had on those around him. It was at this age that he was taken up by Barbara Villiers, now twenty-nine and Duchess of Cleveland. Although the King himself acknowledged her daughter Barbara born in 1672, the father was almost certainly Churchill. The proposition that Churchill owed the financial security upon which he built his subsequent glorious career to the loving generosity of Barbara Villiers is based on the testimony of the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, writing to his son in 1748, but seems plausible --- the receipt fo the annuity which Churchill purchased certainly exists, and there would not appear to be any other possible source for the purchasing price other than those of personal appearance. The only point being suggested here is that Marlborough's beauty brought him the security and independence of a regular income upon which he was able to build his political and military career, and that that security might well not have come any other way. Indeed it seems possible to venture the generalisation, perhaps an obvious one, that beauty has its most critical effects in the early stages of a career, other qualities then becoming increasingly important; but between getting a start and not getting a start there can sometimes be the whole difference." (A History of Human Beauty: 62)
"From his frist youthm young Churchill was distinguished by the elegance of his manners and the beauty if his countenance and figure---advantages which, coupled with the known loyal principles and the sufferings of his father in the royal cause, procured for him, at the early age of fifteen, the situation of page in the household of the Duke of York, afterwards James II. His inclination for arms was then so decided, that the prince procured for him a commission in one of the regimanets of Giuards when he was only sixteen years old. His uncommonly handsome figure then attracted no small share of notice from the beauties of the court of Charles II, and even awakened a passion in one of the royal mistresses herself. Impatient to sugnalise himself, however, he left their seducations, and embarked as a volunteer in the expedition against Tangiers in 1666.
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| Barbara Villiers Duchess of Cleveland by Henri Gascar, 17th c. |
His lover was:
Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (1640-1709)
Lover in 1671.
[See The Uncrowned Queen @Royal Favourites)
" . . . At Court John Churchill gained favor with the Duchess of Cleveland, one of the many mistresses of Charles II, and to avoid being surprised by the King in the lady's bedroom, John Churchill, who never lacked physical daring, at some considerable risk jumped from the window as the King was trying to enter somewhat suddenly at the door. In recognition of this incident, which perhaps even Mr. Waddy would hardly call an example of stern virtue, 'Mistress Palmer' gave her youthful lover 4,5000 pounds (or 5,000 pounds). This cash, obtained by the lady from the King, and by the King from the nation, was greedily accepted." (John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough: The Mob, the Scum, and the Dregs: 4)
He was too fond of pleasure.
" . . . In his early life Churchill was ambitious, grasping, calculating and 'too fond of pleasure, to discharge the duties of a colonel' and he was prove time and again his familiarity with the crooked paths which a courtier was forced to tread. . . His loyalty to his patrons . . . was never unconditional and he worked hard to exploit his good looks and charming manner. In the process he was chosen for a number of positions and clambered up to the top of the court tree." (The Age of Faction: Court Politics, 1660-1702: 79)
First Encounter with Barbara.
"In this year (1671) we may date the Duchess of Cleveland's intrigue with the great Duke of Marlborough, at the time in question a Page of Honour to the Duke of York, and an ensign (1666) in the Guards. Count Hamilton places it in 1663, when John Churchill was a bit of thirteen; Mrs. Manley, before that with Henry Jermyn, and when he was a youth of seventeen. . . The result of this connection was the birth of a daughter at Cleveland House on July 16, 1672, the Duchess's last child, named after herself. . . ." (A Memoir of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland: 131)
"Back in London by February 1671, Churchill's handsome features and manner soon attracted the ravenous attentions of one of the King's most noteworthy mistresses, Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland." (New World Encyclopedia)
Calculated move towards financial rewards and reputation in court.
"Certainly his next move was to bring its own rewards. Churchill's good looks attracted Barbara Villiers, duchess of Cleveland, the King's mistress, and as a man with an eye for the main chance he took the calculated risk of becoming her lover. It paid dividends in financial terms and in establishing his reputation at court. . . ." (The Age of Faction: Court Politics, 1660-1702: 80)
Affair's great benefits to Churchill.
" . . . The love of the Duchess was of material gain to the Page. From out of her purse he at once received a present of 5,000 pounds, with which, with his characteristic prudence, he immediately purchased . . . from George, first Marquess of Halifax, a life annuity of 500 pounds, 'the foundation...of his subsequent fortune.' Mrs. Manley says that the lady gave him in all 140,000 crowns and obtained for him, at a cost of 6,000 more, the place of Groom of the Bedchamber to the Duke of York, and by her influence a rise in the army. . . ." (A Memoir of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland: 132)
First Encounter with Barbara.
"In this year (1671) we may date the Duchess of Cleveland's intrigue with the great Duke of Marlborough, at the time in question a Page of Honour to the Duke of York, and an ensign (1666) in the Guards. Count Hamilton places it in 1663, when John Churchill was a bit of thirteen; Mrs. Manley, before that with Henry Jermyn, and when he was a youth of seventeen. . . The result of this connection was the birth of a daughter at Cleveland House on July 16, 1672, the Duchess's last child, named after herself. . . ." (A Memoir of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland: 131)
"Back in London by February 1671, Churchill's handsome features and manner soon attracted the ravenous attentions of one of the King's most noteworthy mistresses, Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland." (New World Encyclopedia)
Calculated move towards financial rewards and reputation in court.
"Certainly his next move was to bring its own rewards. Churchill's good looks attracted Barbara Villiers, duchess of Cleveland, the King's mistress, and as a man with an eye for the main chance he took the calculated risk of becoming her lover. It paid dividends in financial terms and in establishing his reputation at court. . . ." (The Age of Faction: Court Politics, 1660-1702: 80)
Affair's great benefits to Churchill.
" . . . The love of the Duchess was of material gain to the Page. From out of her purse he at once received a present of 5,000 pounds, with which, with his characteristic prudence, he immediately purchased . . . from George, first Marquess of Halifax, a life annuity of 500 pounds, 'the foundation...of his subsequent fortune.' Mrs. Manley says that the lady gave him in all 140,000 crowns and obtained for him, at a cost of 6,000 more, the place of Groom of the Bedchamber to the Duke of York, and by her influence a rise in the army. . . ." (A Memoir of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland: 132)
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| George Spencer-Churchill 5th Duke of Marlborough. |
George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766-1840)
British aristocrat & collector of antiquities & books.
Duke of Marlborough 1817; Marquess of Blandford 1766
Son of: George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough & Lady Caroline Russell, daughter of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford.
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| Lady Susan Stewart Duchess of Marlborough |
Husband of: Lady Susan Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway, mar 1791.
His lovers were:
1) Rt. Hon. Mary Anne Ashley Cooper (1766-1854)
Wife of: Charles Sturt, mar 1788.
"He had married the Right Honorable Mary Anne Ashley Cooper at a young age. They were not happy and when she had an affair with the Marquis of Blandford, son of the Duke of Marlborough, Sturt brought a civil action against him for £20,000.00." (Duke)
" . . . Estranged from his wife, the impoverished Duke was obliged to retire [to] Blenheim Palace, where he lived the last years of his life with his mistress, Lady Mary Sturt, with whom he had another six children. . . ." (History of Redlands)
2) Matilda Gover (1802-1876)
Natural offspring:
a. Georgina Matilda (1819-1898)
b. Caroline Augusta (1821-1905)
c. Elizabeth (1823-1878)
d. Henry Spencer (b/d 1831)
e. George
f. Henry.
3) Unnamed mistress.
Natural offspring: 1. John Tustian (1799-1873)
4) Unnamed mistress.
Natural offspring: 1. Ann Spencer (1802-1880).
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| George Spencer-Churchill 6th Duke of Marlborough |
George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough (1793-1857)
Earl of Sunderland 1793-1817, Marquess of Blandford 1817-1840, Duke of Marlborough 1840, Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire 1842-1857, MP for Chippenham 1818-1820, MP for Woodstock 1826-1831..
Son of: George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough & Lady Susan Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway.
Husband of:
1. Lady Jane Stewart (d.1844), his cousin, daughter of George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway, mar 1819.
2. Hon, Charlotte Augusta Flower (d.1850), daughter of Henry Jeffrey, 4th Viscount Ashbrook, mar 1846.
3. Jane Francis Clinton Stewart, his cousin, daughter of Hon. Edward Richard Stewart, mar 1851.
"IN 1811 John William the 17-year-old Blandford as 'a very fine ;ad,' who 'seems to have good parts, and a good disposition'. He did not improve with age, and four years later George Agar Ellis referred to his 'drunkenness, obstinacy, indolence, shocking temper, duplicity and bad manners', which had contributed significantly to ruining his chances of securing a vacant sear for Oxfordshire. Like his father, who succeeded as 5th duke of Marlborough in 1817 but barely had two pennies to rub together, he had the morals of a goat. . . ." (History of Parliament Online)
His lovers were:
1) Elizabeth Conyngham.
Lover in 1816-1817.
" . . . In 1816 he had an affair with Lady Elizabeth Conyngham, which petered out. . . ." (History of Parliament Online)
2) Harriet Churchill (1798-1834)
2) Harriet Churchill (1798-1834)
Lover in 1817.
Wife of: Karl Graf von Westerhold, mar 1819.
Natural offspring:
1. Susan Churchill (1818-1882), wife of Timothe Quenod.
"George Spencer-Churchill, then Marquess of Blandford, and Harriet Churchill went through a false ceremony of marriage with a relative of the groom posing as a cleric. A voyage to Scotland, where they lived as husband and wife was intended by the bride and her parents to make this marriage legal under Scotch law. The sixth Duke did, however, successfully contest in a court of law that they had lived as if they had been married." (Wikipedia)
" . . . Blandford had also enjoyed the favours (widely bestowed) of his disreputable cousin Harriet Spencer, who in 1818 had his child, named Susan Harriet Elizabeth Churchill. She was taken in by Lady Bessborough, after whose death in 1821 she was raised at Brocket by Lady Caroline Lamb and her husband William Lamb."(History of Parliament Online)
3) Sarah Licence.
" . . . On 16 Mar. 1817 he went through a ceremony of mock marriage, performed by his soldier brother Lord Charles, posing as a clergyman, to Susannah Adelaide Lay of Bayswater, who was not yet 17. They lived for a time in London as Captain and Mrs. Lawson, and he settled 400 pounds a year on her. When she discovered the deception, Blandford, under pressure from his indignant parents, admitted the invalidity of the marraige but promised to take her to Scotland, where it could be regarded as legal by being publicly recognized. This he did in August 1818, five months after she had given birth to a daughter. Following Blandford's marriage to his aristocratic cousin in 1819, his association with Susannah ceased, but his mother continued to pay her the annuity, though it was subsequently reduced to 200 pounds and she was forced to return some incriminating letters. . . ." (History of Parliament Online)
" . . . Blandford had also enjoyed the favours (widely bestowed) of his disreputable cousin Harriet Spencer, who in 1818 had his child, named Susan Harriet Elizabeth Churchill. She was taken in by Lady Bessborough, after whose death in 1821 she was raised at Brocket by Lady Caroline Lamb and her husband William Lamb."(History of Parliament Online)
3) Sarah Licence.
" . . . In 1853 his third wife, who was many years his junior, applied to the courts for custody of their son, accusing him of kidnap and of adultery with his housekeeper, Sarah Licence. He was forced to grant her free access to the child, but retained the services of Licence. . . ." (History of Parliament Online)
4) Susannah Adelaide Law.
4) Susannah Adelaide Law.
Lover in 1817-1819.
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| George Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough @Ranker |
(1844-1892)
Son of: John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough & Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane, daughter of Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.
Husband of:
1. Lady Albertha Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, mar 1869, div 1883
1. Lady Albertha Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, mar 1869, div 1883
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| Lilian Warren Price Duchess of Marlborough 1895 |
2. Lilian Warren Prince (1854-1909), daughter of Commodore Cicero Prince; mar 1888.
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George Spencer-Churchill as Marquess of Blandford 1881 @ Vanity Fair |
His lovers were:
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| Edith Peers-Williams Countess of Aylesforth c1890 |
1) Edith Peers-Williams, Countess of Aylesforth (d.1897)
Lover in 1876.
Lover in 1876.
Daughter of: Lt. Col. Thomas Peers Williams & Emily Bacon.
Wife of: Heneage Finch, 7th Earl of Aylesford, mar 1871, sep 1877.
Natural Offspring:
a. Guy Bertrand (1881-?)
"A black sheep, he was expelled from Eton and later scandalised society when he left his wife, known as Goosie, and children for Edith, Lady Aylesford, the wife of a friend of the Prince of Wales. They had a son and set up home in Paris as Mr. and Mrs. Spencer. But when the boy was declared illegitimate by the House of Lords Blandford abandoned his mistress and child and returned to England. He did not even mention the ruined Edith in his will. He succeeded to the dukedom just as Goosie was divorcing him and sold 18 Rubens paintings, 10 Van Dycks and works by Raphael, Rembrandt and Brueghel to fund the upkeep of Blenheim."
"While traveling with the Prince of Wales in India, 'Sporting Joe,' the 7th Earl of Aylesford, received a letter from his wife signalling her wish to elope with Lord Blandford, eldest son of the Duke of Marlborough. The Duke had separated from his wife and had been all but living with Lady Edith in her husband's absence. 'Sporting Joe' wires his mother: 'Send for the children and keep them until my return. A great misfortune has happened.' It was only the beginning." (Victorian Calendar)
"However, the most notorious co-respondent was the Marquess of Blandford, as he was when the events discussed in court had happened, and the 8th Duke of Marlborough, as he had become by the time of the trial. He had been divorced by his wife, who had accused him of hitting her while she was pregnant. His divorce followed his appearance as co-respondent in the sensational Aylesford v. Aylesford divorce case of 1878. Both Blandford and Aylesford, like Colonel Baker, were friends of the Prince of Wales. Unlike Baker, who was in disgrace, Aylesford had accompanied the Prince of Wales to India. While he was away Blandford and Lady Aylesford, the sister of General Owen Williams who wa to his the headlines at Tranby Croft, had an affair and ran off to Paris together. The Aylesford divorce proceedings showed up the rackety lifestyle of all three protagonosts. . . ." (Victorian Sensation: 137)
"The process of dispersal was continued by the eighth duke, Churchill's uncle, who succeeded in 1883, and soon parted with most of the magnificent collection of Blenheim Old Masters, for 350,000 pounds. There the resemblance between father and son ended, for the eighth duke was one of the most disreputable men ever to have debased the highest rank in the British peerage. As a youth he was expelled from Eton, and soon acquired a well-deserved reputation for being rude, erratic, profligate, irresponsible and lacking in self-control. In 1876, his affair with the already-married Lady Aylesford became public scandal; and in 1881 he fathered by her an illegitimate child. Two years later, his first wife divorced him, and the new duke's social disgrace was complete. In 1886, he figured prominently in the sensational divorce case featuring Lady Colin Campbell, his one-time mistress, and shortly after he married a rich American Lilian Hammersley, which enabled him to install electric light and central heating at Blenheim. Appropriately enough, the eighth duke's politics were as wayward as his libido. During the early 1880s, he was successively a Liberal, an Extreme Radical an a Conservative, and he produced a series of equally confused articles, calling for the reform of the Lords and of the land laws, and the preservation of 'a class of hereditary trained statesmen connected with th eland'. He died, as he had lived, in the tradition of a Gothic villain, being discovered in his laboratory at Blenheim 'with a terrible expression on his face'." (Aspects of Aristocracy: Grandeur and Decline in Modern Britain: 133)
2) Gertrude Elizabeth Blood, Lady Colin Campbell.
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Charles Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough |
Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871-1934)
British aristocrat, soldier & politician.
Duke of Marlborough 1892; Paymaster-General 1899-1902; Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies 1903-1905; Privy Council 1899; Knight of the Order of the garter 1902; Lord Steward to Edward VII 1902; Mayor of Woodstock 1907-1908; Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire 1915-1934; President of National Fire Brigade's Union
a.k.a. Sunny Marlborough.
Son of: George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough & Lady Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn.
Husband of:
1. Consuelo Vanderbilt (d.1964), mar 1895
2. Gladys Deacon (d.1977), mar 1921
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| Portrait of the 9th Duke of Marlborough with his family by John Singer Sargent, 1905 @ John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery |
His lover was:
Gladys Spencer-Churchill (1881-1977).
American socialite and mistress.
Lover in 1901 (Later 2nd wife, 1921)
Daughter of: Edward Deacon & Florence Baldwin, div 1893
Florence's lovers:
1. Emile Abeille
2. Prince Pamphili
Gladys Deacon's physical appearance & personal qualities: “ . . . Gladys Marlborough, once the world’s most beautiful woman, the toast of Paris, the love of Proust, the belle amie of Anatole France”. (Telegraph)
" . . . Proust wrote of her: “I never saw a girl with such beauty, such magnificent intelligence, such goodness and charm.” (Telegraph)
". . .Her huge blue eyes, as bright in old age as in her youth, and her almost perfect Hellenic profile attracted numerous admirers. Combined with this was a fierce intelligence." (NY Social Diary)
Gladys Deacon's personal & family background: She was the daughter of Edward Deacon and his wife, Florence Baldwin, daughter of Admiral Charles H. Baldwin. (Wikipedia).
". . . Her father came from a rather wild Midwest American family, while her mother was the daughter of the rather peppery Admiral Baldwin, who though an officially accredited US delegate, refused to attend the Coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883 as he felt he had not been given a good enough seat." (NY Social Diary) .
"Her father shot her mother's lover dead in 1882 when Gladys was 11. Soon after he mother kidnapped her from a convent, fearing her father would gain custody of her." (BBC)
"She had been born in Paris in 1881, to the kind of family that Henry James wrote about; indeed, James knew her father. Edward Parker Deacon came from Boston, where to this day stands Deacon House. The Deacons had married well. Gladys’s grandmother, Sarah Ann Parker, was well connected, but sadly went mad. It was from her that an unstable streak entered the family.
"Gladys’s mother, Florence, was the daughter of Rear-Admiral Charles H Baldwin. He was a somewhat peppery figure who, when sent to represent the United States at the Coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883, refused to attend because he was not given a good enough seat.
"The Deacons had four beautiful daughters and a son who died as a little boy. They lived in Paris and travelled about Europe. Florence moved in an interesting set, with friends such as Bernard Berenson, Rodin and Count Robert de Montesquiou. But the marriage was not happy and she took a lover called Emile Abeille." (Telegraph)
Spouse & Children: ". . . At the age of 40, in 1921, she married her lover Charles Spencer Churchill, ninth Duke of Marlborough, following the end of his marriage to her close friend the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. . . . " (honeybet) [Ref1:honeybet] [Ref3:NY Social Diary]
". . . Her father came from a rather wild Midwest American family, while her mother was the daughter of the rather peppery Admiral Baldwin, who though an officially accredited US delegate, refused to attend the Coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883 as he felt he had not been given a good enough seat." (NY Social Diary) .
"Her father shot her mother's lover dead in 1882 when Gladys was 11. Soon after he mother kidnapped her from a convent, fearing her father would gain custody of her." (BBC)
"She had been born in Paris in 1881, to the kind of family that Henry James wrote about; indeed, James knew her father. Edward Parker Deacon came from Boston, where to this day stands Deacon House. The Deacons had married well. Gladys’s grandmother, Sarah Ann Parker, was well connected, but sadly went mad. It was from her that an unstable streak entered the family.
"Gladys’s mother, Florence, was the daughter of Rear-Admiral Charles H Baldwin. He was a somewhat peppery figure who, when sent to represent the United States at the Coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883, refused to attend because he was not given a good enough seat.
"The Deacons had four beautiful daughters and a son who died as a little boy. They lived in Paris and travelled about Europe. Florence moved in an interesting set, with friends such as Bernard Berenson, Rodin and Count Robert de Montesquiou. But the marriage was not happy and she took a lover called Emile Abeille." (Telegraph)
Spouse & Children: ". . . At the age of 40, in 1921, she married her lover Charles Spencer Churchill, ninth Duke of Marlborough, following the end of his marriage to her close friend the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. . . . " (honeybet) [Ref1:honeybet] [Ref3:NY Social Diary]
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| Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough |
Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough (1877-1964)
American socialite & philanthropist
Personal & family background: "Consuelo Vanderbilt . . . was the only daughter of William Kissam Vanderbilt, heir to a fortune estimated at between $40 and $65 million of the $200 million amassed by his grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his father, William Henry Vanderbilt. Consuelo's mother was the impoverished, ruthlessly ambitious Alva Ertskin Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, who would divorce Vanderbilt, later marry millionaire Oliver Belmont, and become a woman's suffrage movement leader. . . ." (Great Lives from History: Incredibly Wealthy: 945)
Physical appearance & personal qualities: "Consuelo was five-eihgt, very slender with a delicate nose and thick, wavy dark hair. She was warm and very kind and captivated all who came to know the lovely beauty. . . ." (Vanderbilt Cup Races)
Persona or character: " . . . Consuelo spoke and read fluent English, German and French by age eight and hoped to study languages at Oxford University. . . ." (Great Lives from History: Incredibly Wealthy: 945)
Wife of:
1. Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough
2. Jacques Balsan.
"Consuelo did find true love in her life with her second marriage on July 4th, 1921 to wealthy French Air Force officer and aviation pioneer Lt. Col. Louis Jacques Balsan who worked with the famous Wright Brothers. Consuelo's" new life with her husband made her very happy and she authored her autobiography The Glitter & the Gold, published in 1953 where she refers to the 'Gold' as her time with her husband Balsan and the 'Glitter' as her earlier marriage. Her beloved Jacques died in 1956 in America and was buried in Paris." (Vanderbilt Cup Races)
Her lovers were:
2. Jacques Balsan.
"Consuelo did find true love in her life with her second marriage on July 4th, 1921 to wealthy French Air Force officer and aviation pioneer Lt. Col. Louis Jacques Balsan who worked with the famous Wright Brothers. Consuelo's" new life with her husband made her very happy and she authored her autobiography The Glitter & the Gold, published in 1953 where she refers to the 'Gold' as her time with her husband Balsan and the 'Glitter' as her earlier marriage. Her beloved Jacques died in 1956 in America and was buried in Paris." (Vanderbilt Cup Races)
Her lovers were:
1) Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest, Viscount Castlereagh. (1878-1941)
British aristocrat
7th Marquess of Londonderry
"Consuelo's second lover hit a bit closer to home. . . He was also a married man and father of two children--and happened to be Sunny's cousin. In 1906, Consuelo and Castlereagh's affair was hot and torrid, and shockingly, they hatched a plan to elope to Paris, a move which would have ruined both their lives, and the lives of their lives, forever." (Edwardian Promenade)
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| Paul Helleu |
2) Paul Helleu.
French artist
Lover in 1900.
"Her first (alleged) lover was the French artist Paul Helleu. In her memoirs she describes him as a 'nervous, sensitive man with a capacity for intense suffering that artistic temperaments are prone to. . . ' Consuelo traveled to Paris in June of that year [1900], where Helleu etched more dry-point pictures of the Duchess. An affair with the artist was possible in Paris, and Consuelo had an easy excuse for being in the city, for her father lived there with his second wife. . . . " (Edwardian Promenade)
3) Reginald Fellowes (1884-1953)
Son of: William Henry Fellows, 2nd Baron de Ramsey & Lady Rosamond Spencer-Churchill.
Wife of: Marguerite Decazes de Glucksbierg, daughter of Severe Decazes de Glucksbierg, 3rd Duc de Decazes & Isabelle Blanche Singer.
Wife of: Marguerite Decazes de Glucksbierg, daughter of Severe Decazes de Glucksbierg, 3rd Duc de Decazes & Isabelle Blanche Singer.
4) Winthrop Rutherfurd.
John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough (1897-1972)
Son of: Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough & Consuelo Vanderbilt.
Husband of:
1. Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan (1900-1961), daughter of Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea (married in 1920)
2. Laura Canfield (nee Charteris) (1915-1990), daughter of Hon. Guy Lawrence Charteris & Frances Lucy Tennant, mar 1972
John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough (1926-2014)
Son of: John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough & Alexandra Mary Hilda Cadogan.
Husband of:
1. Susan Mary Hornby (d.2003), daughter of Michael Hornby, mar 1951.
2. Athina Livanos (d.1974), daughter of Stavros Livanos, mar 1961.
3. Rosita Douglas, Swedish aristocrat, painter & sculptor, mar 1972, div 2008.
4) Lily Mahtani (Sahni), mar 2008.
References.
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