Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton
Encyclopedia
The second son of the 9th Earl of Northampton
Charles Compton, 1st Marquess of Northampton
Charles Compton, 1st Marquess of Northampton , known as Lord Compton from 1763 to 1796 and as the 9th Earl of Northampton from 1796 to 1812, was a British peer and politician....
(later the First Marquess), Compton studied at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, receiving an M.A. in 1810. In 1812, following the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of his cousin, the prime minister Spencer Perceval
Spencer Perceval
Spencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
, Compton, by now Earl Compton as heir to the Marquessate, took his seat for Northampton
Northampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Northampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Northampton which existed until 1974.It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was reduced to one member for the 1918 general election...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
In the Commons, Compton established a reputation as something of a maverick. Despite his family's strong Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
credentials, he often voted against the Tory government of the day. This led to his losing his seat in the general election of 1820.
On 24 July 1815 Compton married Margaret Maclean-Clephane, who was herself a poet admired by Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
and William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
, although her poetry was not published. The marriage was a happy one, producing six children. The couple lived in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for ten years from 1820 to 1830. Compton succeeded his father as Marquess of Northampton in 1828. Following Lady Northampton's death in the latter year, Northampton returned to England. Among their children were:
- Charles Compton, 3rd Marquess of NorthamptonCharles Compton, 3rd Marquess of NorthamptonCharles Douglas-Compton, 3rd Marquess of Northampton, DL , styled Earl Compton from birth until 1851, was a British peer....
(1816–1877) - Lady Marianne Margaret Compton (1817–1888)
- Admiral William Compton, 4th Marquess of NorthamptonWilliam Compton, 4th Marquess of NorthamptonAdmiral William Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton, KG , known as Lord William Compton from 1828 to 1877, was a British peer and naval commander....
(1818–1897) - Lord Alwyne Compton (1825–1906), successively Dean of WorcesterDean of WorcesterThe Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The most current Dean is the Very Rev Peter Gordon Atkinson who lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester.-List of Deans:...
and Bishop of ElyBishop of ElyThe Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
Following his return to England, Compton became a prominent figure in political and cultural life. He supported the Reform Bill in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, but became more engaged in promotion of the arts and sciences.
In 1820–22 he was president
President of the Geological Society of London
The President of the Geological Society of London is the President of the Geological Society of London.- List of presidents :* 1807 - 1813 George Bellas Greenough* 1813 - 1815 Henry Grey Bennet* 1815 - 1816 William Blake* 1816 - 1818 John MacCulloch...
of the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
. He served as president of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
Royal Archaeological Institute
The Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is a learned society, established in 1844, primarily devoted to the publication of the Archaeological Journal, a production of archaeological news that has been in print since 1844....
(1845–46 and 1850–51), and in 1838 became president of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, an office he held for ten years. He took a particular interest in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, and particularly in fossils, although he was not himself a scientist, but more of an interested amateur. The dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
species Regnosaurus
Regnosaurus
Regnosaurus is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now England.-Discovery and species:...
northamptoni was named after him. He resigned in 1848, due to his opposition to the Society's increasing professionalization. He held the position of President of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
from 1849 until his death.
External links
- Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton (thePeerage.com)