William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer ¹

  General Notes:

William, 2nd Baron Spencer was the son of Robert, 1st Baron Spencer, of Wormleighton and Margaret (Willoughby). He married Lady Penelope Wriothesley, the daughter of the 3rd Earl of Southampton in 1617. Thirteen children were born to this union.

William was created a Knight of the Bath. He was involved in the political life of the nation and was elected one of the Knights of the Shire for Northamptonshire in three different parliaments in James I's reign, and two in Charles I's.

William's father invited William and Penelope to live with him at Althorpe and handed over the day-to-day running of the estate to William and his wife. The couple were responsible for enlarging Althorpe and William established a racecourse in the park at Althorpe.

William was rigid in his Anglican beliefs and rarely allowed his brother, Sir Edward Spencer, to visit Althorp, considering him a traitor to his faith and upbringing for embracing Puritanism.

He has been recorded as a tender husband, loving father, a faithful friend, a sincere worshipper of God, devoted to his King, and a patriot of his country. Penelope was distraught over his death and erected a noble and stately black and white marble monument in Brington church.

William married Penelope Wriothesley in 1617. (Penelope Wriothesley was born in Nov 1598 in England, died on 16 Jul 1667 in England and was buried in St Mary the Virgin with St John Churchyard, Great Brington, Daventry District, Northamptonshire, England.)