1 Annotation

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Anthony Ashley-Cooper married three times:
(1) 25 Feb. 1639, Margaret (d. 11 July, 1649), da. of Sir Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry of Aylesborough, s.p.;
(2) 15 Apr. 1650, Lady Frances Cecil (d. 31 Dec., 1652), da. of David Cecil, 3rd Earl of Exeter, 2s. (1 d.v.p.);
and (3) 30 Aug. 1655 (with £4,000) Margaret (1625 - 1693), da. of William Spencer MP, 2nd Baron Spencer.
https://www.historyofparliamenton…

Margaret Spencer Cooper was the daughter of William Spencer MP, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton and Lady Penelope Wriothesley. Margaret was the youngest of surviving children:
Hon. Elizabeth Spencer -- b. 16 Feb 1618, d. 11 Aug 1672
Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland -- b. c Oct 1620, d. 20 Sep 1643
Robert Spencer, 1st Viscount Teviot -- b. a 1621
Hon. William Spencer -- b. a 1622
Hon. Alice Spencer -- b. 29 Dec 1625, d. between Jul 1696 - 1712
Hon. Margaret Spencer -- b. 1627, d. 1693
http://www.thepeerage.com/p10528.…

HOWEVER, William Spencer MP's parliamentary biography tells us there were many more pregnancies:
m. settlement 7 Oct. 1614 (with £4,000), Penelope (d. 16 July 1667), da. of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton, 6 sons (2 d.v.p.) 7 daughters (1 d.v.p.).
And it also tells us that
William Spencer MP’s father, ennobled in 1603, was reputedly one of the richest men in England, with an annual income of up to £8,000.
The Spencers made their money by being astute money managers, real estate investments, and sheep -- Sir William, and young Margaret, called Althorpe home.
https://www.historyofparliamenton…

For a description of Althorpe, see
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
-- you will have realized by now that William Spencer MP, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton and Lady Penelope Wriothesle are the ancestors of our own Princess Diana and Charles, Earl Spencer.

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st East of Shaftesbury's third wife, Margaret Spencer, Countess of Shaftsbury, outlived him and died in 1693.
http://bcw-project.org/biography/…

I wonder if the Countess joined Shaftesbury in exile in the Netherlands.
What did she think of their secretary, Dr. John Locke?
One not very reliable site says they had 2 still born children.
So many questions.

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References

Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.

1667