Georgiana Spencer, Countess Spencer
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The Right Honourable The Countess Spencer |
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_-_Lady_Georgiana_Poyntz,_Countess_Spencer_(%3F)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Lady Spencer painted by Thomas Gainsborough.
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 May 1737 |
| Died | 18 March 1814 (aged 76) |
| Spouse(s) | John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer |
| Children |
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer Henrietta Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough |
| Parents | Stephen Poyntz Anna Maria Mordaunt |
Margaret Georgiana Spencer, Countess Spencer (née Poyntz; 8 May 1737 – 18 March 1814), was an English philanthropist. She was born at St James's Palace as the daughter of a diplomat and a maid of honour to Caroline of Ansbach. In 1754, she married John Spencer, one of the wealthiest men of the era. A love match, the marriage resulted in the births of three surviving children, which included Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. The Spencers became earl and countess in 1765, a reward granted by the Duke of Newcastle for John's political loyalty to the Whig party.
Lady Spencer was a noted philanthropist, and was in communication with a large network of charitable organisations. Her correspondence with a friend represents the largest private collection of letters in the British Library. Lord and Lady Spencer were generous patrons, and frequently hosted plays and concerts at their London estate, Spencer House, which they built in 1764.
Margaret Georgiana Poyntz, known as Georgiana to her family, was born on 8 May 1737 at St James's Palace, the fourth surviving child of Stephen Poyntz and Anna Maria Mordaunt. Her diplomat father, the son of a successful linen draper, had been sent to Eton College as a boy to begin a career in society, and eventually became the steward to the young Duke of Cumberland's household and a Privy Councillor to King George II. Georgiana's mother, a maid of honour to Queen Caroline, was the daughter of Brigadier-General the Hon. Lewis Mordaunt and a granddaughter of John Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough. Georgiana had four siblings, three brothers and one sister. Stephen Poyntz died when Georgiana was thirteen, leaving the family, never rich, in comfortable surroundings.
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