Spencer Walpole
Encyclopedia
Sir Spencer Walpole KCB
(6 February 1839 – 7 July 1907) was an English
historian
and civil servant.
, being descended from his brother, the 1st Baron Walpole. He was the son of the latter's great-grandson, Spencer Horatio Walpole
(1807-1898), three times home secretary under the 14th Earl of Derby
, and through his mother was grandson of Spencer Perceval
, the Tory
prime minister
who was murdered in the House of Commons
.
, and from 1858 to 1867 was a clerk in the War Office
, then becoming an inspector of fisheries. In 1867 he married Marion Jane Murray; they had one son and one daughter. In 1882 he was made lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Man
, and from 1893 to 1899 he was secretary to the Post Office
. In 1898 he was knight
ed.
Although well known as a most efficient public servant, and in private life as a well-liked man, Walpole is chiefly remembered as an historian. His family connexions gave him a natural bent to the study of public affairs, and their mingling of Whig
and Tory in politics contributed, no doubt, to that quality of judicious balance--inclining, however, to the Whig or moderate Liberal side--which, together with his sanity and accuracy, is so characteristic of his writings. His principal work, the History of England from 1815 (1878-1886), in six volumes, was carried down to 1858, and was continued in his History of Twenty-Five Years (1904).
Among his other publications come his lives of Spencer Perceval (1894) and Lord John Russell
(1889), and a volume of valuable Studies in Biography (1906).
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(6 February 1839 – 7 July 1907) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and civil servant.
Background
He came of the younger branch of the family of the famous Whig prime minister, Robert WalpoleRobert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, being descended from his brother, the 1st Baron Walpole. He was the son of the latter's great-grandson, Spencer Horatio Walpole
Spencer Horatio Walpole
Spencer Horatio Walpole, QC, LLD was a British Conservative politician who served three times as Home Secretary in the administrations of Lord Derby.-Background and education:...
(1807-1898), three times home secretary under the 14th Earl of Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
, and through his mother was grandson of 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...
, the 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...
prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
who was murdered 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...
.
Career
Spencer Walpole was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, and from 1858 to 1867 was a clerk in the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
, then becoming an inspector of fisheries. In 1867 he married Marion Jane Murray; they had one son and one daughter. In 1882 he was made lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Man
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
The Lieutenant Governor is the representative on the Isle of Man of the Lord of Mann . He/she has the power to grant Royal Assent and is styled His Excellency. In recent times the Governor has either been a retired diplomat or senior military officer...
, and from 1893 to 1899 he was secretary to the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. In 1898 he was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed.
Although well known as a most efficient public servant, and in private life as a well-liked man, Walpole is chiefly remembered as an historian. His family connexions gave him a natural bent to the study of public affairs, and their mingling of Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
and Tory in politics contributed, no doubt, to that quality of judicious balance--inclining, however, to the Whig or moderate Liberal side--which, together with his sanity and accuracy, is so characteristic of his writings. His principal work, the History of England from 1815 (1878-1886), in six volumes, was carried down to 1858, and was continued in his History of Twenty-Five Years (1904).
Among his other publications come his lives of Spencer Perceval (1894) and Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
(1889), and a volume of valuable Studies in Biography (1906).