7th Duke of Marlborough Archives - Richard M. Langworth

Why was Churchill Named Winston?

15 January 2023 Comments 0 Comments

The pat answer is the first Sir Winston, but this is unlikely. Why would Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill name their son for a 17th century ancestor, and a fairly dubious one at that? No, it was someone more recent: his grandfather, John Winston, 7th Duke of Marlborough.

“American Jennie” and Other Books on Lady Randolph Churchill

29 May 2020 Comments 4 Comments

A reader requests recommendations for good books about Sir Winston’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (1854-1921). The most rounded and thoroughly sourced is Anne Sebba’s American Jennie (2007). Barbara Langworth published a thorough review and analysis of Jennie’s many accomplishments, below. Scroll to the end for a Bibliography and commentary on other books about Lady Randolph. RML

Barbara F. Langworth: The Right Parent Survived

Jennie Churchill: Winston’s American Mother, by Anne Sebba (London, Murray, 2007). American Jennie: The Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill), (New York: Norton, 2007).

It may seem a new story to many readers, since the previous biographies of Lady Randolph Churchill date back up to eight decades.…

Lord Randolph and the Aylesford Sports

7 March 2014 Comments 1 Comment

Was Winston Churchill's father a Lord? If so, how did he serve in the House of Commons? And did this continue even after he found he had to get out of town, so to speak, when he "incurred the displeasure of a great personage" A movie could be made. Ah, the Victorians.