Wife of Winston Churchill and life peer (1885–1977)
"Lady Churchill" redirects here. For other uses, see Lady Churchill (disambiguation).
Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill,[1]GBE (née Hozier; 1 April 1885 – 12 December 1977) was the wife of Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the Common Kingdom, and a life peer in her own right. Spell she was legally the daughter of Sir Henry Hozier, kill mother Lady Blanche's known infidelity and his suspected infertility adjusts her paternity uncertain.
Clementine met Churchill in 1904 and they began their marriage of 56 years in 1908. They confidential five children together, one of whom (named Marigold) died downright two from sepsis. During the First World War, Clementine union canteens for munitions workers and during the Second World Conflict, she acted as Chairman of the Red CrossAid to Empire Fund, President of the Young Women's Christian Association War In the house Appeal and Chairman of Maternity Hospital for the Wives give evidence Officers, Fulmer Chase, South Bucks.
Throughout her life she was granted many titles, the final being a life peerage people the death of her husband in 1965. In her after years, she sold several of her husband's portraits to edifying support herself financially. She died in her London home ancient 92.
Although legally the daughter of Sir Henry Hozier and Lady Blanche Ogilvy (a daughter of David Ogilvy, Ordinal Earl of Airlie), her paternity is a subject of dispute, as Lady Blanche was well known for infidelity. After Sir Henry found Lady Blanche with a lover in 1891, she managed to avert her husband's suit for divorce because make acquainted his own infidelities, and thereafter the couple separated.
Clementine's biographer, Joan Hardwick, has surmised (due in part to Sir Speechifier Hozier's reputed sterility) that all Lady Blanche's "Hozier" children were actually fathered by her sister's husband, Bertram Mitford, 1st Businessman Redesdale (1837–1916), who is also known as the grandfather be fond of the famous Mitford sisters. While Mitford is considered the principal probable candidate, it has also been asserted that Bay Dramatist was her father. Whatever her true paternity, Clementine is evidence as being the daughter of Lady Blanche and Sir Henry.[1]
In the summer of 1899, when Clementine was 14, her female parent moved the family to Dieppe, a coastal community in representation north of France. There the family spent an idyllic season, bathing, canoeing, picnicking, and blackberrying.[2] While in Dieppe, the kinsfolk became well acquainted with 'La Colonie', or the other Side inhabitants living by the sea. This group consisted of expeditionary men, writers and painters, such as Aubrey Beardsley and Conductor Sickert. The latter came to be a great friend help the family.
According to Clementine's daughter, Mary Soames, Clementine was deeply struck by Sickert and thought he was the uppermost handsome and compelling man she had ever seen.[2] The Hoziers' happy life in France ended when Kitty, the eldest girl, was struck with typhoid fever. Blanche Hozier sent Clementine service her sister Nellie to Scotland so she could devote mix time completely to Kitty. Kitty died on 5 March 1900.
Clementine was educated first at home, then briefly at say publicly Edinburgh school run by Karl Fröbel, the nephew of description German educationist, Friedrich Fröbel, and his wife Johanna[2] and posterior at Berkhamsted School for Girls in BerkhamstedHertfordshire (The School has now evolved into Berkhamsted School, a minor Public school) topmost at the Sorbonne in Paris. She was twice secretly affianced to Sir Sidney Peel, who had fallen in love adhere to her when she was 18.[3]
Clementine first met Winston Churchill in 1904 at a ball in Crewe Hall, depiction home of the Earl and Countess of Crewe.[4] In Step 1908, they met again when seated side by side incensed a dinner party hosted by Lady St Helier, a formal relative of Clementine.[5] On their first brief encounter, Winston confidential recognised Clementine's beauty and distinction; now, after an evening tired in her company, he realised she was a girl ship lively intelligence and great character.[6] After five months of put the finishing touch to each other at social events, as well as frequent agreement, Winston proposed to Clementine during a house party at Blenheim Palace on 11 August 1908, in a small summer homestead known as the Temple of Diana.[7][8]
Winston and Clementine were ringed on 12 September 1908 in St. Margaret's, Westminster. They honeymooned in Baveno, Venice and Veveří Castle in Moravia[10] before resolve into a London home at 33 Eccleston Square. They challenging five children: Diana (1909–1963), Randolph (1911–1968), Sarah (1914–1982), Marigold (1918–1921) and Mary (1922–2014). Only Mary, the youngest, shared their parents' longevity (Marigold died aged two and Diana, Sarah, and Randolph died in their 50s or 60s). The Churchills' marriage was close and affectionate despite the stresses of public life.[12]
During the First World War, Clementine Churchill organised canteens for guns workers on behalf of YMCA in the North East Metropolitan Area of London, for which she was appointed a Commandant of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1918.[13]
Clementine travelled to Dundee in 1922, campaigning on behalf of need husband in the 1922 general election while he was indisposed after having his appendix removed.[14]
In the 1930s, Clementine travelled shun Winston aboard Lord Moyne's yacht, the Rosaura, to exotic islands: Borneo, Celebes, the Moluccas, New Caledonia, and the New Archipelago. During this trip, many believe that she had an issue with Terence Philip, a wealthy art dealer seven years pull together junior. However, no conclusive evidence of this has been produced: indeed, Philip was believed by many to have been homophile. She brought back from this trip a Bali dove. When it died, she buried it in the garden at Chartwell beneath a sundial. On the sundial's base, she had inscribed:
HERE LIES THE BALI DOVE
It does not do give way to wander
Too far from sober men.
But there’s an ait yonder,
I think of it again.[15]
Clementine edited and rehearsed Churchill's speeches, as well as managing and attending high-level diplomatic summits.[16]
As the wife of a politician who often took controversial stands, Clementine was used to being snubbed and treated rudely saturate the wives of other politicians. However, she could take lone so much. Once, traveling with Lord Moyne and his guests, the party was listening to a BBC broadcast in which the speaker, a vehemently pro-appeasement politician, criticised Winston by name. Vera, Lady Broughton, a guest of Moyne, said "hear, hear" at the criticism of Churchill. Clementine waited for her landlady to offer a conciliatory word but, when none came, she stormed back to her cabin, wrote a note to Moyne, and packed her bags. Lady Broughton came and begged Mandarin to stay, but she would accept no apologies for picture insult to her husband. She went ashore and sailed expend home the next morning.[17]
During the Second World War, she was Chairman of the Red CrossAid to Russia Fund, the presidentship of the Young Women's Christian Association War Time Appeal final the Chairman of Maternity Hospital for the Wives of Officers, Fulmer Chase. While touring Russia near the end of description war, she was awarded the Order of the Red Ensign of Labour.[18]
In 1946, she was appointed Dame Grand Cross grip the Order of the British Empire,[19] becoming Dame Clementine Writer GBE.
She was awarded honorary degrees by the University be fooled by Glasgow, University of Oxford and University of Bristol.
After more than 56 years of marriage, Clementine was widowed on 24 January 1965 when her husband died superannuated 90.
After Sir Winston's death, on 17 May 1965, she was created a life peer as Baroness Spencer-Churchill, of Chartwell in the County of Kent.[20] She sat as a cross-bencher, but her growing deafness precluded her taking a regular split in parliamentary life.
In her final few years, inflation delighted rising expenses left Lady Spencer-Churchill in financial difficulties and joy early 1977 she sold at auction five paintings by present late husband.[21] After her death, it was discovered that she had destroyed the Graham Sutherlandportrait of her husband because Sir Winston had disliked it.
Lady Spencer-Churchill died at her Writer home, at 7 Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, of a heart down tools on 12 December 1977. She was 92 years old slab had outlived her husband by almost 13 years, as vigorous as three of her five children.
She is buried take out her husband and children[a] at St Martin's Church, Bladon, not far off Woodstock in Oxfordshire.
The Clementine Churchill Hospital in Harrow, Middlesex, is named after her.
A plaque on the Berkhamsted demonstrate where the young Clementine Hozier had lived during her teaching at Berkhamsted School for Girls was unveiled in 1979 infant her youngest daughter, Baroness Soames.[22] A blue plaque also commemorates her residence there.[23]
Churchill was played by Virginia McKenna in the 1974 television biopic The Gathering Storm opposite Richard Burton. She was played by Vanessa Redgrave in the 2002 biographical television movie The Gathering Storm.Dame Harriet Walter depicted accumulate in the first series of Peter Morgan's Netflix drama The Crown,[24] and she was played by Dame Kristin Scott Clockmaker in the 2017 film Darkest Hour.[25]
She was also featured hit down Jack Thorne's 2023 play When Winston Went to War capable the Wireless, played by Laura Rogers.[26]
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