Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington - Revision history

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	[[File:Coat of arms of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, KG, KB, PC.png\|thumb\|right\|220px\|Quartered arms of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, KG]]		[[File:Coat of arms of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, KG, KB, PC.png\|thumb\|right\|220px\|Quartered arms of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, KG]]
	'''Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington''' (1673 – 2 July 1743<ref name="CompODNB" />) was a British [[Whigs (British political party)\|Whig]] statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death in 1743. He sat in the [[House of Commons of England\|English]] and [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom\|British House of Commons]] between 1698 and 1728, and was then raised to the peerage and sat in the [[House of Lords]]. He served as [[prime minister of Great Britain]] from 1742 until his death in 1743. He is considered to have been Britain's second prime minister, after [[Robert Walpole]], but worked closely with the [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)\|Secretary of State]], [[Lord Carteret]], in order to secure the support of the various factions making up the government.		'''Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington''' (1673 – 2 July 1743<ref name="CompODNB" />) was a British [[Whigs (British political party)\|Whig]] statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death in 1743. He sat in the [[House of Commons of England\|English]] and [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom\|British House of Commons]] between 1698 and 1728, and was then raised to the peerage and sat in the [[House of Lords]]. He served as [[prime minister of Great Britain]] from 1742 until his death in 1743. He is considered to have been Britain's second prime minister, after [[Robert Walpole]], but worked closely with the [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)\|Secretary of State]], [[Lord Carteret]], in order to secure the support of the various factions making up the government.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Heffer \|first=Simon \|date=2024-10-16 \|title=Myths of the great statesmen \|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2024/10/myths-of-the-great-statesmen \|access-date=2025-10-29 \|website=New Statesman \|language=en-US}}</ref>

	== Early life and education ==		== Early life and education ==
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	Instead of the high political office he had hoped for, Compton received the Court appointment of Treasurer to the [[Prince of Wales]] (later [[George II of Great Britain\|George II]]); shortly afterwards, however, he was unanimously elected as [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)\|Speaker of the House of Commons]]. He held this post from 1715 to 1727. In 1716, he was invested a [[Privy Council of Great Britain\|Privy Counsellor]]. He maintained the role of Speaker despite the split in the Whigs in 1717, in which he joined the Walpole-[[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend\|Townshend]] alliance and found himself in opposition to the government of the day. He managed to maintain his position though until 1720, when the split ended.<ref name = HOP2>{{cite web \|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743 \|title=Compton, Hon. Spencer (?1674–1743), of Compton Place, Eastbourne, Suss. \|work=History of Parliament Online \|series=1715–1754 \|access-date=20 June 2019 \|archive-date=4 February 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204210743/http://historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743 \|url-status=live }}</ref>		Instead of the high political office he had hoped for, Compton received the Court appointment of Treasurer to the [[Prince of Wales]] (later [[George II of Great Britain\|George II]]); shortly afterwards, however, he was unanimously elected as [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)\|Speaker of the House of Commons]]. He held this post from 1715 to 1727. In 1716, he was invested a [[Privy Council of Great Britain\|Privy Counsellor]]. He maintained the role of Speaker despite the split in the Whigs in 1717, in which he joined the Walpole-[[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend\|Townshend]] alliance and found himself in opposition to the government of the day. He managed to maintain his position though until 1720, when the split ended.<ref name = HOP2>{{cite web \|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743 \|title=Compton, Hon. Spencer (?1674–1743), of Compton Place, Eastbourne, Suss. \|work=History of Parliament Online \|series=1715–1754 \|access-date=20 June 2019 \|archive-date=4 February 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204210743/http://historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743 \|url-status=live }}</ref>

	Compton had a reputation for being a lax Speaker, once telling an MP who complained of being interrupted, "No sir, you have a right to speak, but the House have a right to judge whether they will hear you." When Walpole became the leading minister of the day in 1721 there was speculation about his future should [[George I of Great Britain\|George I]] pass away and be succeeded by his son, who was more favourably inclined towards Compton than Walpole and declared that he would replace the latter with the former on accession. In order to avoid this, Walpole sought to keep Compton on the margins of government, though he was appointed as [[Paymaster of the Forces]], a very lucrative post, from 1722 until 1730. In 1725, Compton entered Walpole's government as [[Lord Privy Seal]] and was also created a [[Order of the Bath\|Knight of the Bath]].<ref name=HOP2 />		Compton had a reputation for being a lax Speaker, once telling an MP who complained of being interrupted, "No sir, you have a right to speak, but the House have a right to judge whether they will hear you." When Walpole became the leading minister of the day in 1721, there was speculation about his future should [[George I of Great Britain\|George I]] pass away and be succeeded by his son, who was more favourably inclined towards Compton than Walpole and declared that he would replace the latter with the former on accession. In order to avoid this, Walpole sought to keep Compton on the margins of government, though he was appointed as [[Paymaster of the Forces]], a very lucrative post, from 1722 until 1730.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Benjamin \|first=Kathy \|date=2022-10-20 \|title=The Shortest Serving Prime Ministers In UK History \|url=https://www.grunge.com/1064172/the-shortest-serving-prime-ministers-in-uk-history/ \|access-date=2025-10-29 \|website=Grunge \|language=en-US}}</ref> In 1725, Compton entered Walpole's government as [[Lord Privy Seal]] and was also created a [[Order of the Bath\|Knight of the Bath]].<ref name=HOP2 />

	== In Government ==		== In Government ==
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	== Personal life ==		== Personal life ==
	[[File:Compton Place, Eastbourne (Geograph Image 1278100).jpg\|thumb\|Compton Place, Eastbourne, in 2009]]		[[File:Compton Place, Eastbourne (Geograph Image 1278100).jpg\|thumb\|Compton Place, Eastbourne, in 2009]]
	He bought the East Borne estate in Eastbourne, Sussex in 1724 and renamed it [[Compton Place]].{{~~citation needed~~\|date=~~May 2020~~}} He engaged the architect [[Colen Campbell]] (and after Campbell's death [[William Kent]]) to rebuild the house. It was completed in 1731.{{~~citation needed~~\|date=~~May 2020~~}}		He bought the East Borne estate in Eastbourne, Sussex in 1724 and renamed it [[Compton Place]].<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Lord Compton, a.k.a. Wilmington \|url=https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/local/2018/03/07/who-was-lord-compton-and-why-did-city-name-that-room-for-him/13364244007/ \|access-date=2025-10-29 \|website=Wilmington Star-News \|language=en-US}}</ref> He engaged the architect [[Colen Campbell]] (and after Campbell's death [[William Kent]]) to rebuild the house. It was completed in 1731.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last=Connor \|first=T. P. \|date=1979 \|title=Colen Campbell as Architect to the Prince of Wales \|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1568370 \|journal=Architectural History \|volume=22 \|pages=64–143 \|doi=10.2307/1568370 \|issn=0066-622X\|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

	He never married and died without issue, therefore all his titles became extinct upon his death. Over 1110 items from his "large and valuable library" were auctioned by [[Christopher Cock (auctioneer)\|Christopher Cock]] over 10 evenings, from to 27 February to 7 March 1733.<ref>{{cite book \| last = Cock \| first = Christopher \| title = A catalogue of the large and valuable library of the Right Honourable Spencer, Earl of Wilmington, lately deceas'd. Consisting of a collection of ... \| publisher = Christopher Cock \| date = 1733 \| location = London \| url = https://www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/eighteenth-century-collections-online \| access-date = 12 November 2018 \| archive-date = 7 January 2024 \| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240107195413/https://www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/eighteenth-century-collections-online \| url-status = live }}</ref> He was buried at the [[family seat]] of [[Compton Wynyates]] in [[Warwickshire]].<ref name="CompODNB">{{ODNBweb\|first=A. A.\|last=Hanham\|id=6036\|title=Compton, Spencer, earl of Wilmington}}</ref> Compton Place passed to his nephew, [[James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton]].{{clear}}		He never married and died without issue, therefore all his titles became extinct upon his death. Over 1110 items from his "large and valuable library" were auctioned by [[Christopher Cock (auctioneer)\|Christopher Cock]] over 10 evenings, from to 27 February to 7 March 1733.<ref>{{cite book \| last = Cock \| first = Christopher \| title = A catalogue of the large and valuable library of the Right Honourable Spencer, Earl of Wilmington, lately deceas'd. Consisting of a collection of ... \| publisher = Christopher Cock \| date = 1733 \| location = London \| url = https://www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/eighteenth-century-collections-online \| access-date = 12 November 2018 \| archive-date = 7 January 2024 \| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240107195413/https://www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/eighteenth-century-collections-online \| url-status = live }}</ref> He was buried at the [[family seat]] of [[Compton Wynyates]] in [[Warwickshire]].<ref name="CompODNB">{{ODNBweb\|first=A. A.\|last=Hanham\|id=6036\|title=Compton, Spencer, earl of Wilmington}}</ref> Compton Place passed to his nephew, [[James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton]].{{clear}}

			== Arms ==
			{{Emblem table
			\| image = Coat of arms of Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.svg
			\| imagesize= 200px
			\| crest = A buck at gaze argent attired or.
			\| coronet =
			\| escutcheon = Sable, a lion passant guardant between three esquires' helmets argent..
			\| supporters = Two bulls argent armed and unguled proper.
			\| motto = ''Tout bien ou rien'' (The whole good, or none).
			\| orders = The Most Noble Order of the Garter - Knight Companion (KG)<ref>{{cite book \|title= Burke's General Armory \|year=1884 \| page=220 \|URL=https://archive.org/details/generalarmoryofe00burk/page/220}}</ref>
			}}

	== References ==		== References ==
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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmington, Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmington, Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of}}
			[[Category:Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington\| ]]
	[[Category:1673 births]]		[[Category:1673 births]]
	[[Category:1743 deaths]]		[[Category:1743 deaths]]
			[[Category:18th-century British nobility]]
	[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford]]		[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford]]
	[[Category:Compton family\|Spencer]]		[[Category:Compton family\|Spencer]]
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	[[Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath]]		[[Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
	[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]		[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
	[[Category:Lord ~~Presidents~~ of the Council]]		[[Category:Lord presidents of the Council]]
	[[Category:Lords Privy Seal]]		[[Category:Lords Privy Seal]]
	[[Category:Members of the Middle Temple]]		[[Category:Members of the Middle Temple]]
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	[[Category:People from Pevensey]]		[[Category:People from Pevensey]]
	[[Category:~~People~~ from Warwickshire]]		[[Category:Politicians from Warwickshire]]
	[[Category:Prime ministers of Great Britain]]		[[Category:Prime ministers of Great Britain]]
	[[Category:Speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain]]		[[Category:Speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain]]
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	[[Category:Younger sons of earls\|Compton, Spencer]]		[[Category:Younger sons of earls\|Compton, Spencer]]
	[[Category:Whig prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]		[[Category:Whig prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]
			[[Category:First Lords of the Treasury]]

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British Prime Ministers are not numbered, and many PM's never officially held the position of PM until Disraeli

← Previous revision		Revision as of 17:50, 7 June 2025
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	\| image = Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (1673–1743).jpg		\| image = Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (1673–1743).jpg
	\| caption = Portrait by [[Godfrey Kneller]], {{circa\|1715}}		\| caption = Portrait by [[Godfrey Kneller]], {{circa\|1715}}
	\| office = ~~2nd~~ [[Prime Minister of Great Britain]]<!--[[WP:NOTBROKEN]]-->		\| office = [[Prime Minister of Great Britain]]<!--[[WP:NOTBROKEN]]-->
	\| term_start = 16 February 1742		\| term_start = 16 February 1742
	\| term_end = 2 July 1743		\| term_end = 2 July 1743

imported>Finley 2009 at 15:30, 22 March 2025

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{{short description|Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1742 to 1743}}
{{redirect2|Lord Wilmington|The Earl of Wilmington|other holders of the title|Earl of Wilmington}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Earl of Wilmington
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KG|KB|PC}}
| image = Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (1673–1743).jpg
| caption = Portrait by [[Godfrey Kneller]], {{circa|1715}}
| office = 2nd [[Prime Minister of Great Britain]]
| term_start = 16 February 1742
| term_end = 2 July 1743
| monarch = [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]
| predecessor = [[Robert Walpole]]
| successor = [[Henry Pelham]]
| office2 = [[Lord President of the Council]]
| monarch2 = George II
| primeminister2 = Robert Walpole
| term_start2 = 31 December 1730
| term_end2 = 13 February 1742
| predecessor2 = [[Thomas Trevor, 1st Baron Trevor|The Lord Trevor]]
| successor2 = [[William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington|The Earl of Harrington]]
| office3 = [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons of Great Britain]]
| term_start3 = 17 March 1715
| term_end3 = 1727
| monarch3 = [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]
| primeminister3 = Robert Walpole (from 1721)
| predecessor3 = [[Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet|Sir Thomas Hanmer]]
| successor3 = [[Arthur Onslow]]
| birth_date = 1673
| birth_place = {{nowrap|[[Compton Wynyates]], England}}
| death_date = {{death date and given age|1743|7|2|{{c.|70}}|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Westminster]], England
| resting_place = Compton Wynyates
| nationality = [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]]
| party = [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]]
| father = [[James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton|James Compton]]
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Oxford]]
| signature = Earl of Wilmington Signature.svg
}}
[[File:Coat of arms of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, KG, KB, PC.png|thumb|right|220px|Quartered arms of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, KG]]
'''Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington''' (1673 – 2 July 1743<ref name="CompODNB" />) was a British [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death in 1743. He sat in the [[House of Commons of England|English]] and [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|British House of Commons]] between 1698 and 1728, and was then raised to the peerage and sat in the [[House of Lords]]. He served as [[prime minister of Great Britain]] from 1742 until his death in 1743. He is considered to have been Britain's second prime minister, after [[Robert Walpole]], but worked closely with the [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State]], [[Lord Carteret]], in order to secure the support of the various factions making up the government.

== Early life and education ==
Spencer Compton was born in 1673 in Compton Wynyates, a [[Tudor architecture|Tudor castle]] in [[Warwickshire]]. He was the third son of [[James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton]], who fought for the [[Cavalier|royalists]] during the [[English Civil War]] and his wife Mary Noel, daughter of [[Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden]]. His father died in 1681 when Spencer was young and his brother, [[George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton|George Compton]], become the sole beneficiary of the family's estates. Spencer was educated at [[St Paul's School (London)|St Paul's School]] and matriculated at [[Trinity College, Oxford]] on 28 February 1690, aged 15;<ref name=ALUM>{{cite book |contribution = Colericke-Coverley |title = Alumni Oxonienses 1500–1714 |title-link = Alumni Oxonienses |editor-last = Foster |editor-first = Joseph |editor-link = Joseph Foster (genealogist) |publisher = Oxford |year = 1891 |pages = 304–337 |via = [[British History Online]] |contribution-url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/alumni-oxon/1500-1714/pp304-337 |access-date = 20 June 2019 |archive-date = 4 August 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190804171516/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/alumni-oxon/1500-1714/pp304-337 |url-status = live }}</ref> thereafter he was admitted into [[Middle Temple]] in 1687.

== Early political career ==
=== English House of Commons ===
Although his family were [[High Tories]], Compton turned to the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] after a quarrel with his brother, the [[George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton|4th Earl of Northampton]]. He first stood for Parliament at [[East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)|East Grinstead]] on the interest of his kinsman the [[Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset|Earl of Dorset]] at the [[1695 English general election]] but was unsuccessful. He was returned unopposed as [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Eye (UK Parliament constituency)|Eye]] at a by-election on 3 June 1698. In Parliament he soon stood out as prominent amongst the Whigs and began a partnership with [[Robert Walpole]] that would last for over forty years. Compton was returned unopposed for Eye at the two general elections of [[1701 English general election|1701]] and in [[1702 English general election|1702]] and [[1705 English general election|1705]].<ref name = HOP>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743|title=Compton, Hon. Spencer (c. 1674–1743), of Compton Place, Eastbourne, Suss.|work=[[History of Parliament Online]]|series=1690–1715|access-date=20 February 2019|archive-date=23 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223130629/http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Paymaster of Pensions ===
In 1707 Compton became [[Paymaster of Pensions]], a post that he retained for the next six years. He was returned unopposed again at the [[1708 British general election]] and was particularly active in Parliament thereafter. He remained as chairman of the committee of privileges and elections, and was a teller on the Whig side in many divisions. He managed several bills and on 14 December 1709 was nominated to the committee to draw up the articles of impeachment against [[Henry Sacheverell|Dr Sacheverell]]. At the [[1710 British general election]] he was dropped as a candidate for Eye by his patron [[Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis]] after a disagreement, and he was unwilling to risk standing anywhere else because of his involvement with the Sacheverell case. However he retained his post as Paymaster of Pensions after the Tory government took office in that year. It is believed that the Tories retained him because they sought to maintain the support of the Compton family. At the [[1713 British general election]] he was returned as Whig MP for [[East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)|East Grinstead]] and when the Whigs took power in 1715 he was hopeful that he would enter a high office.<ref name=HOP />

=== Speaker of the Commons ===
[[File: Spencer Compton 1st Earl of Wilmington.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Portrait of Spencer Compton]]'', by [[Godfrey Kneller]], {{circa|1710}}]]
Instead of the high political office he had hoped for, Compton received the Court appointment of Treasurer to the [[Prince of Wales]] (later [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]); shortly afterwards, however, he was unanimously elected as [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]]. He held this post from 1715 to 1727. In 1716, he was invested a [[Privy Council of Great Britain|Privy Counsellor]]. He maintained the role of Speaker despite the split in the Whigs in 1717, in which he joined the Walpole-[[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Townshend]] alliance and found himself in opposition to the government of the day. He managed to maintain his position though until 1720, when the split ended.<ref name = HOP2>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743 |title=Compton, Hon. Spencer (?1674–1743), of Compton Place, Eastbourne, Suss. |work=History of Parliament Online |series=1715–1754 |access-date=20 June 2019 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204210743/http://historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/compton-hon-spencer-1674-1743 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Compton had a reputation for being a lax Speaker, once telling an MP who complained of being interrupted, "No sir, you have a right to speak, but the House have a right to judge whether they will hear you." When Walpole became the leading minister of the day in 1721 there was speculation about his future should [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] pass away and be succeeded by his son, who was more favourably inclined towards Compton than Walpole and declared that he would replace the latter with the former on accession. In order to avoid this, Walpole sought to keep Compton on the margins of government, though he was appointed as [[Paymaster of the Forces]], a very lucrative post, from 1722 until 1730. In 1725, Compton entered Walpole's government as [[Lord Privy Seal]] and was also created a [[Order of the Bath|Knight of the Bath]].<ref name=HOP2 />

== In Government ==
=== Accession of George II ===
In 1727, George II succeeded to the throne and sought to bring about the change in leadership he had promised.{{Sfn|Eccleshall|Walker|1998|p=16}} However, Compton was not perceived as a man of great ability. He was described by a contemporary as "a plodding, heavy fellow, with great application but no talents".<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Sedgwick |editor1-first=Romney |title=Lord Hervey's Memoirs |date=1951 |publisher=William Kimber |location=London |pages=30–31}}</ref> In particular he proved unable to compete with Walpole's proposals for an allowance for the king. At a meeting between the three, Compton declared he was not up to the task of government.{{Sfn|van Thal|1975|p=51}} He maintained a hatred of Walpole for the humiliation. With this passed his last serious chance of holding real control over policy, and his influence sharply declined as a result.

=== House of Lords and Patriot Whigs ===
{{Main|Patriot Whigs}}
In order to remove him from the Commons, Walpole raised Compton to the peerage as '''Baron Wilmington''', of [[Wilmington, East Sussex|Wilmington]] in the [[County of Sussex]] on 8 January 1728;<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=6638 |date=6 January 1728 |page=2}}</ref> two years later, on 14 May 1730, he was created '''Viscount Pevensey''', of [[Pevensey]] in the County of Sussex and '''Earl of Wilmington'''<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=6881 |date=12 May 1730 |page=1}}</ref> and was appointed [[Lord President of the Council]] in December of that year. He became increasingly associated with the [[Patriot Whigs]], those most critical of Walpole, but in Parliament generally stuck to the official line of the ministry. In 1730 he attempted to form a coalition between the [[Patriot Whigs]] and the [[Hanoverian Tories]] to bring down Walpole, but this failed and he continued in office.{{sfn|Black|2014|p=69}} However, during the [[Excise Crisis]] of 1733, he failed to carry through a threat to resign, after being bought off with the promise to make him a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]], which he duly was. This further weakened any following he still commanded. He served as Lord President until 1742.

He was involved in the creation of the [[Foundling Hospital]] in 1739, which was an [[orphanage]] for [[child abandonment|abandoned children]]. This charity became the capital's most popular way to prove one's [[philanthropy|philanthropic]] credentials and had very distinguished Board members (including Wilmington).

== Prime Minister<span class="anchor" id="Premiership"></span> ==
{{Further|Carteret ministry}}In January 1742, he succeeded Walpole as [[First Lord of the Treasury]] and head of the [[Carteret ministry]].{{Sfn|Dale|2020|pp=14–15}} Wilmington's time in office was short and undistinguished and he was a poor leader. His opposition controlled the House of Commons so his direct influence was greatly limited. His brief premiership was dominated by dealing with foreign affairs, particularly in the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].{{Sfn|Dale|2020|p=15}} His strong work ethic took its toll, and his health gradually deteriorated. He remained in office until his death in 1743, when he was succeeded by the [[Paymaster of the Forces]], [[Henry Pelham]].{{Sfn|Dale|2020|p=15}}

== Personal life ==
[[File:Compton Place, Eastbourne (Geograph Image 1278100).jpg|thumb|Compton Place, Eastbourne, in 2009]]
He bought the East Borne estate in Eastbourne, Sussex in 1724 and renamed it [[Compton Place]].{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} He engaged the architect [[Colen Campbell]] (and after Campbell's death [[William Kent]]) to rebuild the house. It was completed in 1731.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

He never married and died without issue, therefore all his titles became extinct upon his death. Over 1110 items from his "large and valuable library" were auctioned by [[Christopher Cock (auctioneer)|Christopher Cock]] over 10 evenings, from to 27 February to 7 March 1733.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cock | first = Christopher | title = A catalogue of the large and valuable library of the Right Honourable Spencer, Earl of Wilmington, lately deceas'd. Consisting of a collection of ... | publisher = Christopher Cock | date = 1733 | location = London | url = https://www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/eighteenth-century-collections-online | access-date = 12 November 2018 | archive-date = 7 January 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240107195413/https://www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/eighteenth-century-collections-online | url-status = live }}</ref> He was buried at the [[family seat]] of [[Compton Wynyates]] in [[Warwickshire]].<ref name="CompODNB">{{ODNBweb|first=A. A.|last=Hanham|id=6036|title=Compton, Spencer, earl of Wilmington}}</ref> Compton Place passed to his nephew, [[James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton]].{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite DNB|wstitle=Compton, Spencer (1673?–1743)}}

== Sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Englefield |first=Dermot |title=Facts About the British Prime Ministers |last2=Seaton |first2=Janet |last3=White |first3=Isobel |publisher=Mansell Publishing |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-7201-2306-7}}
* {{cite book |first = Jeremy |last = Black |title = British Politics and Foreign Policy, 1727–44 |publisher = Ashgate Publishing |year = 2014 |isbn = 978-1472414250}}
* {{cite book |first = Ian |last = Dale | title = The Prime Ministers: Three Hundred Years of Political Leadership |publisher = Hodder & Stoughton |year = 2020 |isbn = 978-1-529-31216-4}}
* {{cite book |first = Robert |last = Eccleshall |first2 = Graham |last2 = Walker |title = Biographical dictionary of British prime ministers |publisher = Routledge |year = 1998|isbn = 0415187214}}
* {{cite book |last = van Thal |first = Herbert |title = The Prime Ministers: from Sir Robert Walpole to Edward Heath |publisher = Stein and Day |year = 1975 |isbn = 0812817389}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last = Browning |first = Reed |title = The Duke of Newcastle |publisher = Yale University Press |year = 1975 |isbn = 978-0300017465}}
* {{cite book |last = Field |first = Ophelia |title = The Kit-Cat Club: Friends who Imagined a Nation |publisher = Harper Collins |year = 2008 |isbn = 9780007287307}}
* {{cite book |last = Pearce |first = Eward |title = The Great Man: Sir Robert Walpole |publisher = Pimlico |year = 2008 |isbn = 9781844134052}}
* {{cite book |last = Simms |first = Brendan |title = Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire |publisher = Penguin Books |year = 2008 |isbn = 978-0465013326}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070607051829/http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page173.asp More about Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington] on the Downing Street website.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmington, Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of}}
[[Category:1673 births]]
[[Category:1743 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Compton family|Spencer]]
[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain]]
[[Category:English MPs 1698–1700]]
[[Category:English MPs 1701]]
[[Category:English MPs 1701–1702]]
[[Category:English MPs 1702–1705]]
[[Category:English MPs 1705–1707]]
[[Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:Lord Presidents of the Council]]
[[Category:Lords Privy Seal]]
[[Category:Members of the Middle Temple]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Paymasters of the Forces]]
[[Category:People educated at St Paul's School, London]]
[[Category:People from Pevensey]]
[[Category:People from Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Whig (British political party) MPs]]
[[Category:Date of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Younger sons of earls|Compton, Spencer]]
[[Category:Whig prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]