Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Come with me as I visit Great Brington Church in Northamptonshire, closely associated with the Spencer family and the Althorp estate. The church serves as the burial place for generations of the Spencer family, including the ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales, whose family vault lies beneath the north chapel. The narrative traces the family’s rise from modest yeoman origins to great wealth and nobility through the success of Sir John Spencer in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, primarily through wool and livestock trading. His tomb occupies a place of honour in the church, surrounded by imposing monuments to his descendants. The account also discusses the family’s controversial adoption of the Despenser coat of arms, notable funerary monuments by Dutch sculptor Jasper Hollemans, and strong security around the Spencer chapel. The church additionally has a historical connection to the Washington family, ancestors of George Washington.
Come with me as I visit Great Brington Church in Northamptonshire, closely associated with the Spencer family and the Althorp estate. The church serves as the burial place for generations of the Spencer family, including the ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales, whose family vault lies beneath the north chapel. The narrative traces the family’s rise from modest yeoman origins to great wealth and nobility through the success of Sir John Spencer in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, primarily through wool and livestock trading. His tomb occupies a place of honour in the church, surrounded by imposing monuments to his descendants. The account also discusses the family’s controversial adoption of the Despenser coat of arms, notable funerary monuments by Dutch sculptor Jasper Hollemans, and strong security around the Spencer chapel. The church additionally has a historical connection to the Washington family, ancestors of George Washington.
