(588) Bernard (later Spencer-Bernard) of Nether Winchendon, baronets

Bernard of Nether Winchendon 

This family are a cadet branch of the Bernards of Abington and Brampton, baronets: Thomas Bernard (c.1560-1628), with whom the genealogy below begins, being the fourth son of Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602) of Abington. Like the families of many younger sons, they at first showed a tendency to drift down the social scale. Thomas settled at Reading (Berks), where the family had held a small property on the outskirts of the town since the late 15th century, according to Mrs. Napier Higgins. The nature of this property is not clear, although it sounds like a small farm rather than anything grander. Thomas' son, Francis Bernard (1614-80) regarded himself as a gentleman (and was probably using his coat of arms), since he was summoned to attend the heralds' visitation of Berkshire in 1665/6, but his address was then given as 'the sign of the Bear', where he was presumably the innkeeper. The Bear, then in Castle St., Reading, was one of the chief inns of the town (Cromwell stayed there in 1648 and Queen Mary of Modena in 1686), so the landlord would have been a figure of some status, even if 'in trade'. During the Civil War, Reading was garrisoned by the Royalists, who in the winter of 1642-43 constructed fortifications around the previously undefended town, and demolished the nave of the former abbey church to provide stone for the purpose. In 1643 the town was besieged by the Parliamentarians and briefly bombarded, before the Royalists agreed to surrender it and retreat to Oxford. The collective impact of these events was to leave the town extensively damaged and the lives of its citizens considerably disrupted. Francis Bernard was probably one of those most affected, for the impact of billeting fell particularly heavily on innkeepers. The fact that he seems not to have married until the 1650s may also be evidence of the financial impact of the Civil War. His only surviving son was the Rev. Francis Bernard (1660-1715), with whom the pendulum of fortune began to swing back in favour of the family. He was probably educated at Reading Grammar School and in 1677, he was admitted to St John's College, where a kinsman, Edward Bernard, the astronomer and Hebrew scholar, had recently been a fellow and may have exerted some influence on his behalf. Having taken his first degree and his MA, he was elected to a fellowship in about 1685, and ordained the following year. He served as one of the University proctors in 1690 and remained a fellow of the college until 1698, after which he was appointed rector of Codford St. Peter (Wilts) and then in 1701, rector of Brightwell (Berks), which had been held by his kinsman Edward Bernard until his death in 1697. Brightwell was conveniently situated between Oxford and Reading, where he may still have had interests, and its location may have been one of its attractions.

In 1701, the Rev. Francis Bernard was still unmarried, but in 1711 he married Margaret Winlow, the daughter and co-heiress of a landowner from Lewknor in south Oxfordshire. They had one son, later Sir Francis Bernard (1712-79), 1st bt., but the Rev. Francis died in 1715. His widow then married the man appointed to succeed her husband as rector of Brightwell, the Rev. Anthony Alsop (c.1672-1726), but she died of smallpox in 1718 without having further children. Alsop continued to bring up his stepson, who in 1725 was sent to Westminster School, but when Alsop was accidentally drowned in 1726, Francis was left orphaned and probably became the responsibility of his uncle, the Rev. Moses Terry (c.1682-1757), who was then living in Oxford but became rector of Leadenham (Lincs) from 1729. He went straight on from Westminster to Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degrees, and then to the Middle Temple, from which he was called to the bar in 1737. He then took himself to Lincoln, where he drew on his family connections to establish a successful practice as a provincial counsel, gradually accumulating a range of legal appointments in the diocese and across the region. He was married in 1741 to the daughter of a Derbyshire landowner, and settled down in a house in the close at Lincoln, where he and his wife raised a large family, eventually of seven sons and five daughters. By the mid 1750s, his income as a successful provincial lawyer was barely able to support his large family, and as they grew up, he faced the prospect of needing to provide portions for his daughters and to establish his sons in careers. He therefore sought to exchange his settled way of life for a riskier but potentially higher reward career in colonial administration. Through his wife, he was closely related to, and on terms of personal friendship with, William Wildman Barrington (1717-93), 2nd Viscount Barrington, a prominent political figure, who was able to secure him the post of Governor of New Jersey in America, which he took up in 1758. This seems to have been regarded as a sort of 'starter post' and having discharged his duties there satisfactorily, he was moved on to the much more challenging post of Governor of Massachusetts Bay, which covered a much larger area than the later state of Massachusetts. He was in post there from 1760-70, a period which saw rapidly escalating tensions between the British government and the colonists in America. Although not uncritical of government policy, he saw it as his role to ensure that the laws determined in London were implemented, and his ability to work with the provincial assembly gradually broke down. A further account of his time in America can be found in Mrs Napier Higgins' book and a more modern summary here. By 1769 he was no longer able to govern effectively and he was recalled to London but rewarded with a baronetcy and a pension. He at first left his wife and family in America (perhaps indicating that he hoped to return, if only to manage the estates he had acquired in New England), but after he resigned his appointment in 1770, his wife and family rejoined him in England, making a harrowing winter voyage across the Atlantic in a barely seaworthy vessel.

Prebendal House, Aylesbury

A stroke in 1771 left him subject to epileptic fits and prevented him undertaking any further employment, although he did continue to advise the Government on colonial matters. Happily for his financial position, the death in 1771 of his cousin, Jane Beresford, brought him the Nether Winchendon estate in Buckinghamshire. The house was evidently then in poor repair and after a short-lived experiment in occupying it, he settled at the Prebendal House in Aylesbury, recently occupied by the turbulent MP, John Wilkes, which he leased from his friend Sir William Lee, and which remained his home for the rest of his life.

Sir Francis seems to have intended that the family's relocation to America should be permanent, but his personal unpopularity and the drift towards the American war of independence made this untenable. His eldest son, Francis (1743-70), was intended to inherit and manage his estates in America, but died while his father was in England in 1770. His second son, later Sir John Bernard (1745-1809), 2nd bt., was established as a merchant and port official in Boston, Massachusetts, roles which put him at the epicentre of the seething resentment felt by the colonists towards British taxation and customs duties, and after the Boston Tea Party in 1773 he too left America. Little is known of his later career but after briefly returning to England he probably moved to the Caribbean, where he died in 1809. Sir Francis' third surviving son, later Sir Thomas Bernard (1750-1818), 3rd bt., became a successful lawyer in London and through his career and his marriages acquired a sufficient capital to give up legal practice and devote himself to philanthropic works. He had no children, however, so on his death the baronetcy passed to the youngest and last surviving son of Sir Francis, Sir Scrope Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1758-1830), 4th bt. Perhaps because he was the youngest son, and not yet committed to a career, it was to Scrope that his father chose to bequeath the Nether Winchendon estate in 1779. For much of the next decade, Scrope was in Ireland, acting as Private Secretary to the Marquess of Buckingham while he was Lord Lieutenant. On his return to England, Buckingham found him a seat in Parliament controlled by the Grenville family (Aylesbury until 1806, and then St Mawes) which he held almost continuously until his death, and from 1789-92 he held a junior ministerial post in the Home Office. In 1785 he had married a banker's daughter and he subsequently became a partner in his father-in-law's firm. He therefore had the means to improve his house and estate at Nether Winchendon, and from about 1790 he devoted himself to improvements in a slightly dated Gothick style which he designed himself. In 1803 he also bought an estate at Great Kimble, where he had plans to build a new house which never came to fruition.

Sir Scrope Bernard-Morland had five sons and two daughters. His two eldest sons died in his lifetime, and he was therefore succeeded by Sir Francis Bernard-Morland (1790-1876), 5th bt., who was left two-thirds of his father's banking interests and the estate at Great Kimble. Unfortunately, the bank (Duckett, Morland & Co.) failed in 1832, and although the assets of the partners exceeded their liabilities and they were not bankrupted, Sir Francis was obliged to sell Great Kimble (retaining only a small house called Askett Lodge) and was thereafter in greatly reduced financial circumstances, and he remained unmarried and without issue. On his death, the title therefore passed to his next brother, Sir Thomas Tyringham Bernard-Morland (1791-1883), 6th bt., who had been left the Nether Winchendon estate and a smaller share in the family bank, which meant his share of the bank's losses was a more manageable £8,000.  He was the Liberal MP for Aylesbury, 1857-65, and was twice married. By his first wife he had two sons and two daughters, but the only one to survive him was his younger daughter, Sophia Elizabeth Charlotte (1829-1919), who was married to Joseph Napier Higgins (1826-99), an Irish barrister. Sophia had strong historical interests, and was very aware of her position as the last of the Bernards, and this led her to compile an admirable family history, published in two volumes in 1903, which drew not just on the records in her own possession but also on documents in the hands of her relatives and official records such as wills and parish registers. Much of the genealogical detail below is taken from her books, although I have cross-checked it with other sources where possible.

Sophia and Joseph Napier Higgins had only one surviving son, Lt-Col. Francis Tyringham Higgins (1864-1935), who took the additional surname Bernard by deed poll in 1897. He qualified as a barrister but seems to have given up the law to pursue a military career, which was ended when he was wounded in the First World War. When he inherited Nether Winchendon in 1919 it was rather neglected, as his elderly mother had wanted it kept unchanged. Col. Higgins-Bernard brought in Philip Tilden to give the house a thorough but self-effacing makeover in 1921-24, and lived there with his wife. Much feted as an all-round sportsman in his youth, it is rather ironic that he should have died of a heart attack while playing tennis in 1935. As he had no children or siblings or Bernard cousins, he left Nether Winchendon to his widow for life, and then to Dr. John Gray Churchill Spencer (1907-77), a great-grandson of the 6th baronet's younger sister, Mary Anne Spencer (later Glanville) (1797-1882). Dr. Spencer came into his inheritance in 1954, and took the additional name Bernard in 1955, as Col. Higgins-Bernard had wished. After many years when maintenance had been difficult if not impossible, the house was again in need of a major overhaul, which was undertaken in 1954-58. This time the work was less sympathetic than Tilden's had been, and one of the two 'cloister' arcades built by Sir Scrope Bernard was pulled down, together with the Gothick porch on the west front.

With a view to avoiding future death duties, Dr. Spencer-Bernard handed over much of the Nether Winchendon estate to his elder son, Charles Francis Churchill Spencer-Bernard (1942-2016) on his coming of age in 1963, with the intention of making over the house and its immediate grounds later. However, Charles subsequently married and settled in France, and made it known that he did not intend to return to England. Dr Spencer-Bernard therefore handed over the house to his younger son, Robert Vere Spencer-Bernard (b. 1944), who is the present owner. This has had the unfortunate effect of separating the house from the estate which supported it, and the house has been sustained, and in recent years restored, only by income from commercial activities and earned income.

Nether Winchendon Manor, Buckinghamshire

The house has a long and complex history, although much of its current external appearance is due to the improvements of Sir Scrope Bernard (1758-1830), 4th bt., between 1790 and 1815. It is essentially an L-shaped building, comprising a main south range and a subordinate west range set at right-angles to it. The core of the house, in the centre of the south range, is a 14th or 15th century timber-framed hall which belonged to Notley Abbey (Bucks). This was leased from 1527 to Sir John Daunce (d. 1545), a London goldsmith who was one of Henry VIII's privy councillors and surveyor-general of Crown lands. It was then apparently in poor condition, and over the next decade Daunce repaired and extended it, adding a chamber wing that forms the east end of the south range. His work was constructed of close-studded timbering (now largely concealed by later work), with brick chimneystacks, and four of his finely ornamented brick chimneys survive. The long west range of the house was probably added in the late 16th century for the Tyringham family, and the bay windows at either end suggest it may have been created as a series of lodgings for guests, although it was later repurposed as a service wing.

Nether Winchendon House: simplified ground plan

Thus the house remained until after 1779, when Scrope Bernard inherited the estate from his father (the family baronetcy only devolved on him in 1818 after the death of two of his brothers). Alongside a notable career in public affairs and banking, Scrope was a passionate antiquarian and an enthusiast for the Gothick style. Indeed, there was a lot of Gothick in his family, for he was cousin to both the 2nd Viscount Barrington, who remodelled Beckett Park to the designs of Sanderson Miller in 1766-69, and to Shute Barrington, the Bishop of Durham for whom James Wyatt remodelled Auckland Castle in the 1790s. Scrope's work at Nether Winchendon was much closer in spirit to the pre-archaeological whimsical Gothick of Miller than it was to the more contemporary simplicity of Wyatt. He concentrated his efforts on making the exterior of the old house more picturesque, and hinting at monastic origins through the construction of two arcades at right-angles to one another, suggesting they were part of a former cloister. Scrope was his own architect, but the work was carried out under the direction of Thomas Harris of Ashenden, mason, who no doubt helped with the practical realisation of his ideas. The different materials of which the house was composed were concealed beneath a unifying coat of white painted stucco, which contributed to the delicate cake-icing quality of the Gothick decoration: this, sadly, was removed in the 1920s.

Nether Winchendon House: engraving of the house c.1820, soon after the completion of Scrope Bernard's alterations.

Work continued at intervals over a period of some 25 years, between 1790 and 1815, but began in the former year with the construction of towers at either end of the south range, which were formed by wrapping a skin of stone around the existing chimneystacks and end walls of the chamber block and the kitchen. The south-east tower was also given bartizans, one with a tall pepperpot top. 

Nether Winchendon House: the east end of the south range

Scrope also replaced the cupola in the centre of the south range, giving it an ogee top. On the rear (north) elevation of the chamber block, he added a two-storey extension, and in 1797-99 he extended this across the back of the hall to connect with the west range. His new work has a battlemented parapet, with mock machicolation under it and pointed windows set between slender, closely-spaced, buttresses. 

Nether Winchendon House: view from the north in 2011, looking through the surviving 'cloister' screen to Scrope Bernard's additions to
the south and west ranges of the 1790s. Image: Nick Kingsley. Some rights reserved.

Attention then turned to the west range of the house. The east side of this was given a similar treatment to the north face of the south range, but as the two ranges are of different heights there is a slightly awkward step in levels where they meet. The west side of the west range was less altered, but was given a new single-storey Gothick portico with ogee arches in the centre. At the same time, a screen of Gothick arches was built to connect the north end of the range with an 18th century pavilion to its east, and a few years later, in 1802, a similar arcade was built connecting the pavilion to the south range. These additions were clearly intended to suggest the survival of two ranges of the cloister garth of a monastery, and led to the house being known locally as 'The Priory'. Finally, on this side of the house, in 1810-12 the 18th century pavilion between the arcades was replaced with the present Garden Tower, which has a large Gothick window echoing the form of that in the north end of the west range.

Nether Winchendon House: the house from the north-west in the late 19th century. Image: Historic England.

Nether Winchendon House: the south front in 1979.  Image: Nick Kingsley. Some rights reserved.

Once work on the arcades was complete, Scrope Bernard turned his attention to the main south front of the house and the rooms within. In 1802-06 the south front was remodelled with a crenellated parapet and false machicolations like those on the north side of the range. In 1805, the medieval roof of the Great Hall was removed and replaced by a simple ribbed plaster vault, similar in form to those installed earlier in the entrance hall and the gallery above it. The screens passage was also removed and the space it occupied at the west end of the hall was added to a room behind to create the present Justice Room. Finally, in 1812-15 the pretty first-floor verandah towards the south-east corner of the house was created.

In addition to designing and building his own Gothick exteriors, Scrope Bernard was an enthusiastic collector of salvaged materials such as panelling and chimneypieces from old houses in his neighbourhood which were being pulled down or remodelled, such as Eythorpe Park, where there was a major demolition sale in 1810. As a result it is sometimes difficult to be sure which fittings are indigenous to the house and which are pieces that Bernard brought in. The panelling of the hall is 17th century and probably imported, but a doorway at the east end of the hall has Sir John Daunce's name on it and is presumably in situ. The hall chimneypiece, which has a frieze of grotesques, also looks like Daunce's work. 

Nether Winchendon House: ceiling decoration of c.1530 in the drawing room, photographed in 1979.  Image: Nick Kingsley. Some rights reserved.

The drawing room, at the east end of the south range, has fine linenfold panelling and a frieze and ceiling decoration of foliage, candelabra, grotesques and mermaids holding medallions with heads in profile and Daunce's initials and arms. This is high quality work of c.1530 and similar in style to decoration in the Abbot's Parlour at nearby Thame Park (Oxon) (c.1530-39) and formerly at Notley Abbey (now at the Manor House, Weston-on-the-Green (Oxon)), and it seems likely that Daunce brought Royal craftsmen to the area to execute it, who were then further employed locally. The alterations Scrope Bernard made to the exterior of the house necessitated some rearrangement of the panelling in this room, and he inserted some replica panels which bear his arms and those of the Tyringhams. The fireplace is 18th century, and was perhaps imported by Scrope, while the stained glass in the windows is a mixture of new work (with his arms) and old glass reused.

Nether Winchendon House: the house from the south-east today. 

The collapse of the bank in which the family had a stake in 1832 meant that for much of the 19th century the family was in financial difficulties, and a lack of ready money no doubt saved the house from radical Victorian interventions. By the time Lt-Col. Francis Tyringham Napier Higgins-Bernard (1864-1935) inherited the house from his mother in 1919, however, the house was rather run-down, dark and gloomy, and he brought in Philip Tilden to carry out some modernisation in 1921-24. His most visible contribution was to add the porch on the north side of the south range, but he also created bedrooms in the roof space, allowing rooms on the floor below to be released for service use, and remodelled the entrance hall. It seems probable that Tilden also removed the Gothick portico from the west front, but this may have been done as part of a further programme of work in 1954-58 by F. Russell Cox of Burford (Oxon), when the arcade between the Garden Tower and the south range was also removed, destroying the illusion of a cloister garth, but bringing more light into the house.

Descent: Notley Abbey; leased 1527 to Sir John Daunce (d. 1545); when the Abbey was dissolved in 1539 the freehold passed to the Crown, which continued Daunce's lease until his death; granted 1547 to John Russell, Baron Russell of Chenies and later 1st Earl of Bedford, who sold 1559 to William Goodwin; sold 1571 to Thomas Tyringham, who settled it 1578 on his younger son, Thomas Tyringham (d. 1629); to son, Thomas Tyringham (d. 1656/7); to brother, Francis Tyringham; to son, John Tyringham (d. 1704); to brother Francis Tyringham (d. 1727); to son, Francis Tyringham (d. 1735); to sisters, Parnell, wife of Charles Pilsworth and Mary Tyringham (d. 1745); to cousin, Jane (d. 1775), wife of Christopher Beresford; to cousin, Sir Francis Bernard (1712-79), 1st bt.; to brother, Sir Scrope Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1758-1830), 4th bt.; to son, Sir Francis Bernard-Morland (1790-1876), 5th bt.; to brother, Sir Thomas Tyringham Bernard (1791-1883), 6th bt.; to daughter, Sophia Elizabeth Charlotte (1829-1919), wife of Joseph Napier Higgins QC (1826-99); to son, Lt-Col. Francis Tyringham Napier Higgins-Bernard (1864-1935); to kinsman, John Grey Churchill Spencer (later Spencer-Bernard) (1907-77); to younger son, Robert Vere Spencer-Bernard (b. 1944).

Bernard (later Spencer-Bernard) family of Nether Winchendon

Bernard, Thomas (c.1560-1628). Fourth son of Francis Bernard (c.1526-1602) [for whom see my post on the Bernards of Abington and Brampton] and his wife Alice (d. 1612?), daughter of John Haslewood of Maidwell (Northants), born about 1560. He married Sarah [surname unknown] (d. 1640) and had issue:

(1) Abigail Bernard (b. 1608), baptised at St Mary, Reading, 28 February 1607/8; married, 15 January 1637/8, Thomas Marsh (d. 1661) of Reading, and had issue at least one son and one daughter;

(2) Barbara Bernard (1613-14), baptised at St Mary, Reading, 15 October 1613; died in infancy and was buried at St Mary, Reading, 4 February 1613/4;

(3) Francis Bernard (1614-80) (q.v.);

(4) Mary Bernard (b. 1620); baptised at St Mary, Reading, 2 September 1620; perhaps died in Reading during the Civil War;

(5) George Bernard (1623-34), baptised at St Mary, Reading, 28 September 1623; died of smallpox and was buried at St Mary, Reading, 19 October 1634. 

He lived at Reading (Berks).

He was buried at St Mary, Reading, 14 December 1628. His widow was also buried at St Mary, Reading, 9 January 1639/40.

Bernard, Francis (1614-80). Elder son of Thomas Bernard (c.1560-1628) and his wife Sarah [surname unknown], baptised at St Mary, Reading, 28 December 1614. He may have been the innkeeper of The Bear in Reading, which was the address from which he was summoned to appear at the heralds' visitation in 1665/6. He married, Sarah [surname unknown], and had issue:

(1) James Bernard (c.1658-65), probably born about 1658; died young and was buried at St Mary, Reading, 4 October 1665;

(2) Rev. Francis Bernard (1660-1715) (q.v.);

(3) Ann Bernard (b. 1662), baptised at St Mary, Reading, 6 April 1662;

(4) Martha Bernard (b. 1663), baptised at St Mary, Reading, 14 December 1663;

(5) Elizabeth Bernard (1666-68), baptised at St Mary, Reading, 27 September 1666; died in infancy, 14 August 1668.

He lived at Reading.

He was buried at St Mary, Reading, 10 October 1680. His widow is usually said to have died in 1685 and been buried at St Mary, Reading, but there seems to be no such entry in the register and her son's will suggests she was still living in 1715; she may be the 'Sarah Barnard' of Reading, widow, whose will was proved in the Berkshire Archdeaconry Court in 1716.

Bernard, Rev. Francis (1660-1715). Second, but only surviving, son of Francis Bernard (1614-80) and his wife Sarah [surname unknown], baptised at St Mary, Reading, 31 December 1660. Educated at Reading Grammar School and St John's College, Oxford (matriculated 1677; BA 1681; MA 1685; BD 1791). Ordained deacon, 1686 and priest, 1689. Fellow of St John's College, Oxford, c.1685-98; University Proctor, 1690. Rector of Codford St Peter (Wilts), 1698-1703; rector of Brightwell (Berks), 1702-15. JP for Berkshire. He married, 17 August 1711 at Lewknor (Oxon), Margery alias Margaret (1681-1718), daughter of Richard Winlow (d. 1709) of Lewknor, and had issue:

(1) Sir Francis Bernard (1712-79), 1st bt. (q.v.).

He lived in Oxford, and later at Codford St Peter and Brightwell. It is not known when he sold his Reading property. Through his marriage he acquired his father-in-law's property at Lewknor.

He died 14 December 1715 and was buried at Lewknor; his will was proved in the PCC, 8 May 1716. His widow married 2nd, 31 December 1716 at Brightwell, Rev. Anthony Alsop (c.1672-1726), who succeeded her first husband as rector of Brightwell; she died of smallpox and was buried at Lewknor, 22 May 1718.

Sir Francis Bernard, 1st bt. 

Bernard, Sir Francis (1712-79), 1st bt. Only child of Rev. Francis Bernard (1660-1715) and his wife Margery alias Margeret, daughter of Richard Winlow of Lewknor (Oxon), baptised at Brightwell, 10 July 1712. Educated at Westminster (admitted 1725), Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1729; BA 1733; MA 1736) and Middle Temple (admitted 1733; called 1737). Barrister-at-law, who settled at Lincoln as a provinicial counsel and was admitted a notary public, 1738. Commissioner of Bails for Lincoln, York, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, 1740. Steward of the City of Lincoln, 1744; Deputy Recorder of Boston, 1744; Receiver-General of the Dean & Chapter of Lincoln, 1745; Proctor of the Consistory Court of Lincoln, 1750; Commissary General of the Peculiars in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, 1756. Through the influence of the 2nd Viscount Barrington, and in order to provide for his large family, he was appointed Capt-Gen. and Governor of New Jersey, 1758-59 and subsequently of Massachusetts Bay, 1759-70. As a reward for the firmness with which he implemented the decisions of the British government in the colony, he was created a baronet, 5 April 1769, but simultaneously was ordered to return to England, where he resigned the appointment the following year, being subsequently awarded a pension of a rather paltry £500 a year, later increased to £800 a year. His appointment to the Board of Commissioners for Ireland was announced in 1771 but before it could take effect he suffered a severe stroke from which he recovered only partially, being left subject to epileptic fits. He married, December 1741, Amelia (1717-78), daughter of Stephen Offley of Norton Hall (Derbys), and had issue:

(1) Francis Bernard (1743-70?), baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 26 September 1743; educated at Westminster (admitted 1757), where he suffered serious head injuries through being tossed in a blanket as part of an initiation ritual, and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1761; BA 1766); after taking his degree he joined his family in America, where his father seems to have trained him to act as agent for his American estates; died, possibly as a result of the brain injury he had suffered in 1757, 5 November 1770 and was buried at the King's Chapel, Boston;

(2) Sir John Bernard (1745-1809), 2nd bt. (q.v.);

(3) Jane Bernard (1746-1823), born 23 August and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 15 September 1746; did not accompany her parents to America but remained with her father's cousin, Jane Beresford, at Nether Winchendon; married, 22 December 1774 at Aylesbury (Bucks), Charles White (c.1728-1810) of Lincoln, barrister-at-law, son of Fitzwilliam White of Louth (Lincs), and had issue one son and three daughters; died 2 February 1823;

(4) Joseph Bernard (b. & d. 1747), baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 19 August 1747; died in infancy, reputedly on 22 August 1747;

(5) Amelia Bernard (b. & d. 1749), baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 14 January 1748/9; died in infancy, 4 November 1749;

(6) Sir Thomas Bernard (1750-1818), 3rd bt. (q.v.);

(7) Shute Bernard (1752-67), born 26 July and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 22 August 1752; probably educated in Boston (Mass.); died young, 5 April 1767, and was buried at the King's Chapel, Boston;

(8) Amelia Bernard (1754-95), born 16 September and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 18 October 1754; married, 28 April 1783 at St Mary Magdalene, Lincoln, Benjamin Baker of Lincoln, and had issue at least two sons; died 18 January 1795;

(9) William Bernard (1756-76), born 27 May and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 25 June 1756; educated at Harrow (admitted 1771); an officer in the army (Ensign, c.1775; Lt. 1776); drowned off Charmouth (Dorset) while proceeding to Canada with his regiment, March 1776;

(10) Frances Elizabeth (k/a Fanny) Bernard (1757-1821), born 25 July and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 27 August 1757; did not accompany her parents to America but remained with her father's cousin, Jane Beresford, at Nether Winchendon; author of Female Scripture Characters exemplifying female virtues which ran through at least twelve editions; married, 17 August 1782 at St Anne, Soho, Westminster, Rev. Richard King (c.1749-1811), vicar of Steeple Morden (Cambs), 1782-1811, and rector of Worthen (Shrops.), 1784-1811, son of Henry King of Bristol; died 28 December 1821; will proved in the PCC, 1 February 1822;

(11) Sir Scrope Bernard (1758-1830), 4th bt. (q.v.);

(12) Julia Bernard (1759-1834), born 19 November 1759; educated at Berkhamsted (Herts); married, 7 August 1779 at Aylesbury (Bucks), Rev. Joseph Smith (c.1748-1825), rector of Saltfleetby St Peter (Lincs), 1774-1802, vicar of Wendover (Bucks), 1777-1802, Aston Abbotts (Bucks), 1790-1802 and of Melksham (Wilts), 1801-25; prebendary of Salisbury, 1802-25, and had issue one son; died at Grantham (Lincs), 10 December 1834; will proved in the PCC, 12 January 1835.

He inherited his grandfather's lands at Lewknor but sold them to All Souls College, Oxford in 1742 and 1744. He settled at Lincoln and lived there until his appointment to New Jersey in 1758. He returned to England on being recalled from his Governorship in 1769 and rented a house at Hampstead (Middx). His wife and most of the family remained in America in 1769, but she rejoined her husband in England in 1771. Later in 1771 he inherited the Nether Winchendon estate from his first cousin, Mrs. Jane Beresford. He moved there after recovering from his stroke, but found the situation too remote, and instead leased the Prebendal House at Aylesbury (Bucks) from Sir William Lee.

He died 16 June 1779 and was buried at Aylesbury; his will was proved in July 1779. His wife died 26 May 1778 and was buried at Aylesbury (Bucks); administration of her goods was granted 11 May and 6 July 1779.

Bernard, Sir John (1745-1809), 2nd bt. Second, but eldest surviving, son of Sir Francis Bernard (1712-79), 1st bt., and his wife Amelia, daughter of Stephen Offley of Norton Hall (Derbys), born 26 January and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 27 January 1744/5. Probably educated at Lincoln GS. He then followed his father to America, where he was a member of the Boston Corps of Cadets by 1765. He became a merchant in Boston and Naval Officer to the port of Boston until the outbreak of the War of Independence; it is thought that he was one of those worst affected by the 'Boston Tea Party' of 1773, and by the close of 1774 he had been driven out of Boston. He then journeyed to England but returned to America later in 1775, probably intending to employ himself in developing his father's lands in America. These were confiscated after the Revolution although half the lands were later returned to him and then sold. He is said to have later held administrative posts in Barbados and St. Vincent. He was unmarried and without issue.

He lived in Boston and later in the Caribbean.

He died on the island of Domenica, 16 August 1809.

Sir Thomas Bernard, 3rd bt. 

Bernard, Sir Thomas (1750-1818), 3rd bt. Fourth, but second surviving, son of Sir Francis Bernard (1712-79), 1st bt., and his wife Amelia, daughter of Stephen Offley of Norton Hall (Derbys), born in Lincoln, 27 April and baptised at St Margaret-in-the-Close, Lincoln, 25 July 1750. Educated at a school in New Jersey and Harvard University (AB 1770), although his studies were interrupted by acting as private secretary to his father. He returned to England with his father in 1769 and against his father's wish, continued his education at the Middle Temple (admitted 1772; called 1780). He was appointed a Commissary of Musters, c.1772, and this helped to fund his studies. Barrister-at-law, but because of a speech impediment he practiced chiefly as a conveyancer. Chancellor of the Diocese of Durham, 1801, where he initiated the foundation of a teacher training college. Having, through his marriage and a successful legal practice, acquired a modest fortune, he retired from the law and devoted himself to philanthropic activities. He was a Governor of the Foundling Hospital, London (Treasurer, 1795-1806), where he oversaw the development of the charity's estates to increase its revenue, and introduced reforms to the feeding and heating of the institution first suggested by Count Rumford, which were subsequently widely adopted. He was also a promoter of many other charitable institutions, including the School for the Indigent Blind, 1800; the Royal Institution, 1800; the Fever Institution, 1801; the Albert Club; and the Royal Society for the Promotion of the Arts, 1806. He was the author of several works, and was awarded honorary degrees by the Archbishop of Canterbury (MA, 1801) and Edinburgh University (LLD, 1801). He succeeded his brother as 3rd baronet, 16 August 1809. He married 1st, 11 May 1782 at St Anne, Soho, Westminster (Middx), Margaret (1755-1813), daughter and co-heir of Patrick Adair, and 2nd, 15 June 1815 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, Charlotte Matilda (1766-1846), fifth daughter of Sir Edward Hulse, 2nd bt., but had no male issue.

After returning to England, he lived in London.

He died at Leamington Spa (Warks), 1 July, and was buried 10 July 1818, in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital; his will was proved in the PCC, 27 July 1818. His first wife died 6 January 1813 and was buried in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital. His widow died 20 July 1845, and her will was proved in the PCC, 4 August 1846.

Bernard (later Bernard-Morland), Sir Scrope (1758-1830), 4th bt. Seventh and youngest son of Sir Francis Bernard (1712-79), 1st bt., and his wife Amelia, daughter of Stephen Offley of Norton Hall (Derbys), born at Pestel Amburg (New Jersey), 1 October 1758. Educated at Harrow (admitted 1771) and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1775; BA 1779; MA 1781; DCL 1788). Private Secretary to the Marquess of Buckingham as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1782-83, 1787-89; Secretary of the Commission of Enquiry into Public Offices, 1785; an officer in the Buckinghamshire militia (Capt., 1786) and the Aylesbury Volunteers (Capt., 1803); Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, 1787-89. He was an advocate at Doctor's Commons in London, 1789-1801, and was Chancellor of the Durham Consistory Court, 1795-1818. MP for Aylesbury, 1789-1806 and for St Mawes, 1806-08, 1809-30, in both cases with the support of the Grenville interest; Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office, 1789-92. A partner in Ransom, Hammersley & Morland (the bank of his wife's father), c.1792-1819 and later of his own bank, Morland, Auriol & Co. (later Duckett, Morland & Co.), 1819-30. He had royal licence to take the surname Tyringham Bernard, 8 May 1789, though his name never seems to be recorded in this form, and then to take the name Bernard-Morland, 15 February 1811. He succeeded his elder brother as 4th baronet, 1 July 1818. He had a reputation for honesty, sincerity and modesty, and for his concern with philanthropic legislation. He married, 26 July 1785 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Hannah (1762-1822), only child of William Morland of Lee (Kent), surgeon, banker and MP for Taunton, and had issue:

(1) William Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1786-1820), born 7 July and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 26 July 1786; educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1804; MA 1807); High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, 1811-12; died unmarried at Caen (France), 21 November, and was buried at Great Kimble, 27 December 1820;

(2) Thomas Bernard (b. 1787), born 15 October and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 28 November 1787; said to have died in infancy;

(3) Margaret Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1788-1859), born 22 December 1788 and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 13 January 1789; married, 18 January 1816 at St James, Westminster, Capt. Henry Pigott (1780-1864) of Eagle Hill (Co. Galway), and had issue one son; died 7 June 1859 and was buried at Loughrea (Co. Galway); administration of her goods was granted to her brothers, 23 May 1863;

(4) Sir Francis Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1790-1876), 5th bt. (q.v.);

(5) Sir Thomas Tyringham Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1791-1883), 6th bt. (q.v.);

(6) Richard Scrope Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1793-1833), born 13 August and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster, 11 September 1793; educated at Westminster School and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; joined the Royal Navy but left after his first voyage and became an officer in the Bengal Army (Cadet, 1810; Fireworker, 1811; Lt., 1817; Capt., 1827); died unmarried at Dum-Dum (India), 15 October 1833, where he was commemorated by a memorial in the cemetery;

(7) Mary Anne Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1797-1882) [for whom see below].

He inherited the Nether Winchendon estate on the death of his father in 1779, and purchased the manor of Great Kimble (Bucks) in 1803 for more than £18,000. He lived partly at Great Kimble, which his wife preferred. He remodelled Nether Winchendon and intended to build a new house at Great Kimble, but apparently did nothing there.

He died 18 April 1830 and was buried at Gt. Kimble; his will was proved August 1830. His wife died 4 March 1822, and was buried at Gt. Kimble.

Bernard (later Bernard-Morland), Sir Francis (1790-1876), 5th bt. Third, but eldest surviving, son of Sir Scrope Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1758-1830), 4th bt., and his wife Hannah, only child of William Morland of Lee (Kent), surgeon, banker and MP for Taunton, born 7 June and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), 7 July 1790. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1806). He joined the family banking business, Duckett Morland & Co., which failed in 1832, when his share of the liabilities was £18,950. He succeeded his father as 5th baronet, 18 April 1830. JP and DL for Buckinghamshire. He was unmarried and without issue.

He inherited the Great Kimble estate from his father in 1830, but sold most of it after the collapse of Duckett, Morland & Co. in 1832.

He died at Askett Lodge, Gt Kimble, 23 January, and was buried at Gt. Kimble, 28 January 1876; his will was proved 26 February 1876 (effects under £600).

Bernard (later Bernard-Morland), Sir Thomas Tyringham (1791-1883), 6th bt. Fourth son of Sir Scrope Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1758-1830), 4th bt., and his wife Hannah, only child of William Morland of Lee (Kent), surgeon, banker and MP for Taunton, born 15 September and baptised at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), 11 October 1791. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1810). A partner in Duckett, Morland & Co. of Westminster, bankers, until it failed in 1832, when his share of the liabilities was £8,000. High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, 1816-17; Lt-Col. of the Buckinghamshire Militia; Liberal MP for Aylesbury, 1857-65. He succeeded his elder brother as 6th baronet, 23 January 1876. He married 1st, 26 July 1819 at Aston Clinton (Bucks), Sophia Charlotte (1795-1837), daughter of [Sir] David Williams of Sarratt (Herts), [soi disant 10th bt.]; 2nd, 12 October 1840, at St Pancras (Middx), Martha Louisa (1799-1855), second daughter and coheir of William Minshull of Kentish Town (Middx); and 3rd, 28 July 1864 at St Paul, Hampstead (Middx), Ellen (1832-69), daughter of Isaac Nott of Castle Combe (Wilts), shopkeeper, and widow of Henry Elwes of Marcham Park (Berks), and had issue:

(1.1) Letitia Charlotte Bernard-Morland (1820-65), born 11 September 1820 and was baptised at Sarratt; married, 5 September 1850, as his first wife, her cousin Francis Bernard Pigott (d. 1872) of Eagle Hill (Co. Galway), but had no issue; died at Neufchatel (France), 17 December 1865;

(1.2) Sophia Elizabeth Charlotte Bernard-Morland (1829-1919) (q.v.);

(1.3) David Williams Bernard-Morland (1830-53), born 5 December and baptised at St James, Westminster, 23 December 1830; died unmarried in the lifetime of his father, 23 December 1853, and was buried at Nether Winchendon;

(1.4) Edward Stanley Bernard-Morland (1835-45), born 3 May 1835; died young, 21 April 1846.

He inherited the Nether Winchendon estate from his father in 1830.

He died aged 91 at Cadogan Lodge, Carlyle Sq., Chelsea, 8 May 1883, when his baronetcy became extinct; his will was proved 24 July 1883 (effects £48,000). His first wife died 15 May 1837. His second wife died 18 April 1855; administration of her goods (with will annexed) was granted in the PCC, 23 May 1855. His third wife died 6 November and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, 13 November 1869; administration of her goods was granted to her husband, 4 December 1869 (effects under £12,000).

Bernard-Morland, Sophia Elizabeth Charlotte (1829-1919). Second daughter, but only surviving child, of Sir Thomas Tyringham Bernard-Morland (1791-1883), 6th bt., and his first wife, Sophia Charlotte, daughter of [Sir] David Williams of Sarratt (Herts), soi-disant 10th bt., born 8 July, and baptised at St James, Westminster, 6 August 1829. A historian, she was author of Women of Europe of the 15th and 16th centuries (1885) and a two volume history of her family, The Bernards of Abington and Nether Winchendon (1903). She married, 13 June 1861, at Lower Winchendon, Joseph Napier Higgins (1826-99), barrister-at-law (QC 1872), third son of Joseph Higgins of Clonmel (Co. Tipperary), and had issue:

(1) Lt-Col. Francis Tyringham Higgins (later Higgins-Bernard) (1864-1935) (q.v.);

(2) Edward Stanley Higgins (b. & d. 1866), baptised at St Paul, Hampstead (Middx), 15 February 1866; died in infancy and was buried at Kentish Town & Highgate Cemetery (Middx), 10 April 1866.

She inherited the Nether Winchendon estate from her father in 1883. She and her husband also had a town house at 24 The Boltons, South Kensington (Middx).

She died 20 January 1919; her will was proved 18 March 1919 (estate £78,172). Her husband died 17 December 1899; his will was proved 1 May 1900 (estate £245,070).

Higgins (later Higgins-Bernard), Lt-Col. Francis Tyringham (1864-1935). Son of James Napier Higgins QC (1826-99) and his wife Sophia Elizabeth Charlotte, second daughter but only surviving child and heir of Sir Thomas Tyringham Bernard-Morland, 6th bt, born 22 July and baptised at St Paul, Hampstead (Middx), 20 August 1864. Educated at Westminster,  Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1883; BA 1887; MA 1890; Football blue) and Lincoln's Inn (called 1889). Barrister-at-law. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in the St Austell division, 1910, and in Buckinghamshire North later the same year. An officer in the Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars (Capt., 1889) and later in the Rifle Brigade (Capt., 1897; Major, 1904) and the militia battn, Oxfordshire Light Infantry (Maj., 1905; Lt-Col. 1912; retired 1916), who served in the First World War (wounded). JP for Buckinghamshire and County Councillor; High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, 1924-25; DL for Buckinghamshire from 1922; twice Master of the Worshipful Company of Skinners in London. He assumed the additional name of Bernard by deed poll in 1897. An all-round sportsman, he displayed particular prowess at cricket and football, having the highest public school batting average in 1882 and being captain of the Christ Church cricket XI. He was also winner of the Officers' Sabre Competition at the Military Tournament of 1904 and of the Bar point-to-point in 1900 and 1908. He married, 27 April 1897 at Kingsey (Bucks), Evelyn Georgiana (1872-1954), daughter of Philip James Digby Wykeham of Barnsley Park (Glos) and later of Tythrop House, Kingsey, but had no issue.

He inherited the Nether Winchendon estate from his mother in 1919 and remodelled the house to the design of Philip Tilden. At his death he left the house to his widow for life, with remainder to his kinsman, Dr John Gray Churchill Spencer (later Spencer-Bernard) (1907-77).

He died of a heart attack while playing tennis, 13 July, and was buried at Lower Winchendon, 16 July 1935; his will was proved 14 October 1935 (estate £256,989). His widow died 19 June 1954; her will was proved 13 August 1954 and 11 January 1955 (estate £87,636).

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Bernard (later Bernard-Morland), Mary Anne (1797-1882). Younger daughter of Sir Scrope Bernard (later Bernard-Morland) (1758-1830), 4th bt., and his wife Hannah, only child of William Morland of Lee (Kent), surgeon, banker and MP for Taunton, born 11 February and baptised at St John, Smith Sq, Westminster (Middx), 24 March 1797. She married 1st, 6 October 1823 at Lower Winchendon (Bucks), Rev. Frederick Charles Spencer (1796-1831), rector of Wheatfield (Oxon), 1820-31, son of John Spencer (1767-1831), and maternal grandson of George Spencer (1739-1817), 4th Duke of Marlborough, and 2nd, 25 July 1835 at St Marylebone (Middx), Rev. Edward Fanshawe Glanville (1807-78), rector of Wheatfield, 1833-78, third son of Francis Glanville (d. 1846) of Catchfrench (Cornwall), and had issue:

(1.1) Harriett Frances Spencer (1824-99), born 7 October 1824; died unmarried, 29 June, and was buried at St Giles, Oxford, 1 July 1899; will proved 29 July 1899 (estate £9,373);

(1.2) Rev. Charles Vere Spencer (1827-98) (q.v.);

(1.3) George Bernard Spencer (1829-53), born 27 July 1829; died unmarried at Little Kimble (Bucks), 2 November 1853.

She died in Oxford, 21 January 1882; her will was proved 21 February 1882 (effects £3,414). Her first husband died 2 October 1831. Her second husband died in Oxford, 9 August 1878; his will was proved 26 November 1878 (effects under £3,000).

Spencer, Rev. Charles Vere (1827-98). Elder son of Rev. Frederick Charles Spencer (1796-1831), rector of Wheatfield (Oxon) and his wife Mary Anne, younger daughter of Sir Scrope Bernard (later Tyringham-Bernard and then Bernard-Morland), 4th bt., born 17 May 1827. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1845; BA 1849; MA 1852). Ordained deacon, 1851, and priest, 1852. Curate of St Peter, Northampton (Northants), 1851-52 and Adwell (Oxon), 1852-66; rector and patron of Wheatfield (Oxon), 1852-98. JP for Oxfordshire. A freemason from 1850. He married, 22 June 1852 at Bathwick (Som.), Emma Frederica (1834-1907), daughter of John Robert à Court Gray (d. 1872) of Kingweston (Som.), and had issue:

(1) Aubrey John Spencer (1853-1935), born 18 June 1853; educated at Marlborough, Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1872; BA 1877; MA 1884) and Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1876; called 1879); barrister at law; JP for Oxfordshire; married, 9 April 1885 at Chislehurst (Kent), Florence Mary (1862-1952), daughter of Frederick Halsey Janson, of Chislehurst, solicitor, and had issue one son and three daughters; died 19 June 1935; will proved 8 August 1935 and 6 January 1936 (estate £4,158);

(2) George Trevor Spencer (1855-1931), born 6 February 1855; joined the Royal Navy (midshipman, 1869) but later became a civil engineer; died unmarried, 8 February 1931; will proved 29 June 1931 (estate £128);

(3) Mildred Frances Spencer (1856-1923), born 5 April 1856; died unmarried; 16 May 1923; will proved 27 July 1923 (estate £3,659);

(4) Frederica Marion Spencer (1858-1951), born 6 July 1858; died unmarried, aged 93, on 3 August 1951; will proved 13 November 1951 (estate £2,884);

(5) Edmund Vere Spencer (1866-1944), born 13 November 1866; educated at Haileybury and Keble College, Oxford (matriculated 1885; BA 1889); an officer in the Royal Engineers (2nd Lt., 1900; Lt., 1901; Capt., 1906; ret. 1921); died unmarried, 7 February, and was buried at Hendon Cemetery, 10 February 1934; administration of goods granted 12 May 1944 (estate £182);

(6) Sir Charles Gordon Spencer (1869-1934), kt. (q.v.);

(7) Rev. Frederick Augustus Morland Spencer (1878-1962), born 23 July 1878; educated at Bradfield Sch and Brasenose College, Oxford (BA 1901; MA 1902; DD 1929); ordained deacon, 1905, and priest, 1906; curate at Bishop Monkton (Co. Durham), 1905-06, St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, 1906-12 and Habergham Eaves, Burnley (Lancs), 1912-14; chaplain in diocese of Melbourne, 1914-17 and to Australian Imperial Forces, 1917-19; chaplain to Brasenose College, 1929-34 (asst chaplain, 1920-29); rector of Great Rollright (Oxon), 1935-48; author of religious and ethical works, including The meaning of Christianity (1912) and Human Ideals (1917); married, 3 June 1913 at the Savoy Chapel, London, Gertrude Lucie MA (1880-1970), university lecturer, daughter of George John Burke of St Kilda, Melbourne (Australia), engineer, and had issue two daughters; died 28 September 1962; will proved 18 February 1963 (estate £10,443).

He died 27 May 1898; his will was proved 12 July 1898 (estate £14,167). His widow died 20 January 1907; her will was proved 5 March 1907 (estate £15,864).

Spencer, Sir Charles Gordon (1869-1934), kt. Fourth son of Rev. Charles Vere Spencer (1827-98) and his wife, Emma Frederica, daughter of John Robert à Court Gray, born at Wheatfield (Oxon), 23 February 1869. Educated at Marlborough and Keble College, Oxford (matriculated 1888). Served in the Madras Civil Service, 1890-1927, and was a High Court judge there, 1914-27. Knighted, January 1925. He married, 13 January 1903 at South Stoneham (Hants), Edith Mary (1881-1936), daughter of Col. Hugh Pearce Pearson (1839-97), and had issue:

(1) Cynthia Mary Spencer (1904-94), born 16 March 1904; married, 5 January 1928 at South Leigh (Oxon), William Heydon Peppercorn (1898-1983), merchant, son of William Peppercorn, merchant, and had issue one son; died at Marlborough (Wilts), 11 February 1994; will proved 11 April 1994 (estate £440,923);

(2) Dr John Gray Churchill Spencer (later Spencer-Bernard) (1907-77) (q.v.);

(3) Charles Bernard Spencer (1909-63), born 9 November 1909; educated at Marlborough and Corpus Christi College, Oxford (BA 1932); poet and British Council employee with postings across Europe and in Egypt; married 1st, 1 August 1936, Nora Kathleen (1909-47), actress, daughter of Frederick Gibbs, and 2nd, 29 September 1961, Anne Margaret Helen (b. 1939) (who m2, Apr-Jun 1965 (div.), Lt-Cdr. Colin Alastair Eldin-Taylor RN and m3, 1969, Rock Noel Humphreys (b. 1939), and had further issue two sons), daughter of Alan George Marjoribanks, by whom he had issue one son; died in mysterious circumstances in Vienna (Austria), 11 September 1963; administration of goods granted to his widow, 10 January 1964 (estate £3,587).

In retirement, he lived at Tarwood House, South Leigh (Oxon).

He died 17 November 1934; administration of his goods (with will annexed) was granted 6 February 1935 (estate £6,051). His widow died 18 December 1936; her will was proved 2 April 1937 (estate £323).

Spencer (later Spencer-Bernard), Dr. John Gray Churchill (1907-77). Elder son of Sir Charles Gordon Spencer (1869-1934), kt. and his wife, born 26 May and baptised at Ootacamund, Madras (India), 26 July 1907. Educated at Marlborough, Magdalene College, Cambridge (matriculated 1926; BA 1930; MA 1935; MD 1938). Doctor of medicine (LRCP and MRCS, 1933; FRCS 1940), specialising in pathology. He took the additional name Bernard in 1955, after inheriting the Nether Winchendon estate. He married, 31 August 1933 at Witney (Oxon), Elsie Phyllis (1907-2001), daughter of Ferrand Edward Corley (1877-1937) of Woodside, Witney, and had issue:

(1) Julia Diana Spencer-Bernard (1936-2001), born 20 April 1936; educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford; married, 12 September 1959, John Simon Baskerville Cadwallader Hopton (1934-2010), son of Maj. Otho Cadwallader Adams (later Hopton), and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 1 July 2001 and was buried at Nether Winchendon; will proved 13 December 2002;

(2) Clare Rosemary Spencer-Bernard (b. 1938), born 1 November 1938; married, 10 August 1963, Rio Tyrell Arthur Hohler, son of Henry Arthur Frederick Hohler, and had issue one son and three daughters;

(3) Charles Francis Churchill Spencer-Bernard (1942-2016), born 23 January 1942; educated at Marlborough and Magdalene College, Cambridge (BA 1964); his father made over the Nether Winchendon estate except for the house and immediate grounds on his coming of age in 1963, and intended that the house should follow later, but he settled in France and made it clear that he did not intend to return to the UK; married, Oct-Dec 1974, Rosalyn Ann (k/a Lindy) (b. 1947), second daughter of Maj. Patrick T. Plunkett of Haselbury House, Haselbury Plucknett (Som.), and had issue three daughters; died 2 February 2016; will proved 8 December 2016;

(4) Robert Vere Spencer-Bernard (b. 1944) (q.v.).

He lived and worked in Shrewsbury (Shrops.) before he inherited the Nether Winchendon estate from the widow of Lt-Col. F.T. Higgins-Bernard in 1954. He made over the bulk of the estate to his elder son in 1963, but bequeathed the house to his younger son.

He died 28 March 1977 and was buried at Nether Winchendon; his will was proved 29 September 1977 (estate £251,239). His widow died aged 93 on 14 March 2001; her will was proved 15 October 2001.

Spencer-Bernard, Robert Vere (b. 1944). Second son of Dr John Gray Churchill Spencer (later Spencer-Bernard) (1907-77) and his wife Elsie Phyllis Corley, born 1 December 1944. Educated at Marlborough, Trinity College, Oxford and the Inner Temple (called 1969). Barrister-at-law. He married 1st, 1975 (div. 2003), Katherine Margaret (1946-2008), daughter of Lt.-Col. Claud Everard Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott (1915-94) of Bourton Hill House (Glos), and 2nd, 1 May 2003, as her second husband, Georgianna Sarah Preston (née Tomkins) (b. 1955) of Apethorpe (Northants), and had issue:

(1.1) Edmund Robert Spencer-Bernard (b. 1991), born 25 September 1991; educated at St Edward's School, Oxford and London Metropolitan University.

He inherited Nether Winchendon House from his father in 1977.

Now living. His first wife died 1 November 2008. His second wife is now living.

Principal sources

P. Tilden, True remembrances, 1954, pp. 67-69; G. Lipscombe, The history and antiquities of Buckinghamshire, 1847, vol. 1, pp. 514-35; S.E.C. Napier Higgins, The Bernards of Abington and Nether Winchendon, a family history, 1903 (2 vols.); A. Oswald, 'Nether Winchendon House', Country Life, 28 April-12 May 1960; Sir N. Pevsner & E. Williamson, The buildings of England: Buckinghamshire, 2nd edn., 1994, pp. 449-52.

Location of archives

Bernard, Bernard-Morland, Higgins-Bernard and Spencer-Bernard families of Nether Winchendon: deeds, family and estate papers, 13th cent-1921 [Buckinghamshire Archives, D/SB]

Bernard, Sir Francis (1711-79), 1st bt.: American papers, 1758-79 [Harvard University; Library of Congress, MSS Division]

Coat of arms

Bernard-Morland: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure, semée of leopard's faces, jessant de lis, a griffin segreant or [for Morland]; 2nd and 3rd, argent, a bear rampant sable, muzzled and collared or [for Bernard]

Can you help?

• Can anyone provide portraits or photographs of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 4 November 2024.