Marlborough Road is to the north of Salisbury city centre. It runs from Wyndham Road to the railway line.
Is Marlborough Road named in reference to the town of Marlborough?
Marlborough is about 25 miles north of Salisbury. The name Marlborough has two possible derivations.
The more poetic is that the ‘Marl‘ is a reference to ‘Merlin’ who would therefore be buried in the tumulus in the grounds of Marlborough College. The town’s motto, adopted in Victorian times, is ‘ubi nunc sapientis ossa Merlini?‘ – ‘where now are the bones of wise Merlin ?’(1)
The more prosaic derivation is that ‘Marl‘ is an old word for chalky soil (2).
Marlborough Road runs in the general direction of Marlborough. However unlike, say, the Southampton Road or the Wilton Road, you wouldn’t travel to Marlborough up the Marlborough Road.
It could still have been named in reference to the idea that the road does run in the direction of Marlborough. Personally, I don’t think it was. I think it was named after the Duke of Marlborough.
Marlborough Road and Woodstock Road
The first Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, was a national hero in his time, and for many years after.
He was the hero of the Battle of Blenheim, he helped crush the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, and he was a significant player in the so-called ‘Glorious Revolution’ (3). He was also, as detailed below, an ancestor of Winston Churchill.
However, it’s not his status alone which makes me think that Marlborough Road is named after John Churchill
The reason that I am fairly sure that Marlborough Road is a reference to Churchill is that it adjoins Woodstock Road.
In 1705, the year after his rout of the Bavarian and French forces at Blenheim, Queen Anne bestowed on Churchill the ‘royal manor of Woodstock’. It was at Woodstock that Churchill built Blenheim Palace.
The conjunction of Churchill’s title, Marlborough, and home, Woodstock could certainly be a coincidence, but it seems to me that this is unlikely.
It could also be that Marlborough Road was first named after the town and then Woodstock Road was named as a reference to the man who bore the title of the town, but I think that it’s more likely that they are both references to John Churchill.
The relationship between John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough and Sir Winston
I think John was Winston’s great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather!
This is diagrammed, somewhat shoddily (4), below.
The family relationship between Sir Winston and John Churchill
John Churchill, First Duke (1650-1722) | | ----------------------- | | | | Henrietta Godolphin, Anne Churchill, daughter (1683-1716) (5) 2nd Duchess | | Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke (1706-1758) (6) | | George Spencer, 4th Duke (1739-1817) (7) | | George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke (1766-1840) (8) | | George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke (1793-1857) (9) | | John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke (1822-1883) (10) | | ------------------------------------- | | | | George Spencer-Churchill, Lord Randolph Churchill, 8th Duke (1844-1892) (11) 3rd son (18??-1???) (12) | | Winston Churchill (1874-1965) (13)
Sir Winston’s biography of John Churchill
Sir Winston was proud of his illustrious ancestor. During World War II, somebody is supposed to have remarked to the Prime Minister that the Battle of Britain was ‘his Waterloo’, meaning a famous and significant military victory. Churchill is supposed to have replied ‘No, it’s my Blenheim’ (14)
During the 1930s, Sir Winston wrote a biography of John Churchill, broadly defending him against attacks by the 19th Century historian, Thomas Macaulay. Churchill was, of course, a prolific writer. He won the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature for all of his work. Churchill wrote for money. He received a £15,00 advance for the book on the Duke – this was before he was Prime Minister.
The book was published in four volumes. Current editions run to over 1000 pages.
This picture is an affiliate link (15)
John Churchill – a chronology
Most of the material here is derived from either the Dictionary of National Biography (16) or the Wikipedia article on the Duke of Marlborough (17)
| 1650 | Born at Ashe, in Devon |
| 1665 | School shut down by the Plague |
| 1667 | Appointed Ensign in what is now the Grenadier Guards |
| 1672 | Exemplary conduct battling the Dutch at the Battle of Sole Bay |
| 1672 | Possibly fathers the daughter of the Duchess of Cleveland, King Charles II’s mistress |
| 1672 | Promoted to captain |
| 1672 | Duelled with Henry Herbert. Is disarmed and injured |
| 1673 | At the siege of Maastricht. The Dutch surrender to the French. Churchill was wounded but saved the Duke of Monmouth’s life. Praised by Louis XIV |
| 1674 | June: At the battle of Sinzheim |
| 1674 | October: Loses half his officers at the battle of Ensheim |
| 1675 | Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in the Duke of York’s regiment |
| 1677 | Marries Sarah Jennings. Accompanies William III of Orange to Holland |
| 1678 | April: Goes with his friend and ally Sidney Godolphin to Europe to attempt to create an anti-French alliance. Meets William of Orange |
| 1679 | Elected MP for Newtown on the Isle of Wight |
| 1679 | June: Fights duel with poet Thomas Otway ‘for beating an orange wench’ |
| 1679 | Fights duel with Sir John Holmes, who had told the king about the Otway duel |
| 1679 | July: Gives up his seat in parliament |
| 1682 | May: Shipwrecked off the coast of Norfolk while accompanying the Duke of York back from Scotland to England. Many die. |
| 1682 | Sarah Churchill, John’s wife, takes a place in Princess Anne’s household |
| 1683 | Sarah gains the influential position of ‘Groom of the Stole’ in Princess Anne’s household |
| 1684 | Buys Holywell House at St Albans |
| 1685 | King Charles II dies. His Catholic brother James II succeeds him |
| 1685 | April: Appointed a gentleman of the king’s bedchamber |
| 1685 | May: Created Baron Churchill of Sandridge, Hertfordshire |
| 1685 | June: The Duke of Monmouth lands at Lyme Regis, and declares a rebellion against the King James |
| 1685 | June: All available forces are ordered to Salisbury |
| 1685 | June 19th: Churchill meets Monmouth’s army at Chard |
| 1685 | July 5th: The royal forces camp at Weston Zoyland |
| 1685 | July 5th: Monmouth attacks, but is entirely defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor |
| 1685 | Churchill is promoted to third troop of Horse Guards. Also made governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company |
| 1685 | The river and town of Churchill in northern Canada are named after John Churchill |
| 1686 | Churchill seems to have been suspected of both disloyalty to King James and being in favour of his anti-protestant policies |
| 1686 | December: Princess Anne writes to her sister Mary assuring her that Churchill was loyal to King James, but also loyal to Protestantism |
| 1688 | Churchill writes to William of Orange, saying that he was ‘resolved to die in that religion [Protestantism] that it has pleased God to give you both the will and power to protect’ |
| 1688 | November 5th: William of Orange launches an invasion, landing at Torbay |
| 1688 | November 7th: Churchill promoted to Lieutenant General with command of the forces at Salisbury |
| 1688 | November 17th: King James, Churchill and Prince George head off to Salisbury |
| 1688 | November: Churchill is accused of plotting to murder the king. His brother George had defected. |
| 1688 | November 23rd: Churchill advises the King to advance on the invading forces. The King decides to instead follow Lord Feversham’s advice to retreat. |
| 1688 | November 24th: Churchill defects. He leaves Salisbury, settles at Crewkerne and sends word to William at Axminster |
| 1688 | November 24th: Prince George also defects |
| 1688 | December 11th: King James flees. Throws the Great Seal in the Thames and orders army and navy to disband |
| 1688 | The new King William makes Churchill the de facto head of the army |
| 1688 | The Nine Years War against France begins |
| 1689 | Churchill is made Earl of Marlborough. ‘Marlborough’ was chosen through a distant connection to the previous earls of Marlborough |
| 1689 | Churchill fights at the Battle of Walcourt. The Dutch Prince Waldeck says that he is ‘assuredly one of the most gallant men I know’ |
| 1690 | Pamphlet published accusing Churchill of making approaches to King James |
| 1691 | John and Sarah Churchill make contact with Jacobin (pro-King James) figures18 |
| 1691 | December: Churchill advises Princess Anne to reconcile with James II |
| 1692 | January: Churchill is dismissed from office |
| 1692 | May: Churchill is arrested and sent to the Tower on the basis of a forged letter. His youngest son dies while he is imprisoned |
| 1692 | June: Churchill is released but removed from the Privy Council. Seems to retire from public life |
| 1694 | Queen Mary dies of small pox. Princess Anne becomes the apparent heir. The Churchills gradually move back into the public eye |
| 1695 | Churchill is re-admitted to court |
| 1698 | King William re-instates Churchill to the Privy Council and the cabinet |
| 1702 | King William dies. Princess Anne succeeds |
| 1702 | March: Queen Anne appoints a Knight of the Garter, Captain-General land forces and master-general of the ordnance |
| 1702 | War is declared on Spain and France. The ware is known as the War of Spanish Succession. Churchill is instrumental in building a ‘grand alliance’ between Holland, Britain and Austria. |
| 1702 | Churchill captures Venlo, Roermond, Stevensweert and Liège in the Spanish Netherlands. Queen Anne appoints Churchill Marquess of Blandford and Duke of Marlborough |
| 1704 | Churchill brilliantly wins the Battle of Blenheim – ‘one of the most dramatic actions of the age’ (19) |
| 1705 | January: The Queen grants Churchill the former royal manor of Woodstock |
| 1705 | February: Parliament grants Churchill the funds to build Blenheim Palace at Woodstock |
| 1706 | King Louis, eager to avenge Blenheim, urges his General to seek out ‘Monsieur Marlbrouck’. |
| 1706 | Churchill routs the French at the Battle of Ramillies |
| 1709 | Work begins on Marlborough House in London. The architect was Sir Christopher Wren |
| 1710 | The Queen ignores Churchill’s advice on two vacant military appointments |
| 1710 | August: Churchill’s friend Godolphin is dismissed as Lord Treasurer |
| 1711 | January: Sarah is forced to resign her position in the Royal Household |
| 1711 | November: Jonathan Swift publishes ‘Conduct of the Allies’, attacking the war and Marlborough |
| 1711 | December: The Queen sacks Churchill from all offices |
| 1712 | Godolphin dies |
| 1712 | November: The Churchills leave England, eventually settling in Antwerp |
| 1714 | While the Churchills are en route back to England, the Queen dies. George I proclaimed King. Marlborough given a hero’s welcome on his return |
| 1714 | September: George I restores Churchill to commander of the army |
| 1715 | Participates in the suppression of the Jacobite rising |
| 1716 | Churchill suffers two strokes. The king refuses to accept his resignation, but Churchill never fully recovers |
| 1719 | The Churchills move into Blenheim |
| 1722 | Dies aged 72. A full state funeral is held. |
| 1744 | Sarah dies, aged 84 |
Footnotes
- Wiltshire Council – Wiltshire Community History Get Population/Census Information [↩]
- See for example SAFnet Dictionary | Definition For [marl] [↩]
- John B. Hattendorf, Churchill, John, first duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5401, accessed 2 Nov 2009] [↩]
- I suspect that any time I tweak the layout of the website this will go badly wrong – any suggestions on how I can do this better would be warmly welcomed! [↩]
- Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland (1683-1716) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- Lord Randolph Churchill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- Winston Churchill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- I’m inclined to treat quotes attributed to Churchill with some caution, just because there are so many of them. However, it’s unlikely that anyone else would have said this, because of the family connection, although I’ve only found the one internet reference to itJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough at AllExperts [↩]
- An affiliate link is a link to an online shop, in this case Amazon. If you click on the link and buy the book, or anything else I would get a commission. Hooray! [↩]
- John B. Hattendorf, ?Churchill, John, first duke of Marlborough (1650?1722)?, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5401, accessed 2 Nov 2009] [↩]
- John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [↩]
- It’s probably grossly unfair on both men, but I can’t help being reminded of John Churchill’s descendant and biographer, Sir Winston. In 1925 Sir Winston returned to the Conservatives, having defected to the Liberals 21 years previously. He remarked that “anyone can rat, but it takes a certain ingenuity to re-rat.” [↩]
- John B. Hattendorf, Churchill, John, first duke of Marlborough, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5401, accessed 2 Nov 2009] [↩]
