Churchill Winston - Who Was Winston Churchill?

Winston Churchill was born two months before his due date on November 30, 1874. Perhaps he was in a hurry to begin his remarkable life! After all, he was the firstborn child to one of the most rich and famous families in England. Winstons family home was called Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England. It had 187 rooms and sat on two thousand acres!

Queen Victoria ruled England when Winston was born. During her reign, from 1837 to 1901, Great Britain was the most powerful country in the world. The Churchill family was part of the British aristocracy, or the countrys wealthy ruling class. Winston was a member of one of a few hundred British families who held most of the land, money, and power.

Winstons father, Lord Randolph Churchill, came from a long line of British nobility. Lord Randolphs fatherWinstons grandfather, John Spencer-Churchillwas the seventh Duke of Marlborough. From the day he was born, Winston was taught that Great Britain was the greatest country on earth.

I was a child of the Victorian era, Winston wrote. When the realization of the greatness of our empire and of our duty to preserve it was ever growing stronger.

THE FIRST GREAT CHURCHILL

WINSTON CHURCHILLS FAMILY HISTORY DATES BACK TO THE 1600S. JOHN CHURCHILL, WHO WAS BORN IN 1650, WAS AWARDED THE TITLE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.

JOHN WAS ONE OF ENGLANDS GREATEST GENERALS. HE LED GREAT BRITAIN TO VICTORY IN BATTLES AGAINST FRANCE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. AS A REWARD, THE ROYAL FAMILY HELPED GET HIM THE LAND TO BUILD BLENHEIM PALACE.

SINCE JOHN, TEN MORE CHURCHILLS HAVE BEEN CALLED DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. THE TITLE IS PASSED DOWN TO THE FIRSTBORN OF THE FAMILY. BECAUSE WINSTONS GRANDFATHER WAS THE SEVENTH DUKE, HIS FIRSTBORN SON, GEORGE SPENCER-CHURCHILLWINSTONS UNCLEWAS THE EIGHTH DUKE. WINSTONS FATHER WAS THE THIRD-BORN SON IN HIS FAMILY, SO HE WAS NOT GIVEN THE TITLE. THE ELEVENTH DUKE, JOHN SPENCER-CHURCHILL, IS A DISTANT COUSIN OF WINSTONS. HE CURRENTLY LIVES PART OF THE YEAR IN BLENHEIM PALACE, WHERE WINSTON WAS BORN.

Winstons mother, Jeanette (Jennie) Jerome, was a beautiful and wealthy American. Jennies family was in England on vacation when she met Lord Randolph. They became engaged just days after they met.

Winstons mother and father loved their son. But, like most wealthy English parents at the time, they did not spend much time with him. Instead, Randolph spent his days working for the British government. Jennie spent her days going to parties. As an adult, Winston wrote that his mother shone for me like the evening star. I loved her dearly, but at a distance.

Winston was raised and adored by his nanny, Mrs. Elizabeth Everest. He called her Woomany. Woomany looked after Winston for his entire childhood. She cared for him all day and tucked him into bed at night.

When Winston was two, the Churchills moved to Dublin, Ireland. Winstons grandfather became an official for the British government there. Winstons father went to work for him as his personal secretary.