They lived in the midst of the Industrial Revolution during the reign of King George the Third. Under his rule, England lost the American colonies to revolutionaries and waged war against Napoleon Bonaparte. George survived three assassination attempts then treated his attackers with compassion. This made him beloved amongst his people.
He was a modern monarch who studied mathematics and science and modernized the treatment …show more content…
During his reign, Benjamin and Ann had four more children, John, Benjamin Jr., Elizabeth, and Sarah. In 1829, their first-born child, Abigail died suddenly at seventeen.
In 1830, King George IV died from complications of alcoholism and an addiction to laudanum. His brother, William IV ascended the throne.
On January 1, 1832, Benjamin and Ann had their last child. They named her Abigail, after their dead daughter. Did the memories of their dead Abigail compel them to reinvent her in their last child? We'll never know what burden of expectations and hope they visited upon their last-born child. Was the living Abigail forced to live in the shadow of her dead sibling?
Benjamins brother, John and his wife Mary had three kids born during the reign of George III: Henry Edward, Richard, and Susannah.
Benjamin and Ann's sons showed little interest for shoemaking, farming or toiling in the salt mines. Benjamin Jr., became a coachman Worcester County Judge, Thomas Little and lived in his home. Charles and John fled the area …show more content…
He was the opposite of his brother, George IV. William served in the Royal Navy and inherited the throne when he was 64. The people called him the "Sailor King." He had no instinct for politics but shepherded major changes during his rule. Slavery ended throughout the British Empire. Horrific working conditions of children led to passage of the Factory Act passed, which prohibited children less than nine years old from working. It also reduced the working hours of women and older children. In 1834, Parliament created Workhouses to house the poor in exchange for work. Later, the residents of these Workhouses included unmarried pregnant women, orphans, debtors, the sick, and the deranged. They became another form of prison, which locked away social outcasts instead of prisoners.
On June 20, 1837, King William IV died of heart failure in Windsor Castle. He died without leaving any legitimate heirs. The throne passed to his favorite niece, Princess Victoria, the only child of Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent.
Little did the Spencers know that the reign of Queen Victoria would impact their lives for better and worse. And change England