Background
Northampton was born at York Place, Marylebone, London, the second son of Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton, and his wife Margaret (née Douglas-Maclean-Clephane).
naval commander Marquess of Northampton
Northampton was born at York Place, Marylebone, London, the second son of Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton, and his wife Margaret (née Douglas-Maclean-Clephane).
He entered in the Royal Navy in 1831, served during the First Opium War with China (1839-1842), The campaign was vaguely given in this work as "the Chinese War", but has been ascertained to be the First War because the second broke out in the year he retired from the active list in 1856 as Captain. He was subsequently promoted Rear Admiral in 1869, and Admiral in 1888 on the retired list. Northampton was honoured on 9 July 1885 when he was made a Knight of the Garter.
He assumed in 1851 by Royal licence the additional surname of Maclean and in 1878 upon succeeding to the titles that of Douglas.
Lord Northampton married Eliza, daughter of Admiral the Honorary Sir George Elliot, in 1844.
She died in 1877. Their eldest daughter, Katrine, married Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper.
Their eldest son Charles John Spencer Compton, Earl Compton, died in 1887, without heirs. Just prior to his death, Compton purchased a country house in the village of Tysoe in Warwickshire.
