Marquess of Northampton

A carte-de-visite portrait of Charles Douglas-Compton (1816-1877), 3rd Marquess of Northampton, styled Earl Compton from birth until 1851.

Born Charles Compton at Parliament Street, London, he was the son of Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton and his wife Margaret, eldest daughter of William Douglas-Maclean-Clephane. In 1831, a year after the death of his mother, he assumed the additional surname Douglas by sign manual. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a Master of Arts in 1837. In 1850, he received a Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the University of Oxford. Douglas-Compton succeeded his father as marquess in 1851.

A trustee of the National Gallery, Douglas-Compton inherited Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire and in 1867 he assigned Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt to restore it.
In 1859, he married Theodosia, daughter of Henry Vyner. Their marriage was childless and when he died on 3 March 1877 Douglas-Compton was succeeded in his titles by his younger brother William.

Photographed by Camille Silvy of London.