Queer Places:
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ
53 Eccleston Square, Pimlico, London SW1V 1PG, UK
Brompton Cemetery, Fulham Rd., London SW10 9UG, United Kingdom

The Honourable Thomas Charles William Spring Rice (January 10, 1819 – July 13, 1870) was born on January 10, 1819, in London, England, on Whereburg Street. He was the second son of Thomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon, a prominent British Whig politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his first wife, Lady Theodosia Pery, the daughter of Edmund Henry Pery, 1st Earl of Limerick. His family lineage also connected him to several siblings, including brothers Stephen Edmond Spring Rice, Aubrey Richard Spring-Rice, William Cecil Spring Rice, and Edmond Henry Francis Louis Spring Rice, as well as sisters Theodosia Alicia Ellen Frances Charlotte, Catherine Anne Lucy, and Mary Alicia Pery.

For his education, Spring Rice attended a private school before being admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, on April 15, 1837, where he matriculated in October 1837 and earned his Master of Arts degree in 1840. During his time at Cambridge, he became associated with the intellectual conversation society known as the Cambridge Apostles, maintaining correspondence with figures like J.W. Blakesley. Following his university years, Spring Rice entered public service. He began his career at the Foreign Office as a supernumerary clerk in 1839, officially receiving a clerkship in January 1840. Over the decades, his career advanced steadily; he was attached to the Earl of Clarendon's mission to Paris in February, March, and April of 1856, advanced to a senior clerkship on March 13, 1857, and became the superintendent of the Commercial and Consular Department of the Foreign Office on December 1, 1866. Upon the retirement of Mr. Murray, Spring Rice was appointed Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

On April 26, 1855, Spring Rice married Elizabeth Margaret Marshall, the eldest daughter of Member of Parliament William Marshall of Halsteads and Patterdale Hall in Cumberland. The couple had a large family, raising children including Stephen Edward, Agnes, Sir Cecil Arthur (who became a prominent diplomat), Margaret, Evelyn Mary, Gerald, Georgiana Ellen, and Bernard Wilfred Charles.

Spring Rice resided later in life at 53 Eccleston Square in the Parish of St. George Hanover Square, Middlesex. He passed away at the age of 51 on July 13, 1870, in Folkestone, Kent. His funeral and burial took place on July 19, 1870, at Brompton Cemetery in West Brompton, London. His estate was valued at under £6,000, and probate on his will was officially granted on August 4, 1870, to executors including his widow Elizabeth Margaret, George Hibbert Marshall, and the Honourable Edward Scott Gifford.

References:

The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition by W.C. Lubenow

Other references:

• Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-Armour.
• Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900 (Admissions record for Thomas Charles William Spring Rice, adm. April 15, 1837).
• General Register Office (GRO) records, census data, and vital statistics indices tracking his birth on January 10, 1819, in London (Whereburg Street), his marriage to Elizabeth Margaret Marshall on April 26, 1855, and his death on July 13, 1870.
• Contemporary newspaper obituary and death notices documenting his career progression at the Foreign Office, his attachment to the Earl of Clarendon's Paris mission in 1856, his appointment as superintendent of the Commercial and Consular Department, and his ultimate role as Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
• National Probate Calendar (Wills and Administrations), detailing the probate of his will granted on August 4, 1870, at the Principal Registry, listing his residence at 53 Eccleston Square and estate effects under £6,000.
• Burial and cemetery registry records for Brompton Cemetery, West Brompton, noting his burial on July 19, 1870.
• Genealogical and peerage records, including Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, documenting the lineage relating to his father, Thomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon, his mother Lady Theodosia Pery, his siblings, and his children (including Sir Cecil Arthur Spring Rice and Stephen Edward Spring Rice).

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