Marlborough's £5,000 Post Office pension was paid to his heirs for 178 years, and Blenheim's builders went unpaid in 1712

After Blenheim, Queen Anne gave John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, £5,000 a year from the Post Office for her own life. The Commons refused to make it permanent. After Ramillies in 1706, Parliament settled £5,000 a year from the Post Office on his descendants, including through his daughters. A 1705 Act granted him the royal manor of Woodstock, and the Queen ordered Blenheim built at Crown expense. In 1712, after the Duke fell from favour, the Crown's payments stopped, and a £30,000 claim for arrears was made against the Duke personally. A 1714 Act made the Crown liable for arrears up to the stoppage, but the Duke was still held liable for a large sum. His widow Sarah finished the house after his death for less than half the money allowed. In 1839 the Commons voted 48 to 5 to stop tax deductions from the pension. The pension was commuted in 1884 for about £107,780^†. In 1946 the Chancellor cited the Marlborough commutation as a precedent for ending Nelson's annuity. No Marlborough pension is paid in 2026, and Blenheim remains the family seat.