Elizabeth, Marchioness of Ormonde

Elizabeth Butler, Marchioness of Ormonde (née Lady Elizabeth Harriet Grosvenor; 11 October 1856 – 25 March 1928), was a British aristocrat who was the eldest daughter of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and Lady Constance Gertrude Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (daughter of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland). In 1876 she married James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde and became the Marchioness of Ormonde until her husband's death in 1919. She was the last Marchioness of Ormonde to live at the Butler Family's ancestral seat Kilkenny Castle.

Elizabeth, Marchioness of Ormonde
Born
Elizabeth Harriet Grosvenor

(1856-10-11)11 October 1856
Died25 March 1928(1928-03-25) (aged 71)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1876)​
Children
Parents

Marriage

Elizabeth became engaged to James, Marquess of Ormonde in 1875, and the pair were married at Aldford Church, Chester, on 2 February 1876.[1] The Duke of Westminster settled a £15,000 Dowry on Elizabeth.[2] They had two daughters:[3]

Marchioness of Ormonde

Lord and Lady Ormonde resided at the family seat Kilkenny Castle for the duration of their marriage. They entertained King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra at the castle in 1904.[4][5] Lord Ormonde had succeeded The King as Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron upon the former's ascension to the Throne in 1901. Other royal visitors Elizabeth hosted at Kilkenny Castle included The Duke and Duchess of York (the future King George V and Queen Mary in April 1899,[6] and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn in early 1877.[7]

Lord and Lady Ormonde leased 32 Upper Brook St in London as their London home from the Duke of Westminster from 1881 to 1921 (Lady Ormonde continued to lease the property after Lord Ormonde's death in 1919).[8] It was later reported that the property was gifted to Elizabeth by her father.[9]

Elizabeth's father died in 1899; his will provided for an additional £20,000 to Elizabeth's marriage settlement, increasing the total to £35,000.[2]

The 1901 Census of Ireland records that the Ormondes' Household at Kilkenny included a Butler, Housekeeper, Cook, three Ladies Maids, a Lodge Keeper, two Footmen, one "Odd Man", three Housemaids, two Dairy Maids, one Still Room Maid, one Scullery Maid, one Kitchen Maid, a Hospital Nurse and a Professional Nurse.[10]

In 1910 Lord and Lady Ormonde leased Solent Lodge on the Isle of Wight.[11] The house was later purchased by Lord Ormonde, who bequeathed it to Elizabeth upon his death.[9] During the First World War, Elizabeth served as the President of the Kilkenny County Branches of the British Red Cross Society and Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' Association.[12]

Lord and Lady Ormonde maintained close links with the British Royal Family. Elizabeth's maternal grandmother Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland was a favourite of Queen Victoria, serving as Mistress of the Robes on four occasions spanning fifteen years between 1837 and 1861. In 1894 Elizabeth's sister Lady Margaret Grosvenor married Prince Adolphus of Teck, brother of Queen Mary.

On her husband's side of the family, Elizabeth's mother-in-law Frances, Marchioness of Ormonde had served as a lady-in-waiting to the widowed Queen Adelaide from 1844 to 1849, and her late father-in-law John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde had served as a Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria from 1841-1852, and 1853-54.

Elizabeth's sisters-in-law Mary and Blanche Butler were both selected to be bridesmaids of the Queen's daughters; Lady Mary in 1871 at the wedding of Princess Louise in 1871, Lady Blanche in 1882 at the Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont.[13]

Lady Mary Butler also served as a Lady of the Bedchamber in the Household of the Queen's daughter-in-law, The Duchess of Edinburgh from 1874,[14] and as Extra Lady-in-Waiting from 1877.[15]

The close relationship between the Royal Family and Elizabeth's family was well-documented in the days prior to the wedding of their elder daughter Lady Beatrice Butler. Two days prior to the Wedding Ceremony (the reception was held at Stafford House) King Edward and Queen Alexandra received Lord and Lady Ormonde, Lady Beatrice, and Beatrice's fiancée Major-General Sir Reginald Pole-Carew at Marlborough House, where the King and Queen presented Beatrice with a wedding present of a pair of diamonds wings with a large ruby in the centre. The King also personally presented an Indian Shawl diretly to Lady Beatrice. King Edward VII's daughter Princess Victoria also gave Beatrice a wedding present of a blue enamel and diamond brooch. The King's sisters Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Henry of Battenberg gave respective wedding presents of a diamond and emerald bracelet, an antique silver and tortoiseshell casket and a gold curb bracelet. The Duke of Cornwall and York and Duchess of Cornwall and York gave the couple a diamond and enammelled pendant, and the King's brother the Duke of Connaught gave a buhl clock.[16]

Dowager Marchioness of Ormonde

Elizabeth's husband James died on 26 October 1919. Upon his death, the family titles passed to his brother Lord Arthur Butler, whilst the family estates, were inherited by Arthur's elder son George. Lord Ormonde's total estate (including entailed property) was valued at approximately £450,000[17][18]

Elizabeth left Kilkenny Castle in January 1920, and lived at Solent Lodge on the Isle of Wight which she retained ownership of. She also continued to maintain the London Residence at 32 Upper Brook Street until 1922.[8] Elizabeth died on 25 March 1928. Her unsettled estate was reported to be valued at £16,796, with a net personality of £7,300.[19] She was survived by her two daughters.

References
  1. "Marriage of the Marquis of Ormonde and Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor",". The Morning Post. 3 February 1876. p. 5. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "The Duke of Westminster's Will", The Times (London, England), Saturday, 17 February 1900; p. 8; Issue 36068.
  3. "Biography". Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  4. "British royalty visit Kilkenny". The Independent. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  5. "Lords of the Castle". Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  6. Belfast News-Letter, Saturday, 22 April 1889, Page 7.
  7. The Graphic: An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper, Saturday, 17 March 1877, Page 12
  8. Sheppard, F H W, ed. (1980). "Upper Brook Street: South Side". Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings). London: London County Council. pp. 210–221. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via British History Online.
  9. The Tatler, Wednesday, 25 May 1921, Page 6.
  10. "Census of Ireland 1901/1911 and Census fragments and substitutes, 1821-51". National Archives of Ireland. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  11. "In the Social World". The Westminster Gazette. 2 December 1910. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Lady Ormonde". The Library of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  13. "Lady Blanche Edwardes". The Daily Telegraph. 31 March 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Court Appointments". The Morning Post. Windsor Castle (published 28 January 1874). 23 January 1874. p. 5. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Epitome of News". Wells Journal. 12 April 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Wedding of Lady Beatrice Butler to Major-General Sir Reginald Pole-Carew". The Daily Telegraph. 20 February 1901. p. 10. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Grantham Journal - Saturday 21 February 1920, page 8
  18. "Wills and Bequests: Lord Ormonde's Estate". The Times. No. 42332. London, England. 12 February 1920. p. 17. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Westcountry Will". Western Morning News. 14 May 1928. p. 6. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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