Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lady Elphinstone
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait by Philip de László, 1929
|
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hon. Mary Frances Bowes-Lyon
30 August 1883 Angus, Scotland |
| Died | 8 February 1961 (aged 77) Inveresk, Scotland |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Parents | |
Mary Frances Elphinstone, also known as Lady Elphinstone, was an important British noblewoman. She was born Mary Frances Bowes-Lyon on August 30, 1883, and passed away on February 8, 1961. She was the older sister of Queen Elizabeth, who later became known as the Queen Mother. This also made her an aunt and godmother to Queen Elizabeth II.
Her Early Life
Lady Elphinstone was born The Honourable Mary Frances Bowes-Lyon. Her birth took place on August 30, 1883, in Angus, Scotland. Her parents were Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. She was the older sister of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who later became Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom.
Family and Marriage
Lady Mary married Sidney Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone on July 24, 1910. The wedding took place in Westminster, England. Lord Elphinstone owned many large estates. Some of these lands had been in his family for a very long time. He also held important positions. These included being a governor of the Bank of Scotland and the Lord Clerk Register of Scotland.
Their Children
Lady Mary and Lord Elphinstone had five children together:
- The Hon. Mary Elizabeth Elphinstone (born 1911, died 1980). She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her aunt, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, in 1923.
- John Elphinstone, 17th Lord Elphinstone (born 1914, died 1975).
- The Hon. Jean Constance Elphinstone (born 1915, died 1999). She married Captain John Lycett Wills. Their daughter, Marilyn, was a god-daughter of Princess Margaret. Marilyn was also a bridesmaid at Princess Margaret's wedding in 1960.
- The Rev. The Hon. Andrew Charles Victor Elphinstone (born 1918, died 1975). He married Jean Frances Hambro. His wife later became a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II.
- The Hon. Margaret Elphinstone (born 1925, died 2016). She married Denys Rhodes. Margaret was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth (who became Queen Elizabeth II) in 1947.
Royal Connections
Lady Elphinstone had close ties to the British Royal Family. In 1937, she attended the coronation of her sister and brother-in-law. During this important event, she sat behind her niece, Princess Elizabeth. Princess Elizabeth would later become the Queen. Lady Elphinstone was also a main guest at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten in 1947.
Later Life and Legacy
Lord Elphinstone passed away at their home, Carberry Tower, in Musselburgh, on November 28, 1955. Lady Elphinstone was the president of the Midlothian branch of the British Red Cross. She died on February 8, 1961, at the age of 77. She also passed away at Carberry Tower, in Inveresk, Scotland.
