Agnes Keyser,

DStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

, RRC (11 July 1852 – 11 May 1941) was a humanitarian,

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

and longtime

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

to Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom. Keyser was the wealthy daughter of a

Stock Exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

member. She remained with the King until his death in 1910. Keyser, as recorded by author Raymond Lamont-Brown in his book ''Edward VII's Last Loves: Alice Keppel and Agnes Keyser'', held an emotional bond with the King that others did not, due to her being unmarried herself, and preferring a more private affair to a public one.

Early life and education

Agnes Keyser (pronounced ''Keeser''),Hough, 1998, pp. 5–17. was born Elizabeth Agnes Keyser on 11 July 1852 at

Great Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, which ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, to Charles and Margaret Keyser. Her father was a partner in a stock exchange firm Ricardo and Keyser. Her ancestors were Jewish and arrived in Britain from Central Europe in the eighteenth century, and her ancestral country house was Cross Oak,

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new town ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. Agnes was baptised as Christian. She had one brother, Charles Edward, and two sisters, the older Frances (Fanny) and the younger Marion.Lamont-Brown, 2011, p.1 Her childhood home was Warren House, between the then two small towns of

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, which ...

and

Bushey Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It has a population of over 25,000 inhabitants. Bushey Heath is a large neighbourhood south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow re ...

in Hertfordshire. While her brother went to

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, the Keyser sisters, as was tradition at the time, were educated at home. Marion married early and little knowledge remains of her. However, Fanny and Agnes were close and when Fanny took to London's elite social life, Agnes Keyser followed. A large part of their father's fortune went to the two sisters and to give them a base in London he even bought them a large house in Chester Place, Hyde Park Square.

Early years in London

The two sisters enjoyed the social scene in London, and their father subsequently bought them 17

Grosvenor Crescent Grosvenor Crescent is a street in London's Belgravia district, that in December 2017 was ranked as the UK's most expensive residential street, with an average house price of £16,918,000. Grosvenor Crescent runs from the north-east corner of Belg ...

, Hyde Park Corner, where they entertained guests and built up a friendship circle of "the best people". On 27 February 1898 both sisters attended dinner at the home of

Alice Keppel Alice Frederica Keppel (''née'' Edmonstone; 29 April 1868 – 11 September 1947) was an aristocrat, british society hostess and a long-time mistress of King Edward VII. Keppel grew up at Duntreath Castle, the family seat of the Edmonstone baro ...

and her husband

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, and were introduced to the 56-year-old

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. It was the start of a long friendship, which was to shortly see the effects of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. To support efforts in the war, many people came together to contribute, and on this background the Keyser sisters agreed to offer their Belgravia mansion to care for wounded officers, at the suggestion of the Prince of Wales.

King Edward VII's Hospital for Officers

At the suggestion of the Prince, Keyser became Sister Agnes, and the house at Grosvenor Crescent, with its initial 12 beds, greeted the first wounded officers in February 1900. In its early years it was known as Sister Agnes's Hospital. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the hospital used 9

Grosvenor Gardens Grosvenor Gardens is the name given to two triangular parks in Belgravia, London, faced on their western and eastern sides by streets of the same name. Both roads run roughly north to south from Hobart Place and Grosvenor Place to Buckingham P ...

to nurse British officers, including the novelist

Stuart Cloete Edward Fairly Stuart Graham Cloete (23 July 1897 – 19 March 1976) was a South African novelist, essayist, biographer and short story writer. Early life Cloete was born in Paris to Margaret Edit Park, granddaughter of Glasgow banker Edward ...

.See 'A Victorian Son:' an autobiography, 1897-1922, published 1972, The hospital became

King Edward VII's Hospital for Officers King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospit ...

and later

King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospit ...

Honours

On 26 February 1901, Agnes was created a Dame of Grace of the

Venerable Order of St. John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

.Raymond Lamont Brown ''Alice Keppel and Agnes Keyser: Edward VII's Last Loves'' (2001) On 9 August 1901, Agnes and her sister were both awarded the RRC: Agnes for her hospital's work, and Fanny for direct nursing service in South Africa.

Death

She died at

Buckland House Buckland House is a large Georgian stately home, the manor house of Buckland in Oxfordshire, England (formerly in Berkshire). It is a masterpiece of Palladian architecture erected by John Wood, the Younger for Sir Robert Throckmorton in 175 ...

, Faringdon, Berkshire (later

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

) on 11 May 1941, aged 88.

References

Bibliography

Hough, Richard Richard Alexander Hough (; 15 May 1922 – 7 October 1999) was a British author and historian specializing in maritime history. Personal life Hough married the author Charlotte Hough, Charlotte Woodyatt, whom he had met when they were pupils at ...

(1998)
''Sister Agnes: The History of King Edward VII's Hospital for Officers 1899-1999''
London: John Murray. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keyser, Agnes 1852 births 1941 deaths People from Stanmore Philanthropists from London Women philanthropists Mistresses of Edward VII Women of the Victorian era Members of the Royal Red Cross Dames of Grace of the Order of St John English people of Jewish descent King Edward VII's Hospital