Anne Grey de Courcy ( Barrett; born 1927) is an English biographer and journalist, including as women's editor on the ''

London Evening News The ''London Evening News'' was a newspaper whose first issue was published on 14 August 1855. Usually, when people mention the ''London Evening News'', they are actually referring to '' The Evening News'', published in London from 1881 to 1980, ...

'', as a columnist for the '' London Evening Standard'' and as a feature writer for the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

''.

Early life and education

Anne Grey Barrett was born in 1927, daughter of Major John Lionel Mackenzie Barrett (d. 1940), of The Tallat, Northleach, Gloucestershire, an officer in the

13th/18th Royal Hussars The 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 13th Hussars and the 18th Royal Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated wit ...

, and Evelyn Kathleen Frances (1898–1987), daughter of Thomas Stewart Porter, of Clogher Park, County Tyrone (he took his mother's family name, Porter, instead of his father's, Ellison-Macartney, as an heir of the Porter family of Belle Isle,

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

) Her mother was a descendant of Sir Alan Bellingham, 3rd Baronet. A brother, Christopher, was born in 1930.''

Contemporary Authors ''Contemporary Authors'' is a reference work which has been published by Gale since 1962. It provides short biographies and bibliographies of contemporary and near-contemporary writers. ''Contemporary Authors'' does not have selective inclusion cr ...

'', vol. 121, Gale Group, 2004, p. 111 She was educated at

Wroxall Abbey Wroxall Abbey is a substantial Victorian mansion house situated at Wroxall, Warwickshire which was converted for use as a hotel, spa, wedding venue and conference centre. It is a Grade II listed building. History Built in 1141 by Sir Hugh d ...

, in Warwickshire.

Career

De Courcy worked for the ''

'' as women's editor in the 1970s. In 1980, de Courcy joined the '' London Evening Standard'' as a columnist. Between 1982 and 2003, she was a feature writer for the ''

''. Since 1969, she has produced a number of books, including biographies and social histories.

Personal life

In 1951, she married Michael Charles Cameron Claremont Constantine de Courcy, a journalist and RAF officer, half-brother of

John de Courcy, 35th Baron Kingsale John de Courcy, 35th Baron Kingsale (27 January 1941 – 15 September 2005), was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who was the Premier Baron of Ireland. Early life and education He succeeded his grandfather to the title in 1969, his father, Lieutenant-Comma ...

. He was killed in a flying accident in 1953, aged 22. She then married in 1959 barrister Robert Armitage (1921–1998) of a landed gentry family of Milnsbridge House, Huddersfield; they had three children.

Bibliography

*''Kitchens'' (1969) *''Plan your Home: Starting from Scratch'' (1970) *''Making Room at the Top'' (1974) *''A Guide to Modern Manners'' (1985) *''1939: The Last Season'' (1989) *''Circe: The Life of Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry'' (1992) *''

The Viceroy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

's Daughters: The Lives of the Curzon Sisters'' (2000) (

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

, Cynthia,

Alexandra Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...

) *''Diana Mosley'' (2003) (on

Diana Mosley Diana, Lady Mosley (''née'' Freeman-Mitford; 17 June 191011 August 2003) was one of the Mitford sisters. In 1929 she married Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, with whom she was part of the Bright Young Things social group o ...

) *''Debs at War 1939–1945'' (2005) *''

Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

: The Biography'' (2008) *''The Fishing Fleet: Husband-Hunting in the Raj'' (2012) *'' Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street 1912–1916'' (2014) *''The Husband Hunters: Social Climbing in London and New York'' (2017) *''

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

's Riviera: Life, Love and the Struggle for Survival on the Côte d'Azur, 1930–1944'' (2019) *''Five Love Affairs and a Friendship – The Paris Life of Nancy Cunard, Icon of the Jazz Age'' (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courcy, Anne de 1927 births Living people English biographers English women journalists People from Chelsea, London Women biographers Daily Mail journalists