Lady Constance Stewart-Richardson (later Matthew; ; 1883–1932) was a British dancer and author.

Biography

She was a daughter of Francis Mackenzie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd

Earl of Cromartie Earl of Cromartie () is a title that has been created twice, both for members of the Mackenzie family. It was first created as Earl of Cromarty in the Peerage of Scotland in 1703 for Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet, but his titles were forfe ...

(1852–1893) and sister of Sibell Lilian Blunt-Mackenzie, 3rd Countess of Cromartie (1878–1962). Her paternal grandparents were

George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland George Granville William Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland KG FRS (19 December 1828 – 22 September 1892), styled Viscount Trentham until 1833, Earl Gower in 1833 and Marquess of Stafford between 1833 and 1861, was a British po ...

, and Anne Hay-Mackenzie, 1st Countess of Cromartie. In 1904, Constance married Sir Edward Austin Stewart-Richardson, 15th

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

(1872–1914) and bore him two sons. She lived in Pitfour Castle in

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

. In 1910 her semi-clad dancing for the "shilling seats" of theatres incurred the displeasure of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

, who considered it unsuitable behaviour for a noblewoman, and she was barred from

Court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

– which constituted social death. In 1913 she danced in '' Judith'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. The same year, she published ''Dancing, Beauty, and Games'' (1913). In September 1913 she arrived in New York to accompany the French actress

Polaire Émilie Marie Bouchaud (14 May 1874 – 14 October 1939), better known by her stage name Polaire, was a French singer and actress. She was known for her wasp waist which, achieved through corsetry, reportedly measured less than 16 inches (41&nbs ...

on her American tour. Her husband, an officer in the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

, was killed in 1914 at the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. Th ...

. She went on to marry (in 1921 in London) Mr Dennis Leckie Matthew, an ex-guards officer who had spent several years in Chile pre-1914 observing German activities in South America for the British Government. He acted as a

King's Messenger The Corps of King's Messengers (or Corps of Queen's Messengers during the reign of a female monarch) are couriers employed by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). They hand-carry secret and important documents to Br ...

. They had a daughter, Anita, who was brought up (when both parents died in the early 1930s) by her Scottish half-family.

Publications

References

External links

Constance Stewart-Richardson
from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart-Richardson, Constance 1883 births 1932 deaths 19th-century Scottish women 20th-century British dancers 20th-century Scottish women 20th-century British writers 20th-century British women writers 20th-century Scottish writers 20th-century Scottish women writers British exercise and fitness writers

Constance Constance may refer to: Places *Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English *Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada * Constance, Kentucky * Constance, Minnesota * Constance (Portugal) * Mount Constance, Washington State People * Consta ...

Dance writers Daughters of British earls Scottish female dancers Wives of baronets