Blason Comte Charles de Flahaut (1785-1870)

Emily Jane Mercer Elphinstone Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne and 8th Lady Nairne (16 May 1819 – 26 June 1895) was a British peeress. Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Emily Jane de Flahaut was the eldest daughter of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Army general and

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

, Count Charles de Flahaut by his wife, Countess Margaret, Baroness Keith (in her own right). Her half-brother was Charles, duc de Morny, the half-brother of Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

through her stepmother, Queen

Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Queen consort of Holland. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. Hortense later married Napol� ...

. She was also a granddaughter of Talleyrand. On 1 November 1843, at the British embassy in Vienna, she married Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne (becoming styled ''Countess of Shelburne''). They had three children: * Hon. Henry Charles Keith (1845–1927) later ''Earl of Shelburne'', before succeeding as 5th Marquess of Lansdowne * Hon. Edmond George (1846–1935), styled '' Lord Edmond Petty-Fitzmaurice'', until being created Baron Fitzmaurice *

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

Emily Louisa Anne (1855–1939), married The Hon. Everard Charles Digby (a son of Edward, 9th Baron Digby), leaving issue. In 1863, her husband inherited his father's

marquessate A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, whereby she became Marchioness of Lansdowne. Although she was unable to inherit her mother's title " Baroness Keith" as remainder was restricted to male heirs of her mother (of which there were none), she was, however, recognised by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

as the 8th Lady Nairne in 1874, her mother having inherited the title from the latter's cousin in 1837 (although ''Margaret, Baroness Keith'' did not attempt to claim this

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

during her lifetime). On her death at

Meikleour House Meikleour ( ) is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies near the confluence of the Tay and the Isla in the valley of Strathmore, north of Perth and south of Blairgowrie. It is in the parish of Caputh. Meikleour is home to the M ...

in 1895, her family title of Nairne devolved upon her

eldest son Project Eldest Son (also known as “Italian Green” or “Pole Bean”) was a program of covert operations conducted by the United States' Studies and Observation Group (SOG) during the Vietnam War. The project focused on placement of explodin ...

. In 1834, when she was aged only 15,

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

published his

Boléro ''Boléro'' is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. At least one observer has called it Ravel's most famous composition. It was also one of his last completed works before illness forced him into retirement. Co ...

, Op. 19, with a dedication to her.Scarisbrick, p. 127.

References

Notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lansdowne, Emily Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of 1819 births 1895 deaths Nobility from Edinburgh Daughters of barons British marchionesses Nairne, Emily Petty-Fitzmaurice, 8th Lady Hereditary women peers Emily

Further reading

References

Notes