Frances Annesley (née Lonsdale) (13 January 1907 – 27 March 1994), formally known as Lady Donaldson of Kingsbridge, was a British writer and biographer.
Her father was the playwright
Freddie Lonsdale. In 1935,, she married
John George Stuart Donaldson, who became Baron Donaldson of Kingsbridge in 1967. Her body of work included topics such as farming and biographies on writers
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
and
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...
.
During the Second World War she took up farming and made a great success of it, producing record crop and milk yields. She was invited to broadcast in wartime and wrote several books about her experiences.
Works
* ''Approach to Farming'' (1941)
* ''Four Years Harves''t (1945)
* ''Milk Without Tears'' (1955)
* ''Farming in Britain Today'' (1969) with JGS Donaldson and Derek Barber
* ''Freddy Lonsdale'' (1957) — Lady Donaldson's biography of her father, "praised for its balance of candor and affection"
The New York Times, 30 March 1994, ''Frances Donaldson, Biographer, 87, Dies''
ccessed 2008-05-26
* ''Child of the Twenties'' (1962)
* ''The Marconi Scandal'' (1962)
* ''Evelyn Waugh: Portrait of a Country Neighbour'' (1967) — Not intended as a comprehensive biography, but certainly an interesting perspective on Waugh's life.
* ''Actor Managers (1970)''
* ''Edward VIII'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991.
History
George Weidenfeld a ...
, 1974) — Won the Wolfson History Prize
The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...
in 1974, and was the basis for the seven-part television series '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson'' (1978), starring her nephew actor Edward Fox as Edward
* ''P. G. Wodehouse'' (1982)
* ''Yours Plum'' (1990) Letters of P.G. Wodehouse
* The British Council (1984)
* ''The Royal Opera House in the 20th Century'' (1988)
* ''A Twentieth-Century Life'' (1992)
*''Frances Donaldson: A Woman's War (2017) —'' An edition of her letters, written in 1939 -1945 to her husband Jack. These precede all her published works, and although not originally written for publication, show her literary talent and interesting comment on events.
Portraits of Lady Donaldson
The United Kingdom's National Portrait Gallery holds two portraits featuring Lady Donaldson as a sitter:
* Exhibit number P528: ''John George Stuart Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Kingsbridge and Frances Annesley (née Lonsdale), Lady Donaldson of Kingsbridge'' by Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda
Henry Dermot Ponsonby Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda (born 1937), is a British photographer known professionally as Derry Moore. He inherited the title of Earl of Drogheda from his father, Charles Moore, 11th Earl of Drogheda, The 11th Earl of Drog ...
. Painted in 1992; medium: colour print; measurements: 14 7/8 in. x 12 in. (379 mm x 305 mm
* Exhibit number x89083: ''Frances Annesley (née Lonsdale), Lady Donaldson of Kingsbridge'' by Elliott & Fry
Elliott & Fry was a Victorian era, Victorian photography studio founded in 1863 by Joseph John Elliott (14 October 1835 – 30 March 1903) and Clarence Edmund Fry (1840 – 12 April 1897). For a century, the firm's core business was taking and pu ...
. Medium: vintage print (a photograph
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Frances
1907 births
1994 deaths
English writers
Donaldson of Kingsbridge
Women biographers
20th-century English women writers
Spouses of life peers