Frances Jane Horner, Lady Horner (''née'' Graham; 28 March 1854''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 1 March 1940) was a British hostess, member of

the Souls The Souls was a small loosely-knit but distinctive elite social and intellectual group in the United Kingdom from 1885 to the turn of the century. Many of the most distinguished British politicians and intellectuals of the time were members. Th ...

social group, and a patron of the arts. She was depicted several times by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman Hun ...

, and commissioned works by

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memori ...

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cra ...

, and William Nicholson. She was the impetus for

Norah Lindsay Norah Mary Madeleine Lindsay (née Bourke) (26 April 1873 – 20 June 1948) was a socialite garden designer who between the World wars became a major influence on garden design and planting in the United Kingdom and on the Continent. Biography ...

beginning a paid career as a garden designer as her garden at Mells Manor was designed by Lindsay.

Early life

She was the sixth child and fourth daughter of William Graham (1817–1885) and Jane Catherine (''née'' Loundes; 1819/20–1899). Her father became the head of the family business which imported dry goods from India and

Graham's W. & J. Graham's, or simply Graham's, is a producer of port wine. It is one of the most important of the port names and it is necessary for Graham's to declare a vintage for the year to be considered vintage by the port industry. Founded in 1820 a ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

from Portugal. He served as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP for

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

from 1865 to 1874. Both of her older brothers died young in 1872: Rutherford of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

aged 23 and William of an accidental

morphine overdose Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. The ...

aged 17. Her younger sister Agnes married Herbert Jekyll, a younger brother of the garden designer

Gertrude Jekyll Gertrude Jekyll ( ; 29 November 1843 – 8 December 1932) was a British horticulturist, garden designer, craftswoman, photographer, writer and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, and wrote ...

. She was educated at home by governesses, at

Langley Hall Langley Hall is a red-brick building in the Palladian style, formerly a country house but now a private school, located near Loddon, Norfolk, England. It is a grade I listed building. The house was built in the Palladian style of nearby Holkham ...

near Manchester and later at 54

Lowndes Square Lowndes Square is a residential garden square at the north-west end of Belgravia, London, SW1. It is formed of archetypal grand terraces of light stucco houses, cream or white. The length of the central rectangular garden is parallel with Sloane ...

in London. Her father's background in "trade" limited her opportunities in London society, but according to the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', she was one of the first young unmarried women in London to entertain her own guests. Through her father's patronage of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

, she became known to the artists

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

and

. Although married, Burne-Jones became besotted with Frances, and painted her likeness in several works. In 1869, when Frances was 15, he drew her as "The Lady of the Window" in the

Vita Nuova ''La Vita Nuova'' (; Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin title) is a text by Dante Alighieri published in 1294. It is an expression of the medieval genre of courtly love in a prosimetrum style, a combination of both prose and ve ...

. She was included in ''

The Golden Stairs __NOTOC__ ''The Golden Stairs'' is one of the best-known paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones. It was begun in 1876 and exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1880.Wildman and Christian (1998), pp. 246–249Wood (1997), pp. ...

'' in 1880, carrying cymbals at the bottom of the stairs. She has been described as the one of the most important women his life, after his wife, his daughter and his mistress

Maria Zambaco Maria Zambaco (29 April 1843, London – 14 July 1914, Paris), born Marie Terpsithea Cassavetti ( el, Μαρία Τερψιθέα Κασσαβέτη, sometimes spelled Maria Tepsithia Kassavetti or referred to as Mary), was a British artist and m ...

Family

In 1883, she married the barrister

John Francis Fortescue Horner Sir John Francis Fortescue Horner, (28 December 1842 – 21 March 1927) was a British barrister. His family had lived at Mells Manor for generations and many have memorials in St Andrew's Church, Mells. He and his family became associated with ...

(1842–1927). His family owned

Mells Manor Mells Manor at Mells, Somerset, Mells, Somerset, England, was built in the 16th century for Edward Horner, altered in the 17th century, partially demolished around 1780, and restored by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 20th century. The house, along with ...

and

Mells Park Mells Park is a country estate of near Mells, Somerset, Mells, Somerset, England. It originated as a 17th-century deer park (England), deer park, probably created by the Horner family, who had been the owners of Mells Manor from 1543. The Horner ...

near

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

in Somerset. Her husband served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, a Deputy Lieutenant, and became the latest in a long line of Horners to serve as

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government A ...

in 1885. With Stafford Howard, he was a

Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues The Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues were officials under the United Kingdom Crown, charged with the management of Crown lands. Their office were customarily known as the Office of Woods. Under the Act of Parliament 14 and 15 Vict ...

from 1895 to 1907, charged with the management of

Crown lands Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

. She became Lady Horner when her husband became a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(KCVO) in 1907. They had four children: * Cicely Margaret Horner (1883–1972); in 1908, she married

George Lambton George Lambton (23 December 1860 – 23 July 1945) was a British thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer in the 1906, 1911 and 1912 seasons. Early life The Honourable George Lambton was born in London on 23 ...

, fifth son of

George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham (George Frederick) D'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham (5 September 1828 – 27 November 1879), styled Viscount Lambton from 1833 to 1840, was a British peer. Early life Lambton was born on 5 September 1828 at Copse Hill, Wimbledon and was baptis ...

; their children included

Ann Lambton Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, (8 February 1912 – 19 July 2008), usually known as A.K.S. Lambton or "Nancy" Lambton, was a British historian and expert on medieval and early modern Persian history, Persian language, Islamic political the ...

* Katharine Frances Horner (9 September 1885 – 9 July 1976); in 1907, she married the barrister

Raymond Asquith Raymond Herbert Asquith (6 November 1878 – 15 September 1916) was an English barrister and eldest son of British prime minister H. H. Asquith. A distinguished Oxford scholar, he was a member of the fashionable group of intellectuals known as ...

(1878–1916), the son of the politician

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

who became British Prime Minister in 1908; Raymond Asquith was killed in the

Battle of Flers–Courcelette The Battle of Flers–Courcelette (, 15 to 22 September 1916) was fought during the Battle of the Somme in France, by the French Sixth Army and the British Fourth Army and Reserve Army, against the German 1st Army, during the First World War ...

in the First World War; their son Julian succeeded his grandfather as 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith * Edward William Horner (3 May 1888 – 21 November 1917); he was killed at Noyelles during the Battle of Cambrai in the First World War; he was a member of

The Coterie The Coterie was a fashionable and famous set of English aristocrats and intellectuals of the 1910s, widely quoted and profiled in magazines and newspapers of the period. They also called themselves the "Corrupt Coterie". Members Its members in ...

with his brother-in-law Raymond Asquith. "Dulce et Decorum"
, ''Apollo Magazine'', 7 August 2007, gives Edward's death as "killed at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917". He was buried in France, but his memorial at Mells was designed by his mother's friend

. * Mark George Horner (1891–1908); died of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

aged 16. In 1900 Frances Horner, her husband and young family left Mells Park for the nearby and more manageable Manor House. The house at Mells Park was destroyed by a catastrophic fire in October 1917. Lutyens designed the replacement for the banker and politician

Reginald McKenna Reginald McKenna (6 July 1863 – 6 September 1943) was a British banker and Liberal politician. His first Cabinet post under Henry Campbell-Bannerman was as President of the Board of Education, after which he served as First Lord of the Admiral ...

and his wife Pamela (''née'' Jekyll). Pamela was her niece, the daughter of Herbert Jekyll and her sister Agnes.

Patronage

Horner became a hostess at Mells, entertaining their circle of artists and intellectuals,

, which included

and

R. B. Haldane Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, (; 30 July 1856 – 19 August 1928) was a British lawyer and philosopher and an influential Liberal and later Labour politician. He was Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912 during wh ...

. Lady Paget called her the "High Priestess" of the Souls. She continued her father's role as friend and patron of Burne-Jones. She undertook elaborate embroidery work: an example designed by Burne-Jones, ("The love that moves the sun and other stars", a quotation from

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

, Paradiso, Canto XXXIII, line 145) hangs in

St Andrew's Church, Mells St Andrew's Church is a Church of England parish church located in the village of Mells in the English county of Somerset. The church is a grade I listed building. History The current church predominantly dates from the late 15th century ...

. The church also houses a stained glass window by William Nicholson, commissioned as a memorial to her husband Sir John Horner, and the large

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

that she commissioned as a memorial to her elder son, Edward Horner, which includes a bronze statue by

Alfred Munnings Sir Alfred James Munnings, (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959) was known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken critic of Modernism. Engaged by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund, he earned several prest ...

installed in 1923 on a plinth by Lutyens, with lettering by

. The village of Mells contains other works commissioned by Horner from leading artists, including two shelters designed by Lutyens in memory of her son Mark Horner, both with lettering by Gill. The Mells War Memorial is also by

was unveiled in 1921.

Later life

She served as a

, and she was appointed as an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1919. She continued to live in Mells after her husband's death in 1927, living with her widowed daughter Katharine Asquith. She published memoirs, ''Time Remembered'', in 1933. In 1939, she was living at Mells with her widowed daughter

Katharine Asquith Katharine Frances Asquith (; 9 September 18859 July 1976) was an English landowner and patron of the arts. During the First World War, she served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. She was the wife of Raymond Asquith and the daughter-in-law of ...

and grandchildren,

Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Julian Edward George Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (22 April 1916 – 16 January 2011) was a British colonial administrator and hereditary peer. Background and education Asquith was the only son of Katharine (née Horner) and Raymon ...

and Lady Helen Asquith, as well as the writer

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 his wife, Laura. The house is now the home of

Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Raymond Benedict Bartholomew Michael Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (born 24 August 1952), is a British former diplomat and hereditary peer. Styled Viscount Asquith until he succeeded to his father's peerage titles on 16 January 201 ...

References

Sources

* Andrew Gailey, ''Portrait of a Muse: Frances Graham, Edward Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelite Dream'' (Wilmington Square Books, 2020) *K. D. Reynolds, �
Horner , Frances Jane, Lady Horner (1854/5–1940)
��, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
Frances Jane Horner (''née'' Graham), Lady Horner
National Portrait Gallery
‘A love that lasted all his life’: Burne-Jones, Frances Graham and Pre-Raphaelite heartache
Christie's, 11 July 2016

Frances Jane Horner (née Graham), Lady Horner
''Visit to Mells and Kilmersdon, Somerset''
The Lutyens Trust
''The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal: The Mortimer-Percy Volume''
by The Marquis of Ruvigny and Ranieval {{DEFAULTSORT:Horner, Frances British patrons of the arts 1854 births 1940 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire English justices of the peace Wives of knights