Frances Noel, Countess of Gainsborough (''née'' Jocelyn; 20 November 1814 – 12 May 1885) was a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Early life and family

Frances Noel was a daughter of

Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden, (27 October 1788 – 20 March 1870), styled Viscount Jocelyn between 1797 and 1820, was an Irish Tory politician and supporter of Protestant causes. Background Jocelyn was the son of Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Ea ...

and his wife, the Hon. Maria Frances Stapleton, daughter of Thomas Stapleton, 12th

Baron le Despencer Baron le Despencer is a title that has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England. Creation Sir Hugh le Despenser I was a large landowner in Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Rutland. He was appointed High ...

. A biographer of her daughter later described Noel's childhood environment as one of "fervent

Evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Marriage and issue

In 1833, at the age of eighteen, she became the fourth wife of Charles Noel, 3rd Baron Barham (later 1st

Earl of Gainsborough Earl of Gainsborough is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation ended in extinction when the sixth Earl died without heirs. However, the title was revi ...

). They had two children, the poet

Roden Noel Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel, also known as ''Noël'' (27 August 1834 – 26 May 1894), was an England, English poet. He was a Cambridge Apostle. Early life He was the youngest son of Charles Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough and, his fourth wi ...

and the philanthropist Lady Victoria Buxton. Noel and her husband provided their children with a strong evangelical faith, and encouraged them to pursue good works. There was a large age difference between the married couple. As their two young children grew up, the earl became a chronic invalid, giving Noel more parental authority than was typical for the period.

Lady of the Bedchamber

Noel had been known to

when she was still Princess Victoria of Kent and became a

to the new monarch upon her ascension in 1837. Noel at first refused the post, as her faith disallowed her from attending Victoria to the theatre; the queen assured Noel that another lady could be found when a trip to the theatre was scheduled.

coronation of Queen Victoria The coronation of Queen Victoria, Victoria as queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey ...

in 1838. In 1841, Victoria recreated an old title of Lord Barham's ancestors, naming him 1st Earl of Gainsborough. In June 1850, she, along with Victoria's children Prince Alfred and Princess Alice, was present when a man hit the queen with a stick outside the gates of Cambridge House. Noel helped the bruised Victoria regain her posture and informed her that the man had been seized by the surrounding crowd. As well as being her namesake, the queen was a godmother to Noel's daughter Lady Victoria. In 1858, Lady Victoria served as a bridesmaid to the queen's eldest daughter the

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by British monarchs to their eldest daughters. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal famil ...

during her marriage to Prince Frederick William of Prussia. The Earl of Gainsborough died in 1866 at the age of eighty-five. After resigning from her post in 1872, Noel was made an extra

the following year. In 1885, she died at her residence in Hyde Park Square, London. Queen Victoria offered her condolences to her goddaughter, "I cannot find words to express my deep grief at the loss of your beloved Mother, my dear and faithful friend, whom I ''dearly'' loved and whose devotion to me. For now, fifty years I knew how to appreciate, and shall ever remember with love and affection". She was a member of the

Royal Order of Victoria and Albert The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert is a British Royal Family Order instituted on 10 February 1862 by Queen Victoria, and enlarged on 10 October 1864, 15 November 1865, and 15 March 1880. No award has been made since the death of Queen V ...

, Third Class.

References

Works cited * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gainsborough, Frances Noel, Countess of 1814 births 1885 deaths British ladies-in-waiting British countesses by marriage Daughters of Irish earls

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

Ladies of the Bedchamber 19th-century British women 19th-century British people