Gladys, Baroness Swaythling OBE

DStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

(née Goldsmid; 4 December 1879 8 January 1965), was a prominent member of the British Jewish community, a philanthropist and wife of

Louis Montagu, 2nd Baron Swaythling Louis Samuel Montagu, 2nd Baron Swaythling (10 December 1869–11 June 1927) was a prominent member of the British Jewish community, a financier, and a political activist. He was the son and heir of Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling, and ...

Biography

Gladys Helen Rachel Goldsmid was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

to Colonel Albert Edward Williamson Goldsmid and Ida Stewart Hendricks on 4 December 1879. On 9 February 1898 she married Louis Samuel-Montagu and became Baroness Swaythling on 12 January 1911. She was Officer of Public Instruction at France before her marriage. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Swaythling volunteered with the ''Wounded Allied Committee'' and Belgian refugees. She also worked with the Ladies London Association. Throughout 1921 to 1962 Swaythling was Vice-President the

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New York ...

. After her husband died, Swaythling was involved in the

Electrical Association for Women The Electrical Association for Women (EAW) was a feminist and educational organisation founded in Great Britain in 1924 to promote the benefits of electricity in the home. History The Electrical Association for Women developed in 1924 from a p ...

for three decades, acting as treasurer from 19311938 and then as president 19381957. She also volunteered with refugees during the second world war. André Simon credited her with inspiring the founding of

International Wine and Food Society The International Wine & Food Society Ltd. (formerly the Wine and Food Society) is a not-for-profit gastronomical organisation founded in 1933 by André Simon and A.J.A. Symons.Symons, Julian (1950). "A.J.A. Symons. His Life and Speculations", p ...

. Swaythling was President of the Southampton Branch of the

Alliance Française An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

in Great Britain.

Honours

Swaythling was known for her philanthropy and awarded several honours during her life. She was appointed Dame of Grace, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem and given an O.B.E. Swaythling was also a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Photographic Society. Swaythling had four children with her husband. * Stuart Albert Samuel Montagu, 3rd Baron Swaythling * Ewen Edward Samuel Samuel Montagu * Ivor Goldsmid Samuel Montagu * Joyce Ida Jessie Samuel-Montagu She died on 8 January 1965 in London. She was a great-aunt of comedian

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948) is an American-British screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian. Guest is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed, and starred in ...

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swaythling, Gladys Helen Rachel 1879 births 1965 deaths 19th-century Irish women 20th-century Irish women British baronesses People from County Antrim Edwardian era