Isabel Charlotte Talbot, Baroness Talbot de Malahide, (née Blake-Humfrey; formerly Gurney; 20 December 1851 – 22 February 1932) was an English philanthropist.Obituary, '' The Times'', 23 February 1932 She was born at Wroxham House, Norfolk, the daughter of Robert Blake-Humfrey, a retired army officer who had lost a leg at the Battle of the Nive in 1813, and his wife Charlotte. In 1871, she married John Gurney, a wealthy Norwich banker from the Gurney family of Earlham Hall, connected to many social reformers. She and her husband were deeply involved in many educational and philanthropic projects in Norwich, including the conversion of Norwich Castle into the city museum. He was a Justice of the Peace and the mayor of Norwich. With his health failing, in 1886 the couple moved to Cannes, France, where he died the following year, aged 41. Malahide Castle1

She returned to their home at Sprowston Hall and lived there until 1898, when she moved to Grosvenor Place, London, and became a notable hostess. In December 1901, she married Richard Wogan Talbot, 5th Baron Talbot de Malahide (1846–1921), and moved to his home at

Malahide Castle Malahide Castle ( ga, Caisleán Mhullach Íde), parts of which date to the 12th century, lies close to the village of Malahide, nine miles (14 km) north of central Dublin in Ireland. It has over of remaining parkland estate, forming the ...

, County Dublin, where she continued her philanthropic work. During the First World War, she served as president of the County of Dublin Branch of the British Red Cross Society and the Irish Joint Red Cross and

St John Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle. Saint John or St. John may also refer to: People * John the Baptist (0s BC–30s AD), preacher, ascetic, and baptizer of Jesus Christ * John t ...

Executive Committee. For this work she was appointed

Dame Commander 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 ...

(DBE) in the

1920 civilian war honours The New Year Honours 1920 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1920 and 30 March 1920 (referred to as the 1920 civ ...

. During the war, she was also a member of the

Irish Central Committee for the Employment of Women The Irish Central Committee for the Employment of Women was an organisation set up in Ireland during the First World War as a central advisory scheme for local organisations. It operated from November 1914 until June 1919. The organisation wa ...

. Lord Talbot de Malahide died in 1921 and his widow moved back to London. She became heavily involved with the Women's Institute and founded a branch (and served as its president) near her country home at Compton Regis, near Shrivenham,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. Lady Talbot was a talented artist in both watercolour and oils. She published two books, ''Foundations of National Glory'' and ''Golden Opportunities''. She had five sons and two daughters by her first marriage. They included Sir Eustace Gurney, diplomat

Hugh Gurney Sir Hugh Gurney (4 February 1878 – 7 March 1968) was a British diplomat. Gurney was the son of John Gurney (1845–1887), a member of the influential Quaker Gurney banking family, and Isabel Blake-Humfrey. He joined the diplomatic service ...

and scientist Robert Gurney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot de Malahide, Isabel 1851 births 1932 deaths People from Wroxham English philanthropists Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Talbot de Malahide Talbot of Malahide British women in World War I