Lady Juliet Margaret Townsend,

DCVO 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, o ...

(''née'' Smith; 9 September 1941 – 29 November 2014) was a British writer who served as

Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire Below is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. Since 1735, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Northamptonshire. The lieutenancy included the Soke of Peterborough until 1965, when the Lord L ...

from 1998 to 2014, the first woman to hold this position.

Early life and family

Born in 1941 as Lady Juliet Smith, Townsend was the only daughter of

Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead Frederick Winston Furneaux Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead (7 December 1907 – 10 June 1975) was a British biographer and Member of the House of Lords. He is best known for writing a biography of Rudyard Kipling that was suppressed by the Kipli ...

, a historian and biographer. Her mother was the Hon. Sheila Berry, daughter of

William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose DL (23 June 1879 – 15 June 1954) was a British peer and newspaper publisher. Life and career Berry was born in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, the second of three sons of Mary Ann (Rowe) and John Mathias Ber ...

. She grew up at

The Cottage, Charlton, Northamptonshire The Cottage, Charlton, Northamptonshire, England is a house of 18th century origins. In 1907 it was bought by F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead as his country home. Smith subsequently purchased another cottage on Main Street in Charlton and en ...

, the home bought by her grandfather. She married John Townsend in 1970, and had three daughters. Beginning in 1977, the pair operated a bookstore.

Career

She attended Somerville College, Oxford, graduating in 1960 with a degree in English. From 1965 to 2002, Townsend served as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. Margaret had requested that the appointed person be equipped to help supplement her perceived lack of a formal education. Townsend wrote a book recording "every village, church, stately home and architectural curiosity" within

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, publishing it in 1968. Her next literary project, a children's story set during the Indian Mutiny, was released in 1971. She regularly reviewed children's books for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', producing an annual guide on the year's best. She held an almost forty year membership in the Northamptonshire branch of the

Campaign to Protect Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...

, and served as its president from 1988 to 1998. She left the position after her appointment as

, the first woman to hold this role. She retired in June 2014, citing mobility difficulties.

Honours

* She was made a Member 4th Class 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 ...

(MVO) in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours List. * She was upgraded to Dame Commander of the

(DCVO) in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours List. * She received the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establis ...

in 1985 for 20 years of service to the British Royal Family. She received the 30 year service bar in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Juliet 1941 births 2014 deaths People from West Northamptonshire District British women writers Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford British ladies-in-waiting Daughters of British earls Lord-Lieutenants of Northamptonshire Dames Commander of the Royal Victorian Order