Lady Clodagh de la Poer Beresford (6 August 1879 – 17 April 1957), was an Anglo-Irish philanthropist, writer and aristocrat.

Life

She was born Clodagh de la Poer Beresford to John Henry de la Poer Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford and Lady Blanche Elizabeth Adelaide Somerset on 6 August 1879. Her parents died before she was adult and she was put into the care of various family who ensured she was properly presented at court. She married Claud Anson, son of

Thomas Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield (15 August 1825 – 7 January 1892), known as Viscount Anson from 1831 to 1854, was a British politician from the Anson family. Early life Lichfield was the eldest of four sons and four daughters born t ...

, on 27 February 1901. They had three children. When Beresford married she moved to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

where her husband had a ranch. But she stayed in close contact with Ireland and Britain, returning home often. She returned to Ireland after her eldest daughter was born and left her in

Curraghmore Curraghmore near Portlaw, County Waterford, Ireland, is a historic house and estate and the seat of the Marquess of Waterford. The estate was part of the grant of land made to Sir Roger le Puher (la Poer) by Henry II in 1177 after the Anglo-Nor ...

for some months. The family soon moved to Ireland where they lived mostly at Ballysaggartmore House until the Irish War of Independence. Beresford moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

until 1942. In 1931 Beresford published a book of memoirs which went to multiple printings. The purpose of the book was to raise money and awareness of the issue of homelessness. The book gives an insight into the last days of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy in Ireland. Her second book was for the slums of London where she set up and ran a shelter. She called them ''Book'' and ''Another Book''. In 1942 Beresford returned to live in Ireland. She died on 17 April 1957 at age 77. Beresford has an epitaph at Ardmore which reads ''She never failed to help those in trouble''.

Bibliography

* Book: Discreet Memoirs (1931) * Another Book (1937) * Victorian Days (1957)

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beresford, Clodagh 1879 births 1957 deaths Daughters of British marquesses 19th-century women writers Anglo-Irish writers

Clodagh Clodagh ( ) is a female given name of Irish origin. Lady Clodagh Anson, daughter of John Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford, was named after the River Clodagh, which flows through the Marquess's estate at Curraghmore at County Waterford. La ...

People from County Waterford