Lady Mary Trefusis, née Lygon (26 February 1869–12 September 1927) was an English hymnwriter and courtier. She was also known as Lady Mary Forbes-Trefusis. She was a daughter of the 6th Earl Beauchamp and the wife of Lt.-Col. Henry Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis (a son of the 20th Baron Clinton) in 1905 and had issue. She was

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. They are ranked between the Mis ...

to Queen Mary, having joined her household while Mary was Princess of Wales. In the 1920s Trefusis was on the Diocesan Advisory Committee for Truro.

Music

Lady Mary was a friend and promoter of the composer Edward Elgar and is thought to be commemorated anonymously in one of his

Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...

entitled "Romanza (***)". She was the first President of the English Folk Dance Society (EFDS). and was for a time a collector of English folk dances. Trefusis Hall in the EFDS HQ, Cecil Sharp House, is named after her. She directed a number of choirs, and together with Mary Wakefield was the joint founder of the National Association of Music Competition Festivals in 1904. She served as President of the Society of Women Musicians from 1918-1919. She collected, arranged and published ''Henry VIII - Songs, Ballads and Instrumental pieces'' in 1912.

Foxlease

Lady Mary was instrumental in the acquisition of the house of

Foxlease Foxlease is a training and activity centre of Girlguiding near Lyndhurst, Hampshire, UK. The Foxlease estate has been owned and managed by the Guides since 1922. The estate is and the main house is known as The Princess Mary House, in honour o ...

by the

Girl Guides Association Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a char ...

. During the preparations for the marriage of Princess Mary, who was President of the Girl Guides Association Rose Kerr was contacted by Trefusis, because

Olave Baden-Powell Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (''née'' Soames; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting and co-founder o ...

, the World Chief Guide, was not in London. Trefusis was on the committee of a fund to which all the Marys of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

had contributed, for a wedding present to the Princess. The Princess insisted that she could only accept a proportion of the fund as a personal gift. Trefusis proposed to Kerr that the remainder be spent buying a training centre for the Girl Guides, a cause close to the Princess's heart. Kerr suggested that the fund could furnish and equip Foxlease, but this was not immediately accepted as the Fund wanted a place that would be associated with Princess Mary's name. As the matter had to be settled by the next day, Kerr gave Trefusis the phone number of

Pax Hill Pax Hill (Peace Hill), near Bentley, Hampshire, England, was the family home of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement, and his wife, Olave, for over twenty years during the 20th century. It is located at the end of a half-mile dr ...

, the Baden-Powells' home.

References

Sources

External links

Lady Mary Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis (née Lygon)
National Portrait Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Trefusis, Mary 1869 births 1927 deaths English hymnwriters Ladies of the Bedchamber Daughters of British earls

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...