Magdalen Mary Charlotte Scott, Countess of Eldon (''née'' Fraser; 1 August 1913 – 27 September 1969), better known as Magdalen Eldon, was a British children’s author and illustrator.

Life

Magdalen Eldon was the eldest daughter of

Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat Major-General Simon Joseph Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat and 3rd Baron Lovat, (25 November 1871 – 18 February 1933), was a leading Roman Catholic aristocrat, landowner, forester, soldier, politician and the 23rd Chief of Clan Fraser. While l ...

, and Laura (daughter of

Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale (29 October 1854 – 21 October 1925) was a British Liberal politician. Early life Thomas Lister was born on 29 October 1854 in Fontainebleau, France, the eldest son of Thomas Lister, 3rd Baron Ribblesdale ( ...

). She married

John Scott, 4th Earl of Eldon John Scott, 4th Earl of Eldon (29 March 1899 – 20 October 1976) was a British Royal Auxiliary Air Force officer, peer and courtier. Early life Eldon was the son of John Scott, Viscount Encombe (1870–1900), and Hon. Mary Laura Fraser (1869– ...

on 10 April 1934. They had two sons, the elder of whom,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, succeeded in due course to the earldom, and two adopted daughters. In 1953 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her work as the Deputy President of the

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

Branch of the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

. According to

Hugo Vickers Hugo Ralph Vickers DL (born 12 November 1951) is an English writer and broadcaster. Early life The son of Ralph Cecil Vickers, M.C., a stockbroker, senior partner in the firm of Vickers, da Costa, by his marriage in 1950 to Dulcie Metcalf, ...

Magdalen Eldon had a host of admirers: ‘ Bobbety Salisbury and King
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
adored her’.
Duncan Grant Duncan James Corrowr Grant (21 January 1885 – 8 May 1978) was a British painter and designer of textiles, pottery, theatre sets and costumes. He was a member of the Bloomsbury Group. His father was Bartle Grant, a "poverty-stricken" major ...
wanted to paint her, the producer
Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he i ...
wanted her to take over from
Lady Diana Cooper Diana, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she moved in a celebrat ...
in ''The Miracle'', but … she was ‘diffident and genuinely modest about her appearance’… Lady Eldon had wished to be a nun when young. Instead she married, had two sons and later adopted two little girls. Always deeply religious, she ran retreats, illustrated religious books for children, worked for the Red Cross with a zeal that matched Edwina Mountbatten’s, and was a prison visitor.Hugo Vickers, ''Elizabeth the Queen Mother'' (Hutchinson, 2005)

Works

* ''The Childhood of Jesus'' (with Frances Phipps) (London, Collins, 1948) * ''Bumble'' (London, Collins, 1950) * ''Snow Bumble'' (London, Collins, 1951) * ''Highland Bumble'' (London, Collins, 1952) * ''Tobias'' (London, Collins, 1954) * ''Tobias Two'' (London, Collins, 1954) * ''Am I alone? A Christian’s approach to the problem of loneliness'' (National Council of Social Service, 1960) Eldon’s most celebrated works were probably her three children’s books, which she herself illustrated, about Bumble, a half-Chinese and half-Scottish

Pekingese The Pekingese (also spelled Pekinese) is a breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by royalty of the Chinese Imperial court as a companion dog, and its name refers to the city of Peking (Beijing) where the Forbidden City i ...

living in Devon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eldon, Magdalen 1913 births 1969 deaths British children's writers British children's book illustrators Red Cross personnel British countesses Daughters of barons Officers of the Order of the British Empire