Lady Mary Jane Maitland became Mary Jane Brabazon, Countess of Meath (15 March 1847 – 4 November 1918) was a British philanthropist; founder of the Ministering Children's League.

Early life

Maitland was born in 1847 in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She was the daughter of Amelia ( Young), Countess of Lauderdale, and

Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale Admiral of the Fleet Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale, (3 February 1803 – 1 September 1878) was a Royal Navy officer and peer. As a junior officer he saw action supporting the blockade of Algiers by Greek revolutionaries in July 182 ...

Career

Lord Meath served as a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

abroad but he refused to go to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in 1873 to please her family. He resigned in 1877. He and his wife did not need to work so they decided to deal with "social problems and the relief of human suffering". The Earl and his wife leased Ottershaw Park from 1882 to November 1883 from Sir Edward Colebrooke. In 1885 she set up the ''Ministering Children's League''. In 1890 she bought Westbrook Place in Godalming and over the next two years it was converted to be ''The Meath Home of Comfort for Epileptics''. The home was for epileptic women and it was opened by the Duchess of Albany on 4 August 1892. It was based on the ideas of Friedrich von Bodelschwingh. In time two large extensions were added to the home. She tried to set up a branch of the ''Ministering Children's League'' when she visited abroad. In 1892 she and her husband visited New Zealand and Tasmania. In Hobart she spoke about the success of the Ministering Children's League where it was said there was 40,000 members. It was agreed to start a group in Hobart and this work was led by

Emily Dobson Emily Dobson (10 October 1842 – 5 June 1934) was an Australian philanthropist. She was known for her work supporting women's charities. Early life Dobson was born in Port Arthur, Tasmania on 10 October 1842 to Thomas James Lempriere and Char ...

. By 1906 there was a home in Victoria. In 1909 she went to Shanghai where again she inspired a new group of the MCL. There was already a group in Hong Kong, but by 1910 she inspired other groups in Penang and Singapore. She felt that she had created divisions in "the East" but she was keen that the MCL should not confine itself to aglophones bit it might also spread to children native to the countries involved. Her diaries were posthumously published in 1928.

Personal life

The Meath Home in Godalming is run by the Epilepsy Trust In 1868 she married

Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath, (31 July 1841 – 11 October 1929) was an Irish politician and philanthropist. The Honourable Reginald Brabazon was born into an old Anglo-Irish family in London, the second son of William Brabazon, 11t ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Reginald Le Normand Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath (1869–1949), who married Lady Aileen May Wyndham-Quin, daughter of Wyndham Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven, in 1908. * Lady Violet Constance Maitland Brabazon (1886–1936), who married

James Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam James Walter Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam (17 April 1880 – 29 November 1949) was a British peer, electrical engineer and businessman, sometimes identified with the fringes of the intelligence service. Verulam was the son of James Grimston, 3rd E ...

. She died on 4 November 1918 in Ireland. She was survived by her husband. She left her property as a gift to her charities to further their work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meath, Mary Jan Brabazon, Countess of 1847 births 1918 deaths Philanthropists from London British philanthropists British countesses

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 ...

Daughters of British earls