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 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
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
and is thought to be commemorated anonymously in one of his
Enigma Variations 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
Cecil may refer to:
People with the name
* Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name)
* Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Canada
*Cecil, Alberta, ...
, 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 The Society of Women Musicians was a British group founded in 1911 for mutual cooperation between women composers and performers, in response to the limited professional opportunities for women musicians at the time. The founders included Katharine ...
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 by the
Girl Guides Association. 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, 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 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 Scouting, Scout movement, and his wife, Olave, for over twenty years during the 20th century. It is located at the end of a half ...
, 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