Beatrix Maud Palmer, Countess of Selborne (11 April 1858 – 27 April 1950) was a

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political and women's rights activist.

Early life

Born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

as Beatrix Maud Gascoyne-Cecil, she was the eldest child of future Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, and his wife, the former Georgina Alderson. Maud was not formally educated, but acquired an interest in conservatism and political affairs through her family and the local

Primrose League The Primrose League was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883. At a late point in its existence, its declared aims (published in the ''Primrose League Gazette'', vol. 83, no. 2, March/April ...

Politics

At the 1885 general election, her husband

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, then Viscount Woolmer, was elected as a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Member of Parliament, and while Maud remained a staunch

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

supporter, she gradually won William to her views, as he first joined the

Liberal Unionist Party The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

split, then later became associated with the far right of the Conservative Party. From 1905, William held various senior posts in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and Maud moved with him, associating herself with various local charities. They returned to the UK in 1910, and she became president of the

Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association The Conservative and Unionist Women's Franchise Association (CUWFA) was a British women's suffrage organisation open to members of the Conservative and Unionist Party. Formed in 1908 by members of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, C ...

. In this role, she toured the country, speaking in support of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. While she initially only supported votes for wealthy single women, she later also supported the enfranchisement of married women, arguing that most married women were conservative. She stood down in 1913, and once

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

started, focused instead on promoting patriotism. After the end of the war, the countess was less active, but became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in Hampshire, and served as president of the National Council of Women of Great Britain & Ireland in 1920/21.

Marriage and family

In 1883, Maud married William Palmer, Viscount Wolmer. They had three sons and one daughter. * Lady Mabel Laura Georgiana Palmer (6 October 1884 – 15 July 1958); married

Charles Grey, 5th Earl Grey Charles Robert Grey, 5th Earl Grey DL (15 December 1879 – 2 April 1963), styled Viscount Howick between 1894 and 1917, was an English nobleman, the son of Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey. Grey was born in London in 1879 and was the son of t ...

, and had two daughters. *

Roundell Cecil Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne Roundell Cecil Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne, CH, PC (15 April 1887 – 3 September 1971), known as "Top Wolmer" and styled Viscount Wolmer from 1895 to 1941, was a British administrator, intelligence officer and Conservative politician. Bac ...

(15 April 1887 – 3 September 1971); married, firstly, Hon. Grace Ridley in 1910; had issue. Married, secondly, Valerie Irene Josephine Margaret de Thomka de Thomkahaza in 1966; no issue. * Hon. Robert Stafford Arthur Palmer (26 September 1888 – 21 January 1916) * Hon. William Jocelyn ''Lewis'' Palmer (15 September 1894 – 6 June 1971); married Hon. Dorothy Cicely Sybil Loder in 1922 and had two children. Their eldest son, Roundell, eventually succeeded his father in the earldom as the 3rd Earl of Selborne. Their second son, the Hon. Robert Palmer, was a captain in the Hampshire Regiment and was killed on active service in 1916. Their daughter, Lady Mabel Laura Georgiana Palmer, became Countess Grey as the wife of

. William succeeded as

Earl of Selborne Earl of Selborne, in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1882 for the lawyer and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne, Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron ...

in 1895, and Maud therefore became Countess of Selborne.

Legacy

Her name and picture (and those of 58 other women's suffrage supporters) are on the

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...

of the

statue of Millicent Fawcett The statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London, honours the British suffragist leader and social campaigner Dame Millicent Fawcett. It was made in 2018 by Gillian Wearing. Following a campaign and petition by the activist Caroline C ...

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...

, London, unveiled in 2018. There is a place called

Lady Selborne The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

near

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

that was bulldozed away during the apartheid era. Reparations have seen some of the historic occupants reclaiming their land despite local opposition. Many however have taken compensation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Maud 1858 births 1950 deaths Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom English suffragists Maud People from Marylebone Presidents of the National Council of Women of Great Britain Daughters of British marquesses

Selborne Selborne is a village in Hampshire, England, south of Alton, Hampshire, Alton, and just within the northern boundary of the South Downs National Park. The village receives visitors because of its links with the naturalist Revd. Gilbert White, a ...

19th-century English nobility 20th-century English nobility 19th-century English women 20th-century English women Wives of knights Children of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury