Rosemary Ann Portal, 2nd Baroness Portal of Hungerford (12 May 1923 – 29 September 1990) was a British politician and

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsid ...

ess. In 1971, she inherited the Portal barony of Hungerford from her father. She sat as a

crossbencher A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

from 1972 to 1990.

Early life and family

Lady Portal of Hungerford was born on 12 May 1923 in

Grantham, Lincolnshire Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

to Charles Frederick Algernon Portal and Joan Margaret Welby Portal. Her father's family were members of the

landed gentry The landed gentry, or the ''gentry'', is a largely historical British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. While distinct from, and socially below, the British peerage, th ...

and were of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

descent. Her paternal grandfather, Edward Robert Portal, was a country gentleman and former barrister. Her paternal grandmother, Ellinor Kate Hill Portal, was the daughter of Captain Charles West Hill, who served as Governor of Winchester Prison. Lady Portal of Hungerford was the niece of Admiral Sir Reginald Portal and a distant relative of

Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal Wyndham Raymond Portal, 1st Viscount Portal, (9 April 1885 – 6 May 1949), was a British politician. The eldest son of Sir William Wyndam Portal, 2nd Baronet, and Florence Elizabeth Mary Glyn, daughter of Hon. St Leger Glyn, 2nd son of Georg ...

and

Abraham Portal Abraham Portal (baptised 1726 – 1809) was an English goldsmith and dramatist. Life He was the son of a clergyman, Peter William Portal, of Huguenot origin. He started in life as a goldsmith and jeweller on Ludgate Hill, but lost money both in ...

. In 1945, her father was created

Baron Portal of Hungerford Baron Portal of Hungerford, of Hungerford in the County of Berkshire, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1945 for Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford, Sir Charles Por ...

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. ...

upon his retirement as Chief of the Air Staff, entitling her to the style ''

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

'' as the daughter of a peer. In 1946, her father was created Viscount Portal of Hungerford by George VI.

Adult life

In the 1940s, she served as an officer in the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Following the death of her father on 22 April 1971, she inherited the Portan barony of Hungerford according to a special remainder, while her father's viscounty became extinct as it was only intended for male heirs to inherit. Upon the inheritance of the barony, she became styled

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

The Lady Portal of Hungerford. On 26 April 1972, she was formally introduced, pursuant to Standing Order No.4 and under the

Peerage Act 1963 The Peerage Act 1963 (c. 48) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permits women peeresses and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be disclaimed. Backgro ...

, into the

between the Baroness Emmet of Amberley and the Lord Platt. She died on 29 September 1990 in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

, at which point the barony became extinct. She was cremated, and her remains were placed in St Mary Churchyard in

Funtington Funtington is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portal, Rosemary 1923 births 1990 deaths British baronesses Crossbench hereditary peers Daughters of viscounts Hereditary women peers People from Grantham

Rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

Women's Auxiliary Air Force officers