Susan Elaine Bligh, Countess of Darnley, , is the former

Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

, having been appointed to the position on 24 October 2008. Along with her husband

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Scot ...

, Lady Darnley has been a farmer and landowner in Herefordshire for many years. She has also held a number of public positions. She served as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

between 1977 and 2005, taking particular interest in the Family Panel, of which she was Chair prior to her retirement. She was also a member of the

Hereford and Worcester Hereford and Worcester ( ) was an English non-metropolitan county created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 from the areas of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire (except Halesowen, Stourbridg ...

Probation Committee, and its Chair and National Representative for five years, as well as being Vice Chair of the Worcestershire Ethics and Standards Committee. She was made a Deputy Lieutenant for

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

in 2000, before being appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire upon the retirement of her predecessor, Sir Thomas Dunne in 2008. As well as her roles in public office, Lady Darnley is a member of the Hereford Diocesan Synod and serves on the Bishop’s Council, the Council for Social Responsibility and on

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

Council. She is also an Appeal Patron for

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

Royal National College for the Blind Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Ro ...

. She was appointed

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(CVO) in the

2019 Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Lord-lieutenants of Herefordshire Commanders of the Order of St John People associated with the Royal National College for the Blind Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Irish countesses by marriage {{Ireland-earl-stub