Mary Venetia James (; 4 June 1861 – 2 May 1948) was a London society hostess and racehorse breeder.

Early life

James was born into the

Cavendish-Bentinck Cavendish-Bentinck is a surname associated with the Dukes of Portland and their descendants. Bentinck is a Dutch surname brought to England by William Bentinck, an advisor to William III of England. Cavendish was added to the family name by ...

family, the daughter of

Prudentia Prudence ( la, prudentia, contracted from meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtue ...

(née Leslie) and

George Cavendish-Bentinck George Augustus Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck (9 July 1821 – 9 April 1891), known as George Bentinck and scored in cricket as GAFC Bentinck, was a British barrister, Conservative politician, and cricketer. A member of parliament from 1859 to ...

(1821–1891). Her brother was

William George Cavendish-Bentinck William George Cavendish-Bentinck (6 March 1854 – 22 August 1909), was a member of parliament for Penryn and Falmouth between 1886 and 1895, who married into the American Livingston family. Early life Cavendish-Bentinck was born on 6 March 1 ...

(1854–1909) and they were related to the

dukes of Portland Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...

, with the dukedom eventually passing to her nephews,

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

and

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

; she was also a relative and godmother of Queen Elizabeth. In 1872, the 11-year-old Mary Venetia Cavendish-Bentinck had been a bridesmaid at the wedding of Christina Nilsson, a famous opera singer of the period. The wedding was a high society affair, arranged by Venetia's father in Westminster Abbey, London. Venetia held the bride's bouquet whilst Nilsson took her vows with her future husband, French banker Auguste Rouzaud.

Personal life

In December 1885, she married the racehorse owner and breeder

John Arthur James John Arthur James, MVO DL (1853–1917) was the son of a wealthy Liverpool merchant who became a friend of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), sharing his interest in horse racing. In 1885 he married Mary Venetia Cavendish-Bentinck (186 ...

in the Chapel Royal, St James's, London. Venetia and her husband resided at Grafton Street, London, and bred horses at

Coton House Coton House is a late 18th-century country house at Churchover, near Rugby, Warwickshire in England. It is a Grade II* listed building. The Manor of Coton was held before the Dissolution of the Monasteries by the monks of Coombe Abbey. In 1551 th ...

. Venetia and Arthur James were both friends of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

, and Venetia was reputed to be his mistress. The King's private secretary Frederick Ponsonby wrote that she was "full of humour and high spirits, walking with the King and keeping him amused". Despite being a millionaire, James was noted for her extreme frugality. She served her guests milk that her cat wouldn't drink and preferred to host Catholics on Fridays because fish was cheaper than meat. She was widowed in 1917, and financed the construction of a new department of Hospital of St Cross, Rugby, in the memory of her husband, who had also donated to the hospital. She continued to breed horses and participate in races, winning the Victoria Cup and 1932

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

. James died in 1948, without issue, leaving her jewellery and paintings by

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

, Joshua Reynolds and

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

to her goddaughter, Queen Elizabeth.

Horse racing

After the death of her husband in 1917, she continued her interests in the Coton House Stud. She was also a successful owner on the track with horses trained by the Hon. George Lampton and George Colling. These included ''Salmon Leap'', ''Herbalist'' and ''Phalaros'' with wins in the Goodwood Cup, Coronation Cup, Portland Handicap and Victoria Cup.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Venetia British racehorse owners and breeders Venetia Venetia 1861 births 1948 deaths People from Mayfair