Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely (''née'' Hope-Vere; 3 December 1821 – 11 June 1890) was an English

lady of the bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

and a close friend of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. Her parents were James Hope-Vere and Lady Elizabeth Hay, and through her mother she was a cousin of Arthur Wellesley, the first

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

. After her marriage to John Loftus, the third Marquess of Ely, she developed friendships with

Queen Sophie of the Netherlands Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and the

Empress Eugénie An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

. Jane arrived at court as a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

in 1851, and despite her own nervousness and lack of discretion, she became a close companion of Queen Victoria until her resignation in 1889. Her service was marred by her constant illnesses and fear of the Queen, but she proved a loyal and devoted servant, deferring to her royal mistress in all matters. Jane died on 11 June 1890 and is buried at

Kensal Green cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Early life

Jane was the daughter of James Hope-Vere,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable ...

, and Lady Elizabeth Hay. Her father was a descendant of the

Marquess of Linlithgow Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 October 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun. The current holder of the title is Adrian Hope. This ...

. Through her cousin Elizabeth, Lady Douro, she became a friend of Arthur Wellesley, the first

. On 29 October 1844, Jane married John Loftus, the third

Marquess of Ely Marquess of Ely, of the County of Wexford, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Charles Loftus, 1st Earl of Ely. He was born Charles Tottenham, the son of Sir John Tottenham, 1st Baronet, who had been created a ba ...

, and the couple spent much of their time on Ely's Irish estates, such as

Loftus Hall Loftus Hall is a large country house on the Hook peninsula, County Wexford, Ireland. Built on the site of the original Redmond Hall, it is said to have been haunted by the devil and the ghost of a woman. Loftus Hall has a long history of own ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, but they also visited the continent frequently. Jane developed friends in high places, including

and the

. Jane represented Queen Victoria at the birth of Empress Eugénie's son, Napoléon, Prince Imperial.

Attendance on Queen Victoria

Jane was appointed as a lady of the Queen's bedchamber on 15 July 1851. Although hard-working, loyal and devoted, she lacked the knowledge and discretion required for the role. In 1855, Mary Bulteel, later the wife of the Queen's

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

Sir Henry Ponsonby, disapproved of Jane's conduct, and commented that “Lady E y is more utterly the reverse from what she ought to be on this occasion than anybody can possibly conceive. I mean, I see she is preparing to be foolishly cringing to all the little miseries of etiquette...I quite long for somebody as the Queen's first lady with more natural dignity”. Despite her shortcomings, the Queen came to rely heavily on “Dearest Jane”, as she was referred to. The Queen required the utmost effort and devotion from her servants, and Jane followed this code of conduct with total deference to her royal mistress. However, her health suffered as a result, and it remained a constant burden throughout her waiting. In a letter from

Henry Ponsonby Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby (10 December 182521 November 1895) was a British soldier and royal court official who served as Queen Victoria's Private Secretary. Biography Born in Corfu, he was the son of Major-General Sir Frede ...

to Sir Thomas Biddulph, another courtier, he reported that Jane “was principally taken up with her own health”.Ponsonby, p. 58 Jane was also concerned about her own health, and in 1876, she confided to Ponsonby that “she cannot go on as it is, that it is killing her”, and he advised her to write to the Queen threatening to resign if her position was not made easier. The Queen relented, but continued to impose restrictions on Jane's contact with the outside world. Jane's son, who became the 4th Marquess on the death of his father in 1857, was anxious to visit, but the Queen would not allow him to. Instead, he requested an interview with Ponsonby about his mother's arduous duties; Ponsonby accepted, but Jane said “oh no, perhaps the Queen would not like it”. Ponsonby referred to this fear of the Queen as absurd, knowing that the Queen would not be angry with him for paying a visit to Jane's son. Although her service was marred by her nervousness, and taxed her health, Jane Ely quickly became one of the Queen's most trusted attendants. The Queen referred to Jane as “almost one of ourselves”, which indicates the difference that Victoria liked to maintain between herself and non-royals. Jane became the most prominent of ladies that were recognised “agents” of the Queen, the others being Harriet Phipps and Horatia Stopford.Reynolds (''Aristocratic Women''), p. 213 The role was exploited, especially in the royal household, where they found in Jane a useful advocate to the Queen when requesting approval for a course of action. The use of Jane as an unofficial secretary was widely acknowledged in society, and references to her are found in many letters from the aristocracy. When

the Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

fell out with the Queen after he refused to meet

Lord Chelmsford Viscount Chelmsford, of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford, the former Viceroy of India. The title of Baron Chelmsford, of Chelm ...

, he wrote despairingly to Jane, with the probable intention that she would show it to the Queen, that “I love the Queen — perhaps the only person in this world left to me that I do love; and therefore you can understand how much it worries and disquiets me, when there is a cloud between us.”

Personal life

Jane's relationship with the Queen was close, but it became strained for a short period when rumours circulated that Jane was to remarry. Lord Torrington mentioned the possibility of her remarriage to Robert St Clair-Erskine,

Lord Loughborough Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn, PC, KC (3 February 1733 – 2 January 1805) was a Scottish lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1761 and 1780 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Loughborough. He ser ...

, but shortly afterwards, Jane personally denied that there was any truth in it. Other suitors included

Count Cavour Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, Isolabella and Leri (, 10 August 1810 – 6 June 1861), generally known as Cavour ( , ), was an Italian politician, businessman, economist and noble, and a leading figure in the movement towa ...

, the

Piedmontese Piedmontese (; autonym: or , in it, piemontese) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, northwestern region of Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regard ...

leader. Following the marriage of

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: ;People: * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom * Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...

in 1871, Jane was asked to live with the Queen on a more permanent basis. She continued to serve until April 1889, when, following the death of her only son, she wrote to the Queen tendering her resignation, reporting that “this last blow has quite crushed” her. Following her resignation, she was granted the honorary title of Extra Lady of the Bedchamber. On 11 June 1890 she died at her home at 22

Wilton Place Wilton Place is a street in Knightsbridge, London. It runs north–south between Knightsbridge to the north and Wilton Crescent to the south. It is home to The Berkeley, a five star hotel, and St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge. The Berkeley sta ...

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

, and was interred next to her husband at

. The Queen was informed by a telegram from Jane's daughter, and she confided to her journal that she was “much upset. God knows what an awful loss she is to me. She was absolutely devoted to me and we were so intimate”.Buckle, p. 614

Notes

References

*Buckle, George Earle, ed., ''Letters of Queen Victoria 1886–1901'' (Volume I; John Murray, London, 1930) *Desant, Arthur Irwin, ''John Thadeus Delane, Editor of "The Times": His Life and Correspondence Vol. 2'' (C. Scribner's Sons, 1908) *Kennedy, A. L., ed., ''My dear duchess: social and political letters to the duchess of Manchester, 1858–1869'' (John Murray, 1956) *Longford, Elizabeth, ''Victoria R. I.'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1971) *Pearson, Hesketh, ''Dizzy: The Life & Personality of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield'' (Harper, 1951) *Ponsonby, Arthur, ''Henry Ponsonby, Queen Victoria's Private Secretary, His Life from His Letters'' (Periodicals Service Co., 1942) *Reynolds, K. D., ‘Loftus , Jane, marchioness of Ely (1821–1890)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 29 April 2008
**''Aristocratic Women and Political Society in Victorian Britain'' (Clarendon Press, 1998) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ely, Jane Loftus, Marchioness of 1821 births 1890 deaths Irish marchionesses Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Ladies of the Bedchamber Court of Queen Victoria