Lady Rose Mary Primrose McLaren (née Paget; 21 July 1919 – 1 November 2005) was a British aristocrat, the fourth daughter of the 6th Marquess of Anglesey. The Paget family (the Marquesses of Anglesey) resided in Plas Newydd and Beaudesert in Staffordshire until the house was demolished in 1931, due to financial difficulties. Lady Rose Paget, as she was before her marriage, was the fourth of five daughters — her eldest sisters Caroline and Elizabeth shared the dark good looks of their mother (the former

Lady Victoria Manners Victoria Marjorie Harriet Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey (''née'' Manners; 20 December 1883 – 3 November 1946) was a British writer on art, an illustrator, and a member of the peerage. Biography Lady Victoria was the eldest daughter of Henry ...

, eldest daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland). Her brother was the 7th Marquess of Anglesey. Another of Paget's sisters, Mary, was brain-damaged, and Paget made herself responsible for her sister's welfare until her death in 1996. In her teens, Paget trained as a ballet dancer with

Marie Rambert Dame Marie Rambert, Mrs Dukes DBE (20 February 188812 June 1982) was a Polish-born English dancer and pedagogue who exerted great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher. Early years and background Born to a liberal Lithuan ...

, and under the name Rose Bayly made her debut at

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

in Swan Lake in 1937. After being largely educated at home, Paget led an unconventional life, being at different times a

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

, a

florist Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...

, a land girl and a countrywoman. Twice engaged to the 8th Duke of Wellington, Paget eventually married Squadron Leader The Hon. John Francis McLaren, the second son of the 2nd Baron Aberconway in 1940. He died in 1953. The McLarens had two daughters, Victoria and Harriet. In her widowhood, McLaren became friends with Muriel Belcher (founder of the club, the Colony Room) and the artist

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

. At about this time McLaren established her florist's business, which operated from the basement of her house in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. Along with Pamela Forster (the daughter of Lord Forster of Harraby and a former employee of

Constance Spry Constance Spry (née Fletcher, previously Marr; 5 December 1886 – 3 January 1960) was a British educator, florist and author in the mid-20th century. Life Constance Fletcher was born in Derby in 1886, eldest child and only daughter of Geor ...

), they supplied the flowers for the wedding of Princess Margaret to

Antony Armstrong Jones Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017), was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in ''Vogue'', ''Vanity Fai ...

in 1960. McLaren left London in 1975 and returned to Wales, retiring to her house on the Bodnant Estate. In later life, McLaren held several prominent positions including County chairwoman of Macmillan Nurses, president of

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...

's Churchill Club and president of the Eglwysbach Show. McLaren died on 1 November 2005.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaren, Rose 1919 births 2005 deaths Daughters of British marquesses

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

20th-century British ballet dancers People from Anglesey People from Cannock Chase District