Mary Frances Buller-Fullerton-Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone

DCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(née Lady Mary Frances Bowes-Lyon; 30 August 1883 – 8 February 1961), was a maternal aunt and godparent of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Early life

Lady Elphinstone was born Lady Mary Frances Bowes-Lyon on 30 August 1883 in Angus, Scotland, to

Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th and 1st Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, (14 March 1855 – 7 November 1944), styled as Lord Glamis from 1865 to 1904, was a British peer and landowner who was the father of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, t ...

and

Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (' Cavendish-Bentinck; 11 September 1862 – 23 June 1938) was the mother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, maternal grandmother and godmother of Queen Elizabeth II, and great-g ...

. She was an elder sister of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon known as Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (later The Queen Mother).

Personal life

Lady Mary married

Sidney Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone and 2nd Baron Elphinstone, (27 July 1869 – 28 November 1955) was a British nobleman. Early life Sidney Herbert Elphinstone was born at Carberry Tower south-east of Edinburgh on 27 July 1869. ...

(1869–1955) on 24 July 1910 in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. Lord Elphinstone inherited extensive estates, some of which had been in the family since the reign of King

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, beco ...

. He served as a governor of the

Bank of Scotland The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by th ...

, Lord Clerk Register of Scotland and

Keeper of the Signet The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenance and care of the public records of Scotland. Tod ...

and Lord High Commissioner of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

. The couple had five children: * The Hon. Mary Elizabeth Elphinstone (2 July 1911 – 16 May 1980), who was a bridesmaid at the

wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon The wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon took place on 26 April 1923 at Westminster Abbey. The couple were later known as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Courtship and proposals Prince Alb ...

in 1923. *

John Elphinstone, 17th Lord Elphinstone John Alexander Elphinstone, 17th Lord Elphinstone and 3rd Baron Elphinstone (22 March 1914 – 15 November 1975) was a British nobleman and serviceman during World War II. He was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Early life Elphinstone was ...

(22 March 1914 – 15 November 1975) * The Hon. Jean Constance Elphinstone (3 April 1915 – 29 November 1999), who married Captain John Lycett Wills (29 May 1910 – 1 October 1999). Their daughter Marilyn was a god-daughter of

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

and a bridesmaid at her 1960 wedding. * The Rev. The Hon. Andrew Charles Victor Elphinstone (10 November 1918 – 19 March 1975), who married Jean Frances Hambro (22 February 1923 – 7 December 2017) and had issue. His wife was a Lady-in-Waiting to

. * The Hon. Margaret Elphinstone (9 June 1925 – 25 November 2016), who married Denys Rhodes (9 July 1919 – 30 October 1981) and had issue. She was a bridesmaid at the 1947 wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

. In 1937, she attended her sister and brother-in-law's coronation whereby she sat behind her niece, Princess Elizabeth, who would be the future queen, in the royal box. She was one of the leading guests in the wedding of her niece, Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten in 1947. Lord Elphinstone died at their home

Carberry Tower Carberry Tower is a historic house in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is situated off the A6124 road, south-east of Musselburgh. Carberry, like Musselburgh is in the parish of Inveresk. It is protected as a Category B listed building. Histo ...

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

, on 28 November 1955. Lady Elphinstone, who served as president of the Midlothian branch of the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with mor ...

, died on 8 February 1961, aged 77, also at Carberry Tower in Inveresk, Scotland.

Ancestry

References

External links

*
Bust by Francis Derwent Wood
at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elphinstone, Mary, Lady 1883 births 1961 deaths

Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone Mary Frances Buller-Fullerton-Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone Royal Victorian Order, DCVO (née Lady Mary Frances Bowes-Lyon; 30 August 1883 – 8 February 1961), was a maternal aunt and godparent of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II. Early life La ...

Dames Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Daughters of British earls Daughters of Scottish earls Ladies of Parliament British baronesses Wives of knights