Constance Ashley-Cooper, Countess of Shaftesbury

DStJ The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

(22 August 1875 – 8 July 1957), formerly

Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

Constance Sibell Grosvenor, was the wife of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury. She was the daughter of Victor, Earl Grosvenor, and his wife, the former Lady Sibell Mary Lumley, daughter of the 9th Earl of Scarbrough. Her paternal grandfather was The 1st Duke of Westminster. She married the

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

on 15 July 1899. She was invested as a

Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

of Justice of the Order St. John of Jerusalem ( DJStJ) and served as a Lady and Extra

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. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

to Queen Mary, wife of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

, between 1906 and 1953. The earl and

countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

had five children: * Major Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley (4 October 1900 – 8 March 1947). * Lady Mary Sibell Ashley-Cooper (3 October 1902 – 2 August 1936), who married The 3rd Baron Alington. * Lady Dorothea Louise Harriet Ashley-Cooper (29 April 1907 – 1987), who married The 1st Viscount Head. * Lady Lettice Mildred Ashley-Cooper (12 February 1911 – 1990),

Flight Officer The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and also an air force rank in several Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, where it was used for female officers and was equiv ...

, W.A.A.F.; European War 1939–45 (despatches) * Major Hon. Anthony John Percy Hugh Michael Ashley-Cooper (5 October 1915 – 1986), who married Julian Petherick and had four daughters. One of the homes of the earl and countess was

Belfast Castle Belfast Castle (Irish language, Irish: ''Caisleán Bhéal Feirste''Ireland Highlights: Belfast Castle. https://www.irelandhighlights.com/info/belfast-castle/ ) is a mansion located in Cavehill, Cave Hill Country Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland ...

, which had been built in the 1860s for the 3rd Marquess of Donegall, the earl's maternal grandfather. However, the couple mainly lived on their English estate and spent no time in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

after the

Partition of Ireland The Partition of Ireland () was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK) divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (the area today known as the R ...

. In 1934, they presented the castle to the city of

. The Chapel of the Resurrection, originally intended as a family mausoleum, was presented to the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

, and the remainder of the grounds were sold for housing. Photographs of the countess by Bassano Ltd are held by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaftesbury, Constance Ashley-Cooper, Countess of 1875 births 1957 deaths English countesses

Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...