Elizabeth Philippa Biddulph, Baroness Biddulph (born Lady Elizabeth Yorke, later Lady Elizabeth Adeane; 15 November 1834 – January 1916) was an English humanitarian and temperance leader. She published a biography of her father,

Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke Admiral Charles Philip Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke, PC (2 April 1799 – 17 September 1873) was a Royal Navy officer and Conservative politician. Background Born at Sydney Lodge, in Hamble le Rice, Hardwicke was the eldest son of Admiral Sir ...

, and was appointed a

Woman of the Bedchamber In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman (usually a daughter of a peer) attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting. Historically the term 'Gen ...

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 January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Early life

Lady Elizabeth (

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, "Lady Libbet") Philippa Yorke was born in England, 15 November 1834. She was a daughter and eldest child of the Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke, and Susan, sixth daughter of

Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (8 February 1775 – 7 March 1855), known as Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet, from 1791 to 1821, was a British peer and Tory politician. Early life Liddell was the son of Sir Henry Liddell, 5th ...

. Until her marriage, she lived at

Wimpole Hall Wimpole Estate is a large estate containing Wimpole Hall, a country house located within the civil parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England, about southwest of Cambridge. The house, begun in 1640, and its of parkland and farmland are owned ...

and was her father's constant companion, sharing in his interests, political and other, including his love of the sea. Her relationships constituted a large social circle, including her mother and her mother's sisters, Lady Normanby, Lady Barrington, and Lady Bloomfield.

Career

In 1860, she married

Henry John Adeane Henry John Adeane DL (18 June 1789 – 11 May 1847) was an English barrister and politician. Early life and education Adeane was the second but first surviving son of Robert Jones Adeane of Babraham, Cambridgeshire, and Annabella Blake, daught ...

, M.P., of

Babraham Babraham is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about south-east of Cambridge on the A1307 road. Babraham is home to the Babraham Institute which undertakes res ...

Hall,

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

. The couple traveled abroad, and her knowledge of foreign languages, especially of French, which she spoke faultlessly, made foreign travel and society agreeable to her. Italy, she visited more than once with her husband, and after his death; but France was the country of her preference. After being widowed in 1870, and left to care for their three children, including a son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, Lady Elizabeth was appointed a Woman of the Bedchamber by Queen Victoria, who showed her constant kindness, and Lady Elizabeth was present at all the impressive ceremonies, such as the two Jubilees and the marriage of the King and Queen, which marked the closing years of the Queen's reign. She also spent time with her circle of friends, rich and poor. Holidays were enjoyed at Wimpole or at Sydney Lodge,

Hamble-le-Rice Hamble-le-Rice, commonly known as Hamble, is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Eastleigh (borough), Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It is best known for being a flying training centre during the Second Wor ...

, the other home of her family on

Southampton Water Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed we ...

, built for her grandfather, Admiral Sir

Joseph Sydney Yorke Admiral Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke KCB (6 June 1768 – 5 May 1831) was an officer of the Royal Navy. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782 during the American Revolutionary War. He commanded at the defeat ...

. Although brought up in

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

surroundings, Lady Elizabeth was by nature liberal and broadminded. Her work in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

in the early 1870s, she lived mainly in London, gave her opportunity to see the life and temptations of the poor. Of these, she was always of the opinion that alcohol consumption was the worst. In 1877, she married Michael Biddulph, afterward Baron Biddulph of

Ledbury Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills. It has a significant number of Tudor style timber-framed structures, in particular along Church Lane a ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

, a member of the banking firm of Cocks, Biddulph, and Co.,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Mr. Biddulph was raised to the peerage in 1903. Of this marriage, there were no children. Lady Biddulph was led to join a temperance society in Ledbury through the unwillingness of her physician, the eminent Sir Andrew Clark, to prescribe alcoholic stimulants for her during an attack of illness. His prescription of total abstinence resulted in such positive benefit that she took the total-abstinence pledge and put on the blue ribbon, becoming an active worker in the cause of temperance reform. She was soon afterward elected president of the Ledbury Temperance Union. She also united with the

Rechabites The Rechabites () were a Hebrew Bible, Biblical clan, the descendants of Rechab through Jehonadab. Biblical sources One theory is the Rechabites belonged to the Kenites, who accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them; the ...

and the

Good Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promoting ...

. During 1896–98, she was president of the Women's Total Abstinence Union. Besides her activities in the temperance cause, Lady Biddulph devoted much of her time to the relief of the poor, and the promotion of various movements for the better care of the sick and dependent classes. She was a patron of the Ledbury Cottage Hospital. In 1910, she published a biography of her father, ''Charles Philip Yorke, fourth Earl of Hardwicke : a memoir by his daughter, the Lady Biddulph of Ledbury''.

Personal life

Lady Biddulph was a member of the

Royal Order of Victoria and Albert The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert is a British Royal Family Order instituted on 10 February 1862 by Queen Victoria, and enlarged on 10 October 1864, 15 November 1865, and 15 March 1880. No award has been made since the death of Queen V ...

. She died at her London home in January 1916. Burial was at the churchyard of Babraham Hall.

Selected works

* ''Charles Philip Yorke, fourth Earl of Hardwicke : a memoir by his daughter, the Lady Biddulph of Ledbury'', 1910
Text

References

External links

Photo, Lady Elizabeth Philippa Adeane (née Yorke, later Lady Biddulph)
by Camille Silvy, albumen print, 1860, at 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddulph, Lady Elizabeth Philipa 1834 births 1916 deaths Ladies of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert English temperance activists Court of Queen Victoria British baronesses by marriage Daughters of British earls English biographers

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

Women of the Bedchamber