Frances Charlotte Thesiger, Viscountess Chelmsford, (''née'' Guest; 22 March 1869 – 24 September 1957), styled as the Lady Chelmsford until 1921, was a British

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

and

Vicereine of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the emperor o ...

. Born in

Mayfair, London Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts in ...

, she was the eldest daughter of wealthy industrialist

Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne, 2nd Baronet, DL (29 August 1835 – 22 February 1914) was a British industrialist and a member of the prominent Guest family. Early life Ivor Bertie Guest was born at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, the so ...

and Lady Cornelia Spencer-Churchill, the daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Through her mother she was a first cousin of Prime Minister Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

. She was made a

Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1917 and was also invested with the

Imperial Order of the Crown of India The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system. The Order was established by Queen Victoria when she became Empress of India in 1878. The Order was open only to women, and no appointments have been made since ...

Early life

She was born at 12 Upper Brook Street, London, the eldest daughter of nine children born to Lady Cornelia Henrietta (''née'' Spencer-Churchill; 1847–1927) and Ivor Bertie Guest, a wealthy industrialist created the first Baron Wimborne in 1880.Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood'' (107 ed.). Burke’s Peerage & Gentry. p. 760. . On her mother's side she was a scion of the

Dukes of Marlborough Duke of Marlborough (pronounced ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Queen Anne in 1702 for John Churchill, 1st Earl of Marlborough (1650–1722), the noted military leader. The queen and the nation also gave him what becam ...

;

Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British aristocrat and politician. Churchill was a Tory radical who coined the term "One-nation conservatism, Tory democracy". He participated in the creation ...

, father of

, was her maternal uncle. On her father's side she descended from the industrialist Guest family, whose fortune derived from the

Dowlais Ironworks The Dowlais Ironworks was a major ironworks and steelworks located at Dowlais near Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. Founded in the 18th century, it operated until the end of the 20th, at one time in the 19th century being the largest steel producer ...

. The union of her parents was not considered a good one for her mother, Lady Cornelia; the Guests were seen as parvenus by some members of the more-established gentry. Her family were nonetheless prominent in the exclusive London society; they owned London property in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

and

St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...

, as well as estates in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

. She had nine siblings, including politicians Henry Guest and

Oscar Guest Oscar Montague Guest (24 August 1888 – 8 May 1958) was a politician in the United Kingdom, initially with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party and later as a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative. He was twice elected as a Member of Parl ...

. Her beauty, charm, and good-heritage attracted many suitors for her debut in 1887. However, her younger sister had married before her, leading to speculation that Frances was choosy with suitors, wishing instead for a genuine love-match. On 29 January 1894, it was announced that Frances was engaged to Sir Egbert Sebright. However, several weeks later the engagement dissolved. On 28 July 1894 at

St George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Church of England, Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London ...

, she married the Hon. Frederic John Napier Thesiger, heir to the barony of Chelmsford.

In Australia

In April 1905, Thesiger succeeded his father as the third Baron Chelmsford, and in July was appointed

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...

, Australia. Lord and Lady Chelmsford arrived in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

in November, with Chelmsford being sworn in. His term was to be dominated by conflict between the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

and the Legislative Assembly and the emergence of three evenly divided parties in the lower house. Lord Chelmsford was appointed

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

in 1909, being based in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, a position he retained until 1913. In Australia, Lady Chelmsford involved herself in charitable works, being particularly concerned with hospitals, educating women, and improving the welfare of women and children generally. Both her and her husband were also interested in playing music, specifically the Bechstein. Lady Chelmsford was responsible for importing 500 rose trees from France to be installed at

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

. The Chelmsford left Australia in March 1913, returning to England.

In India

Upon the outbreak of war in 1914, Lord Chelmsford joined his regiment as a Captain and was posted to India, with Lady Chelmsford accompanying him. In March 1916, he was appointed to the esteemed position of

Viceroy and Governor-General of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the emperor o ...

. The pair were very pleased with the appointment, especially upon discovering that the income and allowances of the Viceroy was £60,000 per year (equivalent to £6 million present-day). In India she again involved herself in charitable causes, this time funding the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

and supporting soldiers welfare in India. On 15 June 1921, her husband was elevated as Viscount Chelmsford, and she was then-on thus styled as the Viscountess Chelmsford.

Family

Lord and Lady Chelmsford had six children: * Hon. Joan Frances Vere Thesiger (1 August 1895 – 15 May 1971) * Lt. Hon. Frederic Ivor Thesiger (17 October 1896 – 1 May 1917) * Hon. Anne Molyneux Thesiger (17 December 1898 – 10 August 1973) * Hon. Bridget Mary Thesiger (7 August 1900 – 18 June 1983) * Andrew Charles Gerald Thesiger, 2nd Viscount Chelmsford (25 July 1903 – 27 September 1970) * Hon. Margaret St. Clair Sydney Thesiger (7 May 1911 – 1 July 1991) Her eldest son, and heir to the Chelmsford Viscountcy, Frederic Ivor Thesiger, a Lieutenant in the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

, was killed in action in May 1917 during the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

. He is buried in the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.

Later life

After the death of her husband in 1933, she retired to live with her family in

Canford Magna Canford Magna is a village in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The vi ...

, Dorset. She died in London on 24 September 1957 and was buried at the

Canford Magna Parish Church The Canford Magna Parish Church in Canford Magna, Dorset, England – possibly dedicated to St Augustine – is a mixture of Saxon architecture, Saxon, Norman architecture, Norman and Gothic architecture, Mid Gothic architecture. English Herita ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelmsford, Frances, Viscountess 1869 births 1957 deaths Viceregal consorts of India 1910s in British India Daughters of barons British viscountesses Guest family Thesiger family Companions of the Order of the Crown of India Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire