Lady Mary Jane Maitland became Mary Jane Brabazon, Countess of Meath (15 March 1847 – 4 November 1918) was a British philanthropist; founder of the Ministering Children's League.

Early life

Maitland was born in 1847 in

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. She was the daughter of Amelia ( Young), Countess of Lauderdale, and

Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale Admiral of the Fleet Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale, (3 February 1803 – 1 September 1878) was a Royal Navy officer and peer. As a junior officer he saw action supporting the blockade of Algiers by Greek revolutionaries in July 1824 ...

Career

Lord Meath served as a

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

abroad but he refused to go to

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in 1873 to please her family. He resigned in 1877. He and his wife did not need to work so they decided to deal with "social problems and the relief of human suffering". The Earl and his wife leased Ottershaw Park from Sir Edward Colebrooke from 1882 to November 1883. In 1885, the Countess set up the ''Ministering Children's League''. In 1890, she bought Westbrook Place in Godalming and over the next two years it was converted to be ''The Meath Home of Comfort for Epileptics''. The home was for epileptic women and it was opened by the Duchess of Albany on 4 August 1892. It was based on the ideas of

Friedrich von Bodelschwingh Friedrich "Fritz" von Bodelschwingh (; 14 August 1877 Bethel – 4 January 1946 Bethel), also known as Friedrich von Bodelschwingh the Younger, was a German pastor, theologian and public health advocate. His father was Friedrich von Bodelschwingh ...

. In time, two large extensions were added to the home. She tried to set up a branch of the ''Ministering Children's League'' when she visited abroad. In 1892, she and her husband visited

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and

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. In Hobart, she spoke about the success of the Ministering Children's League, which was reported to have 40,000 members. It was agreed to start a group in Hobart and this work was led by Emily Dobson. By 1906 there was a home in Victoria. In 1909, The Countess went to Shanghai where she inspired a new group of the MCL. There was already a group in Hong Kong but, by 1910, she inspired other groups in Penang and Singapore. She felt that she had created divisions in "the East" but was keen that the MCL should not confine itself to Aglophones but might also spread to children native to the countries involved. Her diaries were posthumously published in 1928.

Personal life

The Meath Home in Godalming, run by the Epilepsy Trust, 2012 In 1868, the then Lady Mary Jane Maitland married

Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath (31 July 1841 – 11 October 1929) was an Irish politician and philanthropist. Life Reginald Brabazon was born into an old Anglo-Irish family in London, the second son of William Brabazon, 11th Earl of M ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Reginald Le Normand Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath (1869–1949), who married Lady Aileen May Wyndham-Quin, daughter of Wyndham Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven, in 1908. * Lady Violet Constance Maitland Brabazon (1886–1936), who married

James Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam James Walter Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam (17 April 1880 – 29 November 1949) was a British peer, electrical engineer and businessman, sometimes identified with the fringes of the intelligence service. Early life and education Verulam was the so ...

. She died on 4 November 1918 in Ireland, survived by her husband. She left her property as a gift to her charities to further their work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meath, Mary Jan Brabazon, Countess of 1847 births 1918 deaths Philanthropists from London British philanthropists British countesses by marriage

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

Daughters of British earls