Mildred Anne Buxton, Countess Buxton, (''née'' Smith; 29 June 1866 – 7 December 1955), was a British social activist and philanthropist.

Biography

Buxton was born in

St George Hanover Square St George Hanover Square was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of the St George's, Hanover Square, Church of St George's, Hanover Square, ...

, London, the daughter of

Hugh Colin Smith Hugh Colin Smith (31 October 1836 – 8 March 1910) was an English banker who was Governor of the Bank of England from 1897–99. Early life Smith was born in London, the son of John Abel Smith (1802–1871), Member of Parliament for Chicheste ...

of Mount Clare, London, and Constance Maria Josepha (''née'' Adeane). She was baptised 23 July 1866 Saint Thomas Church in

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal gardens. It mar ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

.''London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917''. She married politician Sydney Buxton,

Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State. Under-Secretaries of State for the Col ...

, in 1896, and had three children. She was active in social work when her husband was

Governor-General of South Africa The governor-general of the Union of South Africa (; ) was the highest state official in the Union of South Africa between 1910 and 1961. The Union of South Africa was founded as a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire in 1910 and the o ...

from 1914 to 1920. In 1917, their only son, 2nd Lt. Hon. Denis Buxton, was killed in action during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In Cape Town, she and her husband founded a children's hospital in memory of their only son who was killed in action in France. When they returned from South Africa, the Buxtons settled in

Newtimber Place Newtimber Place is a Grade I listed building in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. The house sits on a D-shaped island in a moat. The oldest part of the house dates from the 16th century. The north wing is apparently the oldest part ...

, a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

country house in Sussex, where Lady Buxton became a Justice of the Peace. Lord Buxton died in 1934, at which point his titles became extinct. In 1935, she donated nearly 150 acres of downland at Newtimber Hill to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. As a result of her marriage, she was styled as Viscountess Buxton, effective 11 May 1914, and later as the Countess Buxton, effective 8 November 1920.

Marriage and issue

She married Sydney Buxton, first and last Earl Buxton, son of Charles Buxton and Emily Mary Holland, on 7 July 1896 at

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...

, Surrey. By his first wife, he had two sons (both of whom predeceased him) and a daughter. The Buxtons had three children: a twin daughter and son in 1897 and a daughter in 1910. * 2nd Lt. Hon. Denis Bertram Sydney Buxton (29 November 1897 – 9 October 1917), killed in the First World War * Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton (29 November 1897 – 28 July 1923), married 24 January 1918 Charles Alfred Euston Fitzroy, a scion of the

dukes of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, Duchess of Cl ...

. She died aged 25, shortly after the birth of her third child. After her death, her husband remarried. His second wife, Lucy Eleanor Barnes (died 1943), was a first cousin of his first wife through her Buxton mother, in 1924. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1936 when a young cousin, the 9th Duke of Grafton, was killed in a motoring race. * Lady Althea Constance Dorothy Sydney Buxton (2 August 1910 – 25 July 2004), married Ven. Peter Charles Eliot, the

Archdeacon of Worcester An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of most ...

Two of their children predeceased them both. Denis, their only son and only heir to the titles, was killed in action in the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies of World War I, Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front (World Wa ...

while serving with the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

in the First World War. His twin sister, Lady Maria, died in 1923.

Honours

She was invested as a Dame Grand Cross,

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 ...

(GBE) in 1919, in recognition for her social work.

Death

She died at

on 7 December 1955, aged 89.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buxton, Mildred Buxton, Countess 1866 births 1955 deaths People from Surrey Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire British countesses English justices of the peace Mildred Wives of knights