Roberte Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough, (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Poupart de Neuflize; 15 September 1892 – 22 November 1979), was a French noblewoman who married into the English aristocracy and served as

Viceregal Consort of Canada The viceregal consort of Canada is the spouse of the serving governor general of Canada, assisting the viceroy with ceremonial and charitable work, accompanying him or her to official state occasions, and occasionally undertaking philanthropic wo ...

in the 1930s.

Early life

She was the only daughter of Baron Jean Poupart de Neuflize and Madeleine Dolfuss-Davilliers and grew up in the family home, 7 Rue Alfred-de-Vigny, a

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

in the

8th arrondissement of Paris The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' (). The ar ...

. She had two older brothers, André Poupart de Neuflize (who married the American heiress

Eva Barbey Mary Lorillard Barbey (April 17, 1841 – April 10, 1926) was a prominent American member of New York Society during the Gilded Age. She was a daughter of Pierre Lorillard III of the Lorillard Tobacco Company. Early life Mary Lorillard was b ...

), and Jacques Poupart de Neuflize, a banker who succeeded their father in running the family bank. Her mother was a granddaughter of French industrialist

Jean Dollfus Jean Dollfus (September 25, 1800 – 21 May 1887) was a French industrialist who grew a textile company, Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie (D.M.C.), in Mulhouse. Dollfus was a leading figure in a philanthropic society which constructed a company town tha ...

Personal life

On 25 June 1912, she married Vere Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon (1880–1956), son of

Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough file:Chapel, Stansted Park- memorial (4) (geograph 1913346).jpg, Memorial in the chapel at Stansted Park Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, (1 March 1851 – 1 December 1920), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1895 until 1906, was a U ...

, and Blanche Vere Guest; she held the courtesy title of Viscountess Duncannon. Her husband inherited the title of

Earl of Bessborough Earl of Bessborough is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1739 for Brabazon Ponsonby, 2nd Viscount Duncannon, who had previously represented Newtownards and County Kildare in the Irish House of Commons. In 1749, he was given t ...

upon the death of his father on 1 December 1920, whereupon Roberte became the Countess of Bessborough. Together, they had three sons (two of whom predeceased their parents) and a daughter: * Frederick Edward Neuflize Ponsonby, 10th Earl of Bessborough (1913–1993), who married Mary Munn, a daughter of Charles A. Munn Jr. and Mary Astor Paul, in 1948. *Hon. Desmond Neuflize Ponsonby (1915–1925), who died after a riding accident. * Lady Moyra Blanche Madeleine Ponsonby (1918–2016), who married, as his second wife,

Sir Denis John Wolko Browne Sir Denis John Wolko Browne (2 April 1892 – 9 January 1967) was the first British surgeon to devote his practice entirely to the care of children. A native of Australia, he served in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps in World War I befor ...

, a son of

Sylvester J. Browne Sylvester John Browne (1841 – 4 August 1915), occasionally referred to as Sylvester John Browne Jnr, was an Australian mining magnate, adventurer and sportsman, whose activities spanned practically the whole of Australia. He was a brother of the ...

, in 1945. Sir Denis' first wife,

Helen de Guerry Simpson Helen de Guerry Simpson (1 December 1897 – 14 October 1940) was an Australian novelist and British Liberal Party politician. Youth and education Simpson was born in Sydney into a family that had been settled in New South Wales for over 100 ...

, died from cancer in 1940. *Lt. Hon. George St Lawrence Neuflize Ponsonby (1931–1951), who died unmarried. In 1924, they purchased a

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

in England, known as Stansted House in

Stoughton, West Sussex Stoughton is a village and civil parish in the Chichester (district), District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located north west of Chichester east of the B2146 road, on a lane leading to East Marden. The parish has a land area of . In t ...

. On 2 June 1937, her husband was created Earl of Bessborough in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

(the earlier earldom was created in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

). Lord Bessborough died at Stansted House on 10 March 1956, and Lady Bessborough died in 1978.

Honours

She was invested as a Dame Grand Cross, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (GC.St.J). She was decorated with the Chevalier,

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. She held the office of Justice of the Peace for

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

between 1943 and 1956.Charles Mosley, editor, ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition'', 3 volumes (

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd., 2003), volume 1, page 363.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bessborough, Roberte Ponsonby, Countess of 1892 births 1979 deaths Roberte Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough British countesses Irish countesses Canadian viceregal consorts Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St John Daughters of barons People from Stoughton, West Sussex Knights of the Legion of Honour English justices of the peace French emigrants to the United Kingdom