Susan Charlotte Buchan, Baroness Tweedsmuir

DStJ The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

(''née'' Grosvenor; 20 April 1882 – 22 March 1977) was a British writer and the wife of author

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. As a ...

. Between 1935 and 1940 she was

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 ...

while her husband was the

governor general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

. She was also the author of several novels, children's books, and biographies, some of which were published under the name Susan Tweedsmuir.

Life

Susan was born 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 ...

, London. She was a daughter of Norman de L'Aigle Grosvenor (son of the first Lord Ebury) and his wife Caroline Susan Theodora Stuart-Wortley (a granddaughter of the first Lord Wharncliffe), and a cousin of the

Dukes of Westminster Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

. She married John Buchan on 15 July 1907, and became the Baroness Tweedsmuir (known as Lady Tweedsmuir) when he was created

Baron Tweedsmuir Baron Tweedsmuir, of Elsfield in the County of Oxford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1935 for the author and Unionist Party (Scotland), Unionist politician John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, John Buchan. He se ...

in 1935. The Buchans had four children, Alice,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

, and Alastair, two of whom spent most of their lives in Canada. She was a childhood friend of Virginia Stephen (later

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

), and they remained friendly, although not always close, in adult life. The

Hogarth Press The Hogarth Press is a book publishing Imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Random House that was founded as an independent company in 1917 by British authors Leonard Woolf and Virginia Woolf. It was named after their house in London Boro ...

, run by Leonard and Virginia Woolf, published a work of Lady Tweedsmuir's in 1935 and she was the recipient of one of the last letters Virginia Woolf wrote. Her time as Vicereine of Canada is remembered for her energetic relief work. Her library project of gathering books in Eastern Canada for impoverished western communities and sending train carloads of them west was the foundation for many public libraries across the prairies. Her interest in literary education influenced the establishment of the

Governor General's Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

, for many years Canada's primary literary awards, and the library at

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence of the governor general of Canada, the representative of the monarch of Canada. Located in Ottawa, the Capital city, capital of the country, on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, th ...

. Following her husband's death she returned to Britain, where she wrote several more novels, a series of memoirs, and a biography of her husband. She died at Burford, near Oxford, on 22 March 1977 aged 94 and was buried beside her husband in the churchyard at

Elsfield Elsfield is an English village and civil parish about northeast of the centre of Oxford. The village is above sea level on the western brow of a hill with relatively steep sides above the River Cherwell. For relative reference purposes, the O ...

Bibliography

* ''The Sword of State: Wellington after Waterloo'' (1928) * ''Jim and the Dragon'' (1929) * ''Lady Louisa Stuart: Her Memories and Portraits'' (1932) * ''The Vision at the Inn: A Play in One Act'' (1933) * ''Funeral March of a Marionette: Charlotte of Albany'' (1935) * ''The Scent of Water'' (1937) * ''Mice on Horseback'' (1940) * ''Canada'' in ''The British Commonwealth in Pictures'' series (1941) * ''The Cat's Grandmother'' (1942) * ''The Silver Ball'' (1944) * ''John Buchan by His Wife and Friends'' (1947) * ''The Rainbow through the Rain'' (1950) * ''The Lilac and the Rose'' (1952) * ''The Freedom of the Garden'' (1952) * ''A Winter Bouquet'' (1954) * ''Cousin Harriet'' (1957) * ''Dashbury Park'' (1959) * ''A Stone in the Pool'' (1961) * ''The Edwardian Lady'' (1966)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tweedsmuir, Susan Buchan, Baroness 1882 births 1977 deaths British baronesses

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...

Canadian viceregal consorts British biographers 20th-century British novelists British women novelists 20th-century British women writers Date of birth unknown British women biographers Wives of knights