Freda Dudley Ward
Encyclopedia
Winifred May, Marquesa de Casa Maury (28 July 1894 – 16 March 1983), universally known by her first married name as Freda Dudley Ward, was an English
socialite
best known for being a mistress of the Prince of Wales
, who later became King Edward VIII
.
Charles Wilfred Birkin (fourth son of a British textile magnate or lace king of Nottinghamshire, Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, 1st Bt.
) and his American wife, the former Claire Lloyd Howe. She was the mistress of the Prince of Wales from 1918 to 1923, after which she remained his close confidante until 1934 and the beginning of his relationship with Wallis Simpson
.
The actress Jane Birkin
is a distant relative; the elder daughter of a much younger first cousin.
Freda Birkin was twice married, firstly 9 July 1913 (divorced 1931) to The Right Honourable
William Dudley Ward
, Liberal
MP for Southampton
. They had two daughters. Though her first husband's family surname was Ward, the combination "Dudley Ward" eventually became their official surname, through common usage.
Her second husband was Pedro Jose Isidro Manuel Ricardo Mones, Marques de Casa Maury. They married 20 October 1937, and divorced 1954. From 1938, the Marques and Marquesa de Casa Maury took up residence in Maida Vale
, north-west London
, at 58 Hamilton Terrace, a house commissioned from the architects Burnet
, Tait
& Lorne.
Issue (by first husband):
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
best known for being a mistress of the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, who later became King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
.
Life
Born Winifred May Birkin, she was the second child and eldest of three daughters of ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Charles Wilfred Birkin (fourth son of a British textile magnate or lace king of Nottinghamshire, Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, 1st Bt.
Birkin Baronets
The Birkin Baronetcy, of Ruddington Grange in the County of Nottingham, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 25 July 1905 for the businessman Thomas Isaac Birkin. He was a Lace Manufacturer, Director of the Great Northern Railway and the Mercantile Steamship...
) and his American wife, the former Claire Lloyd Howe. She was the mistress of the Prince of Wales from 1918 to 1923, after which she remained his close confidante until 1934 and the beginning of his relationship with Wallis Simpson
Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, previously Wallis Simpson, was an American socialite whose third husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and the Dominions, abdicated his throne to marry her.Wallis's father died shortly after her birth, and she and her...
.
The actress Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
is a distant relative; the elder daughter of a much younger first cousin.
Freda Birkin was twice married, firstly 9 July 1913 (divorced 1931) to The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
William Dudley Ward
William Dudley Ward
William Dudley Ward PC , was a British sportsman and Liberal politician.-Early life:Dudley Ward was born in London, the son of William Humble Dudley Ward and the great-grandson of William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward His mother was the Honourable Eugenie Violet Adele Brett,...
, Liberal
Liberalism in the United Kingdom
This article gives an overview of liberalism in the United Kingdom. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
MP for Southampton
Southampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. Centred on the town of Southampton, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1295 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election....
. They had two daughters. Though her first husband's family surname was Ward, the combination "Dudley Ward" eventually became their official surname, through common usage.
Her second husband was Pedro Jose Isidro Manuel Ricardo Mones, Marques de Casa Maury. They married 20 October 1937, and divorced 1954. From 1938, the Marques and Marquesa de Casa Maury took up residence in Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, north-west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, at 58 Hamilton Terrace, a house commissioned from the architects Burnet
John James Burnet
Sir John James Burnet was a Scottish Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow, Scotland and London, England...
, Tait
Thomas S. Tait
Thomas Smith Tait was a prominent Scottish Modernist architect. He designed a number of buildings around the world in Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles, notably St...
& Lorne.
Issue (by first husband):
- Penelope Ann Rachel Dudley WardPenelope Dudley WardPenelope Ann Rachel, Lady Reed , known as Penelope Dudley-Ward, was an English actress.Born Penelope Anne Rachel Dudley Ward in London, she was the elder daughter of The Right Honourable William Dudley Ward and the leading socialite Freda Dudley Ward, most well-known for being the long-time...
(1914 – 1982), the actress Penelope Dudley Ward, later Lady Reed, known as Pempie, who married 1stly 1939 (divorced 1944) Anthony PelissierAnthony PelissierHarry Anthony Compton Pelissier was an English actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Biography:Pelissier was born in Barnet and came from a theatrical family. His parents were the theatre producer H. G. Pelissier and the distinguished actress Fay Compton...
, by whom she had a daughter, and secondly in 1948 film director Sir Carol ReedCarol ReedSir Carol Reed was an English film director best known for Odd Man Out , The Fallen Idol , The Third Man and Oliver!...
, by whom she had a son.- Tracy Reed (b. 1942 as Clare Pelissier), actress; first wife of actor Edward FoxEdward Fox (actor)Edward Charles Morice Fox, OBE is an English stage, film and television actor.He is generally associated with portraying the role of the upper-class Englishman, such as the title character in the film The Day of the Jackal and King Edward VIII in the serial Edward & Mrs...
; they had one daughter.
- Tracy Reed (b. 1942 as Clare Pelissier), actress; first wife of actor Edward Fox
- Claire Angela Louise Dudley Ward (1916 – 1999) later Lady Laycock, or Angie, who married in 1935 the commando leader Major-General Sir Robert LaycockRobert LaycockMajor General Sir Robert Edward Laycock KCMG, CB, DSO, KStJ was a British soldier, most famous for his service with the commandos during the Second World War...
, by whom she had two sons and three daughters. Of her five children, her son- Joseph William Peter Laycock (Joe Laycock) (1938 – 1980) was married to the actress Lucy FlemingLucy FlemingLucy Fleming is a British actress.She is the daughter of the actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming, as well as the niece of James Bond author Ian Fleming...
, née Eve Lucinda Fleming, niece of the writer Ian FlemingIan FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, the creator of James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
; they have issue.
- Joseph William Peter Laycock (Joe Laycock) (1938 – 1980) was married to the actress Lucy Fleming
Sources
- Burke's Peerage and Baronetage 107th Edition Volume III Burke's Peerage - Preview Family Record at www.burkes-peerage.net]
- King of Fools by John Parker http://books.google.com/books?id=cbbNGwAACAAJ&dq=king+of+fools&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=0_1
- The Peerage database