Mary Curzon, 2nd Baroness Ravensdale
Encyclopedia
Mary Irene Curzon, 2nd Baroness Ravensdale, CBE
(20 January 1896 – 9 February 1966) was the eldest child of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
and Mary Victoria Leiter
, a daughter of Levi Ziegler Leiter. She inherited her father's Barony of Ravensdale
, of Ravensdale, County Derby, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
, on 20 March 1925, and was created a life peer
as Baroness Ravensdale of Kedleston, of Kedleston
, in the County
of Derbyshire
on 6 October 1958. This allowed her to sit in the House of Lords
prior to the passing of the Peerage Act 1963
, which allowed suo jure
hereditary peeresses to enter. She and her 2 younger sisters were memorialized by Anne de Courcy in 'The Viceroy's Daughters: the Lives of the Curzon Sisters.'
, his friendship and marriage to Wallis Simpson and the life of the House of Windsor
, herself and through her sister Alexandra
and her brother-in-law Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe
, best friend of Edward VIII. She saw the rise of British fascism
through her sister Lady Cynthia 'Cimmie' Mosley
and her other brother-in-law Sir Oswald Mosley
, with whom she had an affair prior to their marriage.
, bridge, parties, drinking and sex. She had numerous adulterous
love affairs within the elite Melton Mowbray hunting clique and had a long affair with the renowned pianist Arthur Rubinstein
, with whom she said she slept with on his wedding day.
Both Victor Cazalet
and Nevile Henderson
proposed to her. She was engaged to Miles Graham and Gorden Leith but never married and had no children. She worried that she and her money might be seen primarily as useful accompaniments to a political career and yearned to marry a man that would refuse to leave his wife. For consolation she turned to drink, charitable work and looking after her sisters' children.
she was based at the Dorchester Hotel
, nicknamed 'the Dorch', her days spent nursing wounded soldiers, working in canteens, lecturing and doing other war work. Curzon was made the fourth female life peer for her work with youth clubs. Her (also adulterous) youngest sister, Alexandra Naldera 'Baba' Curzon
, was also recognized a Commander
of the Order of the British Empire
for her tireless efforts on behalf of Save the Children Fund.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(20 January 1896 – 9 February 1966) was the eldest child of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as The Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and as The Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman who was Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary...
and Mary Victoria Leiter
Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston
Mary Victoria Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, CI was a British-American peeress who was Vicereine of India, as the wife of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Viceroy of India.-In America:...
, a daughter of Levi Ziegler Leiter. She inherited her father's Barony of Ravensdale
Baron Ravensdale
Baron Ravensdale, of Ravensdale in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 2 November 1911 for the Conservative politician George Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon, with remainder, in default of issue male, to his eldest daughter and the heirs male of her...
, of Ravensdale, County Derby, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
, on 20 March 1925, and was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baroness Ravensdale of Kedleston, of Kedleston
Kedleston
Kedleston is a village and civil parish in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire. It lies to the north-west of Derby, and nearby places include Quarndon, Weston Underwood, Mugginton, and Kirk Langley.-History:...
, in the County
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
on 6 October 1958. This allowed her to sit in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
prior to the passing of the Peerage Act 1963
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
, which allowed suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
hereditary peeresses to enter. She and her 2 younger sisters were memorialized by Anne de Courcy in 'The Viceroy's Daughters: the Lives of the Curzon Sisters.'
Royal links
Curzon had an intimate insight into the life of the Duke of WindsorEdward 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...
, his friendship and marriage to Wallis Simpson and the life of the House of Windsor
House of Windsor
The House of Windsor is the royal house of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V by royal proclamation on the 17 July 1917, when he changed the name of his family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment in the United Kingdom...
, herself and through her sister Alexandra
Lady Alexandra Curzon
Lady Alexandra Naldera Curzon, CBE , was the third daughter of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and Viceroy of India, and Lord Curzon's first wife, the American mercantile heiress, formerly Mary Victoria Leiter, Mary Victoria Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston...
and her brother-in-law Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe
Edward Dudley Metcalfe
Edward Dudley Metcalfe, MVO, MC, , known as Fruity Metcalfe, was an officer in the British Indian Army and a close friend and equerry of Edward VIII.-Career:...
, best friend of Edward VIII. She saw the rise of British fascism
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
through her sister Lady Cynthia 'Cimmie' Mosley
Lady Cynthia Mosley
Lady Cynthia Blanche Mosley was a British politician of Anglo-American parentage and the first wife of the Conservative and Labour MP and British fascist Sir Oswald Mosley...
and her other brother-in-law Sir Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
, with whom she had an affair prior to their marriage.
Personal life
She was intensely musical and passionate about fox huntingFox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, bridge, parties, drinking and sex. She had numerous adulterous
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
love affairs within the elite Melton Mowbray hunting clique and had a long affair with the renowned pianist Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
, with whom she said she slept with on his wedding day.
Both Victor Cazalet
Victor Cazalet
Colonel Victor Alexander Cazalet MC was a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament .Cazalet was commissioned into the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry in 1915 and reached the rank of Captain, winning the Military Cross in 1917...
and Nevile Henderson
Nevile Henderson
Sir Nevile Meyrick Henderson, KCMG , was the third child of Robert and Emma Henderson and was born at Sedgwick Park near Horsham, West Sussex. Ambassador of Great Britain to Germany from 1937 to 1939, he believed that Adolf Hitler could be controlled and pushed toward peace and cooperation with...
proposed to her. She was engaged to Miles Graham and Gorden Leith but never married and had no children. She worried that she and her money might be seen primarily as useful accompaniments to a political career and yearned to marry a man that would refuse to leave his wife. For consolation she turned to drink, charitable work and looking after her sisters' children.
Later life
During the World War IIEuropean Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
she was based at the Dorchester Hotel
Dorchester Hotel
The Dorchester is a luxury hotel in London, opened on 18 April 1931. It is situated on Park Lane in Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park.The Dorchester was created by the famous builder Sir Robert McAlpine and the managing director of Gordon Hotels Ltd, Sir Frances Towle, who shared a vision of creating...
, nicknamed 'the Dorch', her days spent nursing wounded soldiers, working in canteens, lecturing and doing other war work. Curzon was made the fourth female life peer for her work with youth clubs. Her (also adulterous) youngest sister, Alexandra Naldera 'Baba' Curzon
Lady Alexandra Curzon
Lady Alexandra Naldera Curzon, CBE , was the third daughter of George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and Viceroy of India, and Lord Curzon's first wife, the American mercantile heiress, formerly Mary Victoria Leiter, Mary Victoria Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston...
, was also recognized a Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for her tireless efforts on behalf of Save the Children Fund.