Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian (born Antonella Reuss Newland; 8 September 1922 – 6 January 2007), also known as Tony Lothian, was an Italian-born British aristocrat, journalist and writer. Lady Lothian was the founding president of the annual Women of the Year Lunches at the Savoy Hotel in 1955, and the mother of

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

parliamentarian and Shadow Cabinet minister Michael Ancram, Marquess of Lothian.

Life

Antonella Reuss Newland was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the only child of Major-General Sir Foster Reuss Newland KCMG CB (1862–1943) and his wife, Donna Nennella Salazar y Munatones. Her parents married in 1918, but divorced in 1928 after her mother, the daughter of an Italian army

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

, Conte Michele Salazar (descendant of a Spanish nobleman from the times of the Spanish presence in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

), left her 66-year-old father for a 27-year-old

army officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an Military, armed force or Uniformed services, uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warra ...

, later

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

William Carr CVO DSO. Newland married a distant relative, Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian, at the Brompton Oratory on 30 April 1943; he was then serving as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

. The couple spent most of their married life at Monteviot House and its surrounding estate near

Jedburgh Jedburgh ( ; ; or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire. History Jedburgh began as ''Jedworð'', the "worth" or enclosed settlem ...

in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

. The Kerrs also owned

Melbourne Hall Melbourne Hall is a Georgian style country house in Melbourne, Derbyshire, previously owned by the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, British Prime Minister from 1835 to 1841. The house is now owned by the 14th Marquess of Lothian and is open to the pu ...

in Derbyshire but they later retired to

Ferniehirst Castle Ferniehirst Castle (sometimes spelled Ferniehurst) is an L-plan castle, L-shaped construction on the east bank of the Jed Water, about a mile and a half south of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and in the former county of Ro ...

in Roxburghshire after dividing the other estates between their sons. The couple had two sons and four daughters. Her husband died on 11 October 2004, being succeeded by their elder son,

politician Michael, Earl of Ancram. The younger son is

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

Ralph Kerr. Their eldest daughter, Lady Mary Kerr, was a folksinger and won a silver medal in

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

at the 1969 British Commonwealth Games, and later married Charles von Westenholz. Their second daughter, Lady Cecil Kerr, married Donald Cameron of Lochiel, the XXVII and present Chief of

Clan Cameron Clan Cameron is a West Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber, and within their lands lies Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isl ...

. The other daughters married the

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

s of the

Duke 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, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke o ...

and the

Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry Duke of Buccleuch ( ), formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created twice on 20 April 1663, first for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, and second ''suo jure'' for his wife Anne Scott, 4th Countess of ...

: Clare Kerr married James FitzRoy, Earl of Euston, and Lady Elizabeth Kerr married Richard Scott, Earl of Dalkeith, the 10th and present Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. Lady Lothian pursued her own independent career as an author, broadcaster and journalist. She was a columnist with the '' Scottish Daily Express'' from 1960 to 1975. She was elected a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the Institute of Journalists and won the Templeton Award in 1992. With Odette Hallowes and Lady Georgina Coleridge she founded the annual Women of the Year Lunches at the Savoy Hotel in 1955, in aid of the Greater London Fund for the Blind and other charities. She was vice-president of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Eliz ...

from 1960 to 1980 as well as being a patron of the National Council of Women of Great Britain and the

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...

. Lady Lothian lost an eye in 1970 as a result of cancer, afterwards using a black eye patch. She was appointed an OBE in 1997 "for services to women and blind people" and a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great in 2002. Lady Lothian interviewed the Soviet cosmonaut

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born 6 March 1937) is a Russian engineer, member of the State Duma, and former Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first Women in space, woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. S ...

for her book 'Valentina: First Woman in Space''.

Bibliography

*''Fight for the Light: What Should Christians Do So that New Shapes in Suffering Can be Overcome?'' (Church of Scotland, 1973) *''Valentina: First Woman in Space : Conversations with A. Lothian'' (Pentland Press, 1993) ISBN 9781858210643

Honours

* - OBE * - DSG

References

External links

*
Obituary
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 8 January 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lothian, Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of 1922 births 2007 deaths British philanthropists Scottish Roman Catholics British writers with disabilities British royalty and nobility with disabilities 21st-century British women writers Dames of St. Gregory the Great Officers of the Order of the British Empire British people of Italian descent

Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...

20th-century Scottish women writers 21st-century Scottish women writers National Council of Women of Great Britain members 20th-century British journalists 20th-century Scottish journalists Scottish people of Italian descent Scottish people of Spanish descent Antonella Wives of knights

Life

Bibliography

Honours

See also

References

External links