Frances Jane Horner, Lady Horner (''née'' Graham; 28 March 1854''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 1 March 1940) was a British hostess, member of

the Souls The Souls was a small loosely-knit but distinctive elite social and intellectual group in the United Kingdom from 1885 to the turn of the century. Many of the most distinguished British politicians and intellectuals of the time were members. Th ...

social group, and a patron of the arts. She was depicted several times by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

, and commissioned works by

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...

, and William Nicholson. She was the impetus for Norah Lindsay beginning a paid career as a garden designer as her garden at Mells Manor was designed by Lindsay.

Early life

She was the sixth child and fourth daughter of William Graham (1817–1885) and Jane Catherine (''née'' Lowndes; 1819/20–1899). Her father became the head of the family business which imported dry goods from India and

Graham's W. & J. Graham's, or simply Graham's, is a producer of port wine. It is one of the most important of the port names and it is necessary for Graham's to declare a vintage for the year to be considered vintage by the port industry. Founded in 1820 a ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

from Portugal. He served as the Liberal MP for

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

from 1865 to 1874. Both of her older brothers died young in 1872: Rutherford of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

aged 23 and William of an accidental morphine overdose aged 17. Her younger sister Agnes married Herbert Jekyll, a younger brother of the garden designer

Gertrude Jekyll Gertrude Jekyll ( ; 29 November 1843 – 8 December 1932) was a British Horticulture, horticulturist, garden designer, craftswoman, photographer, writer and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United Sta ...

. She was educated at home by governesses, at

Langley Hall Langley Hall is a red-brick building in the Palladian style, formerly a country house but now a private school, located near Loddon, Norfolk, England. It is a grade I listed building. The house was built in the Palladian style of nearby Holkha ...

near Manchester and later at 54

Lowndes Square Lowndes Square is a residential garden square at the north-west end of Belgravia, London, SW1. It is formed of archetypal grand terraces of light stucco houses, cream or white. The length of the central rectangular garden is parallel with Sloane ...

in London. Her father's background in "trade" limited her opportunities in London society, but according to the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', she was one of the first young unmarried women in London to entertain her own guests. Through her father's patronage of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossett ...

, she became known to the artists

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

and

. Although married, Burne-Jones became besotted with Frances, and painted her likeness in several works. In 1869, when Frances was 15, he drew her as "The Lady of the Window" in the

Vita Nuova ''La Vita Nuova'' (; modern Italian language, Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin and medieval Italian title ) is a text by Dante Alighieri published in 1294. It is an expression of the Medieval literature, medieval genre of cour ...

. She was included in ''

The Golden Stairs __NOTOC__ ''The Golden Stairs'' is one of the best-known paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones. It was begun in 1876 and was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1880.Wildman and Christian (1998), pp. 246–249Wood (1997), ...

'' in 1880, carrying cymbals at the bottom of the stairs. She has been described as one of the most important women in his life, after his wife, his daughter and his mistress

Maria Zambaco Maria Zambaco (29 April 1843, London – 14 July 1914, Paris), born Marie Terpsithea Cassavetti (, sometimes spelled Maria Tepsithia Kassavetti or referred to as Mary), was a British artist's model of Greek descent, favoured by the Pre-Raphaelite ...

Family

In 1883, she married the barrister John Francis Fortescue Horner (1842–1927). His family owned

Mells Manor Mells Manor at Mells, Somerset, England, was built in the 16th century for Edward Horner, altered in the 17th century, partially demolished around 1780, and restored by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 20th century. The house, along with the garden walls ...

and Mells Park near

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome, south of Bath. The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021. Frome was one of the largest tow ...

in Somerset. Her husband served as a Justice of the Peace, a Deputy Lieutenant, and became the latest in a long line of Horners to serve as

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government ...

in 1885. With

Stafford Howard Sir Edward Stafford Howard (28 November 1851 – 8 April 1916) was a British Liberal politician and magistrate. Background and education A member of the influential Howard family headed by the Duke of Norfolk, Howard was the second son of Hen ...

, he was a

Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues The Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues were officials under the United Kingdom Crown, charged with the management of Crown lands. Their office were customarily known as the Office of Woods. Under the Crown Lands Act 1851 ( 14 & 15 ...

from 1895 to 1907, charged with the management of

Crown lands Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

. She became Lady Horner when her husband became a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(KCVO) in 1907. They had four children: * Cicely Margaret Horner (1883–1972); in 1908, she married

George Lambton George Lambton (23 November 1860 – 23 July 1945) was a British thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse horse trainer, trainer. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer in the 1906, 1911 and 1912 seasons. Early life The Honourable George Lamb ...

, fifth son of

George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham (5 September 1828 – 27 November 1879), styled Viscount Lambton from 1833 to 1840, was a British peer. Early life Lambton was born on 5 September 1828 at Copse Hill, Wimbledon and was baptise ...

; their children included

Ann Lambton Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, (8 February 1912 – 19 July 2008), usually known as A.K.S. Lambton or "Nancy" Lambton, was a British historian, expert on medieval and early modern Persian history, Persian language, Islamic political theory, ...

* Katharine Frances Horner (9 September 1885 – 9 July 1976); in 1907, she married the barrister

Raymond Asquith Raymond Herbert Asquith (6 November 1878 – 15 September 1916) was an English barrister and eldest son of British prime minister H. H. Asquith. A distinguished Oxford scholar, he was a member of the fashionable group of intellectuals known as ...

(1878–1916), the son of the politician

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

who became British Prime Minister in 1908; Raymond Asquith was killed in the

Battle of Flers–Courcelette The Battle of Flers–Courcelette (, 15 to 22 September 1916) was fought during the Battle of the Somme in France, by the French Sixth Army and the British Fourth Army and Reserve Army, against the German 1st Army, during the First World War ...

in the First World War; their son Julian succeeded his grandfather as 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith * Edward William Horner (3 May 1888 – 21 November 1917); he was killed at Noyelles during the Battle of Cambrai in the First World War; he was a member of

The Coterie The Coterie was a fashionable and famous set of English aristocrats and intellectuals of the 1910s, widely quoted and profiled in magazines and newspapers of the period. They also called themselves the "Corrupt Coterie". Members Its members i ...

with his brother-in-law Raymond Asquith. "Dulce et Decorum"
, ''Apollo Magazine'', 7 August 2007, gives Edward's death as "killed at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917". He was buried in France, but his memorial at Mells was designed by his mother's friend

. * Mark George Horner (1891–1908); died of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a Group A streptococcus (GAS). It most commonly affects children between five and 15 years of age. The signs and symptoms include a sore ...

aged 16. In 1900 Frances Horner, her husband and young family left Mells Park for the nearby and more manageable Manor House. The house at Mells Park was destroyed by a catastrophic fire in October 1917. Lutyens designed the replacement for the banker and politician

Reginald McKenna Reginald McKenna (6 July 1863 – 6 September 1943) was a British banker and Liberal politician. His first Cabinet post under Henry Campbell-Bannerman was as President of the Board of Education, after which he served as First Lord of the Admira ...

and his wife Pamela (''née'' Jekyll). Pamela was her niece, the daughter of Herbert Jekyll and her sister Agnes.

Patronage

Horner became a hostess at Mells, entertaining their circle of artists and intellectuals,

, which included

and R. B. Haldane. Lady Paget called her the "High Priestess" of the Souls. She continued her father's role as friend and patron of Burne-Jones. She undertook elaborate embroidery work: an example designed by Burne-Jones, ("The love that moves the sun and other stars", a quotation from

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...

, Paradiso, Canto XXXIII, line 145) hangs in

St Andrew's Church, Mells St Andrew's Church is a Church of England parish church located in the village of Mells in the English county of Somerset. The church is a grade I listed building. History The current church predominantly dates from the late 15th century ...

. The church also houses a stained glass window by William Nicholson, commissioned as a memorial to her husband Sir John Horner, and the large

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

that she commissioned as a memorial to her elder son, Edward Horner, which includes a bronze statue by

Alfred Munnings Sir Alfred James Munnings, (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959) is known as having been one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken critic of Modernism. Engaged by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund after the Gre ...

installed in 1923 on a plinth by Lutyens, with lettering by

. The village of Mells contains other works commissioned by Horner from leading artists, including two shelters designed by Lutyens in memory of her son Mark Horner, both with lettering by Gill. The

Mells War Memorial Mells War Memorial is a First World War memorial by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the village of Mells, Somerset, Mells in the Mendip Hills of Somerset, south-western England. Unveiled in 1921, the memorial is one of multiple buildings and structures Lut ...

is also by

was unveiled in 1921.

Later life

She served as a Justice of the Peace, and she was appointed as an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1919. She continued to live in Mells after her husband's death in 1927, living with her widowed daughter Katharine Asquith. She published memoirs, ''Time Remembered'', in 1933. In 1939, she was living at Mells with her widowed daughter

Katharine Asquith Katharine Frances Asquith (; 9 September 18859 July 1976) was an English landowner and patron of the arts. During the First World War, she served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. She was the wife of Raymond Asquith and the daughter-in-law o ...

and grandchildren,

Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Julian Edward George Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (22 April 1916 – 16 January 2011) was a British colonial administrator and hereditary peer. Background and education Asquith was the only son of Katharine Asquith, Katharine (né ...

and Lady Helen Asquith, as well as the writer

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

and his wife, Laura. The house is now the home of Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith.

References

Sources

* Andrew Gailey, ''Portrait of a Muse: Frances Graham, Edward Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelite Dream'' (Wilmington Square Books, 2020) *K. D. Reynolds, �
Horner, Frances Jane, Lady Horner (1854/5–1940)
��, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
Frances Jane Horner (''née'' Graham), Lady Horner
National Portrait Gallery
‘A love that lasted all his life’: Burne-Jones, Frances Graham and Pre-Raphaelite heartache
Christie's, 11 July 2016

Frances Jane Horner (née Graham), Lady Horner
''Visit to Mells and Kilmersdon, Somerset''
The Lutyens Trust
''The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal: The Mortimer-Percy Volume''
by The Marquis of Ruvigny and Ranieval {{DEFAULTSORT:Horner, Frances British patrons of the arts 1854 births 1940 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire English justices of the peace Wives of knights