Jane Stuart-Wortley or Jane Thompson; Jane Lawley (5 December 1820 – 4 February 1900) was an English philanthropist. She was described as the best horsewoman as well as the most accomplished conversationalist of her day. Lord Cardigan, returned from the Crimea, said he never missed the morning parade at Rotten Row, his reason "Why to see that lady with the perfect figure, who manages her white Arab like a daughter of the desert."
Life
Stuart-Wortley was born in
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
in 1820 when her surname was Thompson. Her family adopted the surname Lawley when her father became
Lord Wenlock.
[Jane Stuart Wortley]
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Retrieved 31 January 2016
In 1846 she married
James Stuart-Wortley.
They had four sons and five daughters; two of their sons died in childhood:
Five daughters of Jane Stuart-Wortley
*
Mary Caroline Stuart-Wortley (10 May 1848 – 18 April 1941), married in London on 30 December 1880
Ralph King-Milbanke, 2nd Earl of Lovelace
*
Archibald John Stuart-Wortley (27 May 1849 – 11 October 1905), married in 1883 Eleanor Edith Bromley (d. 1939)
*
Charles Beilby Stuart-Wortley, 1st Baron Stuart of Wortley (15 September 1851 – 24 April 1926)
*Margaret Jane Stuart-Wortley (d. 6 October 1937), married on 8 May 1877 Sir
Reginald Talbot, son of
Henry Chetwynd-Talbot, 18th Earl of Shrewsbury
*Blanche Georgina Stuart-Wortley (d. 7 July 1931), married on 26 February 1895 Frederick Firebrace (d. 1917)
*
Caroline Susan Theodora Stuart-Wortley (d. 7 August 1940), married on 25 June 1881
Norman Grosvenor, son of
Baron Ebury
*Katharine Sarah Stuart-Wortley (d. 27 March 1943), married on 1 October 1883 Gen. Sir
Neville Lyttelton, son of
Baron Lyttelton
In 1846, her husband was sworn in as a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
. In 1852 she became a woman of influence when she inherited a considerable fortune from her father. Her husband held office as
Solicitor General for England and Wales
His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General for England and Wales ...
under
Lord Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865), known as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman and politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to 1865. A m ...
from 1856 until May 1857. He had to resign in 1858 due to spinal injuries sustained in a riding accident. He and Jane left London to live at Upper Sheen House near
Mortlake
Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...
where she cared for him. He became worse in 1869 and they moved back to London. In London Jane was able to delegate the care of James at least in part to their daughters.
[
Jane was now more available to find her own interests. She took a great interest in schemes in London that were aimed at improving the lot of the poor. She supported the ''East London Nursing Association''][ which since 1868 had supplied a network of ]District Nurse
District nurses work manage care within the community and lead teams of community nurses and support workers. In the United Kingdom, the role requires registered nurses to take a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) approved specialist practitione ...
s in east London. Each parish supplied funds and lodging for their nurse and matrons would ensure supervision.
Legacy
A memorial fund in her name was created in 1901 by her children that benefited a nursing charity.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart-Wortley, Jane
1820 births
1900 deaths
Daughters of barons
Jane
People from York
19th-century English women
19th-century English people
19th-century English philanthropists