Lady Anne Evelyn Beatrice Tree (; 6 November 1927 – 9 August 2010) was a British philanthropist, prison visitor, prisoner rights activist, and the founder of the charity

Fine Cell Work Fine Cell Work is a British charity that runs rehabilitation projects in prisons by training prisoners in paid, skilled needlework to be undertaken by them in their cells. It then sells the hand-stitched cushions, quilts and giftware in its onlin ...

, which gives prisoners the opportunity to do worthwhile work and acquire useful job skills for life after prison.

Early life

She was born Lady Anne Evelyn Beatrice Cavendish on 6 November 1927 at 2 Upper Belgrave Street, London, the fourth child of

Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, (6 May 1895 – 26 November 1950), known as the Marquess of Hartington from 1908 to 1938, was a British politician. He was the head of the Devonshire branch of the House of Caven ...

(1895–1950), and his wife, Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil (1895–1988), granddaughter of Prime Minister

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

Career

She first wanted to be a prison visitor at the age of 14, and took up this role from 1949 until 1974, although she struggled at first to gain access to women's prisons, so resorted to extensive letter writing and using her wide network of friends and relations. One of the prisoners she regularly visited was the murderer

Myra Hindley The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...

, whom she introduced to

Lord Longford Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, 1st Baron Pakenham, Baron Pakenham of Cowley, (5 December 1905 – 3 August 2001), known to his family as Frank Longford and styled Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician and ...

; he later argued for her release. Lady Anne became very aware of how boring and pointless life in prison could seem, and founded the charity

, which gives men and women in prison the opportunity to create intricately-detailed cushion covers, wall hangings and rugs. She was keen on embroidery and needlework herself, and was confident that men would enjoy it too. The designs are created by leading fashion designers, and the skilled work can be rewarding, and may lead to paid work on release.

Personal life

Mereworth Castle, Kent, a Fane & Colen Campbell collaboration, a postcard franked 1911

On 3 November 1949, she married the artist Michael Lambert Tree (1921–1999), son of the politician

Ronald Tree Arthur Ronald Lambert Field Tree (26 September 1897 – 14 July 1976) was a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and investor who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Harborough constituency in Leicestershire from 1933 t ...

, and his wife

Nancy Lancaster Nancy Lancaster (10 September 1897 – 19 August 1994) was a 20th-century tastemaker and the owner of Colefax & Fowler, an influential British decorating firm that codified what is known as the English country house look. Biography She was ...

, a partner in the furnishings company

Colefax and Fowler Colefax Group plc is a designer and distributor of furnishing fabrics and wallpaper, based in London in the United Kingdom. History The business was founded in the 1930s by Sibyl, Lady Colefax (1874–1950). In 1938 she was joined in the bu ...

. They had two adopted daughters, including the writer and activist for rewilding the English landscape, Isabella Tree. After the death of his uncle,

Peter Beatty Peter Randolph Louis Beatty (2 April 1910 – 26 October 1949) was an English racehorse owner and breeder, businessman and member of the aristocracy. Early life and personality Born on 2 April 1910, Beatty was the younger son of David Beat ...

, on 26 October 1949, Tree inherited Mereworth Castle, Kent, where they lived subsequently. In 1968 the Trees bought Shute House, near

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

, where they commissioned

Geoffrey Jellicoe Sir Geoffrey Allan Jellicoe (8 October 1900 – 17 July 1996) was an English architect, town planner, landscape architect, garden designer, landscape and garden historian, lecturer and author. His strongest interest was in landscape and garden ...

to design a notable garden.

Later life

On 9 August 2010, she died of lung cancer at her home, Lower Lane House in

Compton Abbas Compton Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies south of the town of Shaftesbury. It is sited on greensand strata on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, below the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase. On top of these hill ...

, Dorset.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tree, Lady Anne 1927 births 2010 deaths Daughters of English dukes 20th-century British philanthropists