Lady Constance Harriet Stuart Milnes Gaskell, DCVO

DStJ The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

(née Knox; 21 April 1885 – 29 April 1964) was a

Woman of the Bedchamber In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman (usually a daughter of a peer) attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting. Historically the term 'Gen ...

to Queen Mary from 1937 to 1953 and

Lady-in-Waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, ; 27 August 1968) was a Greek and Danish princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Gran ...

from 1953 to 1960.

Early life

Lady Constance was the second, but eldest surviving, daughter of Constance Caulfeild and

Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly Uchter John Mark Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly (14 August 1856 – 1 October 1933), was a British politician and colonial governor. He was Governor of New Zealand from 1897 to 1904. Early life Lord Ranfurly was born into an Ulster-Scots people, Ul ...

, who was later

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

from 1897 to 1904.

Courtier

Lady Gaskell was a

to Queen Mary from 1937 to 1953 and

from 1953 to 1960. She was appointed Dame of Justice,

Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem Most or Möst may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** Autodrom Most, moto ...

.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3273.

Personal life

On 7 November 1905, she married Maj. Evelyn Milnes Gaskell (d. 1931), a son of Rt. Hon. Charles Milnes Gaskell, MP for Morley, and the former Lady Catherine Henrietta Wallop (a daughter of the 5th Earl of Portsmouth), an author. Together, they were the parents of: * Charles Thomas Milnes Gaskell (d. 1943), a Lt. in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

, he married Lady Ethel Patricia Hare, daughter of

Richard Hare, 4th Earl of Listowel Richard Granville Hare, 4th Earl of Listowel (12 September 1866 – 16 November 1931), styled Viscount Ennismore from 1866 to 1924, was an Irish peer and British Army officer. Background Lord Ennismore was the eldest son of William Hare, ...

and Hon. Freda Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone (a daughter of the 2nd Baron Derwent, in 1936. * Mary Juliana Milnes Gaskell (1906–1999), who married Lewis Motley, in 1934. Her son died in a flying accident on 5 November 1943. Lady Constance Milnes Gaskell died in 1964, eight days after her 79th birthday.

Legacy

Two portraits of Lady Constance are part of the collection of the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

.''National Portrait Gallery'', "Lady Constance Gaskell", retrieved 3 December 2020
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References

External links

Gaskell, Constance Harriet Stuart (Lady), 1885-1964
at the National Library, Wellington {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaskell, Constance 1885 births 1964 deaths Dames Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Dames of Justice of the Order of St John Daughters of Irish earls Place of birth missing Place of death missing Knox family (Ulster-Scots aristocracy)