Lady Isabel Violet Kathleen Manners (1918 – 2008) was a British socialite who was prominent in Palm Beach and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She was the daughter of John Manners, the 9th Duke of Rutland and was married, firstly, to British MP Loel Guinness and, secondly, to Sir Robert Throckmorton, 11th Baronet.

Early life and family

Lady Isabel Manners was born in 1918, the second of five children of

John Manners, Marquess of Granby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a British Army officer and politician. The eldest son of John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, as he did not outlive ...

and Kathleen Tennant. Her father was the son and heir of

Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland Henry John Brinsley Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland, (16 April 1852 – 8 May 1925), styled Marquess of Granby between 1888 and 1906, was a British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Early life and education Rutland was b ...

and her mother was a descendant of

Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Clow Tennant, 1st Baronet, (4 November 1823 – 4 June 1906) was a Scottish businessman, industrialist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Early life Tennant was the son of John Tennant (1796–1878) and Robina (née Arrol ...

and a niece of British Prime Minister

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 ...

. Lady Isabel was the niece of

Lady Diana Cooper Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English silent film actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she ...

and

Marjorie Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey Victoria Marjorie Harriet Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey (''née'' Manners; 20 December 1883 – 3 November 1946) was a British writer on art, an illustrator, and a member of the peerage. Biography Lady Victoria was the eldest daughter of Henr ...

. She lived at Wood House, a farmhouse in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, and at her family's residence in London until her father succeeded to the Dukedom of Rutland in 1925, at which time the family moved to

Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle ( ) is a faux historic castle and stately home in Leicestershire, England, situated west of the town of Grantham and northeast of Melton Mowbray. A castle was first built on the site immediately after the Norman Conquest of 10 ...

. In her youth, she and two of her siblings,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and Ursula, were painted in watercolour and gouache by

C. E. Brock Charles Edmund Brock (5 February 1870 – 28 February 1938) was a widely published English painter, line artist and book illustrator, who signed most of his work C. E. Brock. He was the eldest of The Brocks of Cambridge, four artist brothers, ...

. As a teenager, Lady Isabel and her sister, Ursula, were sent to France with their governess. In 1934, the two sisters were

debutantes A debutante, also spelled débutante ( ; from , ), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" ( , ; ) or possibly debutante ball. Original ...

, attending a coming out ball hosted in their honour at Belvoir Castle and, later, they were presented at court.

Adult life

On 9 September 1936, Lady Isobel became engaged to the Conservative politician Loel Guinness. They married on 24 November 1936 in London at

St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on Bishopsgate near Liverpool Street station. One of the few surviving medieval City churches in London, the foundation date of the church is ...

. After the wedding, they went on a four-month honeymoon aboard their yacht, ''Atlantis'', to

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

and

. The couple were prominent socialites in Palm Beach. They had two children:' * William Loel Seymour Guinness (born 1939), who married Agnes Elizabeth Lynn Day in 1971. * Serena Belinda Rosemary "Lindy" Guinness (25 March 1941 – 26 October 2020), who married Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava in 1964, a great-grandson of

Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, (10 November 1847 – 7 October 1927) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish businessman and philanthropist. A member of the prominent Guinness family, he was the head of the family's eponymous Guinnes ...

. They divorced in 1951 on the grounds of Guinness' adultery. She married a second time to Sir Robert Throckmorton, 11th baronet.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manners, Lady Isabel 1918 births 2008 deaths British debutantes Daughters of British dukes English socialites Guinness family

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th c ...

Spouses of British politicians Throckmorton family Wives of baronets