Lady Jane Antonia Frances Lacey (born Vane-Tempest-Stewart on 11 August 1932, later Rayne) is a British socialite and philanthropist.

Biography

Born The Honourable Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart on 11 August 1932 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, she was born into an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

aristocratic family with its roots in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

and

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. She is the eldest daughter of Robin, Viscount Castlereagh, later 8th

Marquess of Londonderry Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry ( ), is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of ...

, and Romaine Combe (1904–1951), daughter of Major Boyce Combe. She had two younger siblings, Lady Annabel Goldsmith and Alistair, 9th Marquess of Londonderry. She was raised on the family estates,

Mount Stewart Mount Stewart is a 19th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the Iris ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, Wynyard Park in

, and

Londonderry House Londonderry House was an aristocratic townhouse situated on Park Lane in the Mayfair district of London, England. The mansion served as the London residence of the Marquesses of Londonderry. It remained their London home until 1962. In that ye ...

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park to ...

, London. A painting of her by Edmund Brock appeared on the cover of the February 1939 issue of

Woman's Journal ''Woman's Journal'' was an American women's rights periodical published from 1870 to 1931. It was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Browne Blackwell as a weekly newspaper. In 1917 it was purchased by ...

. In 1953, Lady Jane was chosen as one of six aristocratic young ladies chosen to serve as

maids of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...

at the

coronation of Elizabeth II The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon th ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. Her duties included carrying the Queen's train during the

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

. The maids of honour all wore matching gowns by

Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the British royal family, royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant of Appointment (United Kingdom ...

. Lady Jane, along with

Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill Lady Rosemary Mildred Muir (née Spencer-Churchill; born 24 July 1929) is an English aristocrat who served as a maid of honour to Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953. Early life and family Lady Rosemary Mildred Spencer-Churchill was born ...

, rode in a carriage with Lord Tryon, the

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...

, during the procession while the other maids of honour waited at the abbey. on 2 June 1965, Lady Jane married Anglo-Jewish developer

Max Rayne Max Rayne, Baron Rayne (8 February 1918 – 10 October 2003) was a British property developer and philanthropist who supported medical, religious, education and arts charities in England. Early life Rayne came from a Jewish family. His father, P ...

. They had four children: * The Honourable Natasha Deborah Rayne (born 1966) * The Honourable Nicholas Alexander Rayne (born 1969) * The Honourable Tamara Annabel Rayne (born 1970) * The Honourable Alexander Philip Rayne (born 1973) In 1976, Rayne was made a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

and she thus became The Lady Rayne. She was widowed in 2003. In August 2012, she married royal biographer and historian

Robert Lacey Robert Lacey (born 3 January 1944) is a British historian and biographer. He is the author of a number of best-selling biographies, including those of Henry Ford, Eileen Ford, Queen Elizabeth II and other royals, as well as several other wo ...

. Lady Jane was a founding member and director of

Chickenshed Chickenshed (also known as Chicken Shed or the Chicken Shed Theatre Company) is a British theatre company based in Southgate, London. History Chickenshed was founded by teacher Mary Ward and composer Jo Collins in 1974. Mary and Jo hosted their ...

, a children's theatre company, and was president of trustees until her daughter Natasha took over in 2013. She is also patron and trustee of the Rayne Foundation and trustee of the Jerusalem Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacey, Jane 1932 births Living people Socialites from London 20th-century Anglo-Irish people 21st-century Anglo-Irish people English people of Irish descent English socialites British maids of honour Daughters of British marquesses Rayne Spouses of life peers Jane