Lady Mary Cecilia Colman (''née'' Bowes-Lyon; 30 January 1932 – 2 January 2021) was an English socialite, philanthropist, and extra lady-in-waiting to

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George ...

. The daughter of Michael Bowes-Lyon and Elizabeth Margaret Cator, her paternal aunt was

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

, and she was thus a first cousin of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

Early life

Mary Cecilia Bowes-Lyon was born on 30 January 1932 at Gastlings, the Bowes-Lyon family home in Biggleswade,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

. Her father, Michael Bowes-Lyon (1893–1953), was the fifth son of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and

Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (' Cavendish-Bentinck; 11 September 1862 – 23 June 1938) was the mother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, maternal grandmother and godmother of Queen Elizabeth II, and great-g ...

(née Cavendish-Bentinck). Her mother, Elizabeth Margaret Cator (1899–1959), was a great-granddaughter of

Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke Admiral Charles Philip Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke, PC (2 April 1799 – 17 September 1873) was a British naval commander and Conservative politician. Background Born at Sydney Lodge, in Hamble le Rice, Hardwicke was the eldest son of Admira ...

. She had a twin sister, Patricia Maud, later Lady Patricia Tetley, and an older brother, Fergus Michael Claude, later Michael Bowes-Lyon, 17th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She attended Hatherop Castle School as a child. In 1949, a coming-out ball was held for her and her twin sister Patricia at

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 home until 1962. In that year London ...

, which was attended by their aunt, the Queen, and their cousins, The Princess Elizabeth and The Princess Margaret.

Marriage and children

On 10 November 1951 at St Bartholomew-the-Great in London, Mary married the then-Lieutenant

Timothy Colman Sir Timothy James Alan Colman (19 September 1929 – 9 September 2021) was a British businessman and a Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk. Biography Colman was from the Colman's mustard family, and was the son of Lettice Elizabeth Evelyn Adeane and ...

, son of the cricketer

Geoffrey Colman Geoffrey Russell Rees Colman (14 March 1892 – 18 March 1935) was an English cricketer active in first-class cricket from 1912 to 1924. Colman was born at Norwich to mustard manufacturer Russell James Colman, of Crown Point House, Norwich, an ...

. Together, they had five children: * Sarah Rose Colman (b. 3 May 1953). Married Peter John Charles Troughton in 1977. 3 children. * Sabrina Mary Colman (b. 4 February 1955). Married Christopher Arthur Penn in 1976. 2 children. * Emma Elizabeth Colman (b. 10 February 1958). Married Richard Henry Ramsbottom in 1986. 1 child. * James Russell Colman (b. 12 January 1962). Married Sasha Cotterell in 1994. 2 children. * Matthew Geoffrey Colman (b. 10 July 1966). Married Jane Johnstone in 1997. 1 child. In the earlier years of their marriage, the Colmans lived in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, whilst Timothy served with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. Later, they moved to Norfolk, where they purchased Bixley Manor.

Work and later life

In 1970, Mary was appointed an Extra

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to another of the Queen's first cousins,

Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George ...

. In 1998, she began serving as the President of the Eastern Daily Press's "We Care 2000" Appeal, which aims to support unpaid carers for the work they do. She also worked with other charities including the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

, and served as president of the Norfolk Autistic Society for 26 years, from 1975 until her retirement in 2001. She also ran a dried flower business, called "Flora Dessica". Lady Mary died at her home in Bixley,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

on 2 January 2021, at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colman, Lady Mary 1932 births 2021 deaths British ladies-in-waiting Bowes-Lyon family English socialites English philanthropists Fraternal twins People from South Norfolk (district) Wives of knights Mary