The Right Honourable

The Countess of Powis
Lady Powis dressed for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.
Born(1865-01-06)6 January 1865
Died29 April 1929(1929-04-29) (aged 64)
Burial placeChrist Church, Welshpool
Titlesuo jure 16th Baroness Darcy de Knayth; Countess of Powis
SpouseGeorge Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis
ChildrenPercy Herbert, Viscount Clive
Mervyn Herbert, Viscount Clive
Hon. Hermione Gwladys
Parent(s)Sackville Lane-Fox, 12th Baron Conyers
Mary Curteis

Violet Ida Eveline Herbert, Countess of Powis and suo jure 16th Baroness Darcy de Knayth (1 June 1865 29 April 1929) was a British peeress in her own right.

Early life

Violet herbert, Countess of Powis by Ellis Roberts. ca,1887

Violet was born on 1 June 1865 in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, England.[1] Lady Powis was the youngest child of Sackville Lane-Fox, 12th Baron Conyers, and his wife, Mary Curteis. Her sister, Hon. Marcia Lane-Fox, became the Countess of Yarborough, and her brother, Hon. Sackville Fitzroy Henry Lane-Fox, died at age 18 at Durban, South Africa. Her paternal grandparents were Sackville Walter Lane-Fox and Lady Charlotte Mary Anne Georgiana Osborne (daughter of George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds).

Barony of Darcy de Knayth

In 1888, Lady Powis' father died and the baronies of Darcy de Knayth and Conyers fell into abeyance between his two daughters. On 8 June 1892, the abeyance of the Barony of Conyers was terminated in favour of the Countess of Yarborough. Eleven years later, on 29 September 1903, the Barony of Fauconberg (a title which had been in abeyance since the death of the last holder, the 6th Baroness Fauconberg in 1490), was also granted to Lady Yarborough. On the same date, the House of Lords also agreed that their father had held the Barony of Darcy de Knayth, which was granted to Lady Powis.[2]

Personal life

Portrait of the Hon. Violet Lane-Fox, Baroness Darcy de Knayth, Countess of Powis, a charcoal drawing by John Singer Sargent c. 1910–1914. Private collection by descent. Purchased through Antony Mould Contemporary. Located at Powis Castle.[3]

On 21 August 1890, she married George Herbert (who succeeded his uncle as Earl of Powis six months later) at St George's, Hanover Square, London, England.[1] Lady Powis persuaded her husband to entrust the entire management of the deteriorating gardens at Powis Castle to her in 1911. Over the next 18 years, she effectively recreated the gardens of Powis into the internationally renowned form that they have today.[4]

The Earl and Countess of Powis had three children:

Lady Powis died in 1929, age 64, in a motorcar accident, and was buried in the churchyard of Christ Church in Welshpool. Her eldest surviving son, Mervyn, succeeded to the title.

References

  1. 1 2 College of Arms. Visitation of England and Wales, Volume 13, 1905. pg 110. Google eBook
  2. Henry Robert Addison, Charles Henry Oakes, William John Lawson, Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen. Who's Who, A. & C. Black, 1907.
  3. The National Trust. National Trust Images, LADY VIOLET IDA EVELYN LANE-FOX, 16TH BARONESS DARCY OF NAYTH, COUNTESS OF POWIS, (1865-1929)
  4. "The Art Fund" is the operating name of the National Art Collections Fund, a charity registered in England and Wales (209174) and Scotland (SC038331). Violet Lane-Fox, Baroness Darcy
  5. 1 2 3 Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 1029.
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