You could be forgiven for thinking the title of this article suggests it is about one of Henry James’s most popular long novels, written in 1881 and regarded by his critics as one of his finest, but this is not the case.
Last week Rye News published an article which was written in response to a request for help from Nicholas Bragge. The “Lady” in question was Lady Elizabeth Dent and thanks to one of our readers, Timothy Gorman, it has now been established that Lady Elizabeth Blanche Mary Dent died in St Paul’s nursing home in St Leonards in 1983. Her husband, William Dent was living at Fig Tree Cottage in Northiam when he died in 1981.
The photograph above was taken nearly 100 years ago on 24 August 1920 and has been reproduced under license with the kind permission of the National Portrait Gallery.
The following extract from www.thepeerage.com was forwarded to Rye News by Timothy Gorman and now completes the picture.
“Lady Elizabeth Mary Hay-Drummond was born on 14 December 1903. She is the daughter of Archibald FitzRoy George Hay-Drummond, 13th Earl of Kinnoull and Florence Mary Darell. She married, firstly, Peter Stanley Chappell, son of Thomas Stanley Chappell, on 15 April 1925. She and Peter Stanley Chappell were divorced in 1935.
“She married, secondly, Douglas William Ernest Gordon on 23 May 1935. She married, thirdly, William Herbert Shelley Dent, son of Herbert Fullarton Dent and Rosamond Blanche Isabel Shelley, in 1945. She and Douglas William Ernest Gordon were divorced in 1945.
“Lady Elizabeth Mary Hay-Drummond usually went by her middle name of Blanche. From 15 April 1925, her married name became Chappell. From 23 May 1935, her married name became Gordon. From 1945, her married name became Dent.”
This information has been forwarded to Nicolas Bragge, who is delighted that the mystery has been solved and has passed on his sincere thanks to Timothy Gorman.
If you want us to try and find someone you knew, have lost touch with, or are looking for, do write in and we will see if our very own ‘track and trace’ system works for you too.
Image Credits: National Portrait Gallery .