Elizabeth Douglas-Home, Baroness Home of the Hirsel
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Hester Douglas-Home, Baroness Home of the Hirsel (nee Alington; 6 November 1909 – 3 September 1990) was the wife of the British Prime Minister
, Sir Alec Douglas-Home
.
She was born in 1909, the third daughter of the Very Revd Cyril Alington
, the headmaster of Eton College
and chaplain to King George V
, and his wife, Hon. Hester Margaret Lyttelton (CBE), daughter of George, 4th Lord Lyttelton
. Lady Home was the first woman to become a fellow (governor) of Eton.
She married Alec Douglas-Home in 1936.
Thanks to her husband acquiring and renouncing various titles she had, according to The Guinness Book of Records (1974-90), more names successively in her lifetime than any other once-married only British woman.
Her names in order were:
She died in September 1990 at the age of 80, her husband outliving her by just over five years. They had been married for 54 years.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
.
She was born in 1909, the third daughter of the Very Revd Cyril Alington
Cyril Alington
Cyril Argentine Alington was an English educationalist, scholar, cleric, and prolific author. He was the headmaster of both Shrewsbury School and Eton College. He also served as chaplain to King George V and as Dean of Durham....
, the headmaster of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and chaplain to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, and his wife, Hon. Hester Margaret Lyttelton (CBE), daughter of George, 4th Lord Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
George William Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton , was a British aristocrat and Conservative politician.-Early life:...
. Lady Home was the first woman to become a fellow (governor) of Eton.
She married Alec Douglas-Home in 1936.
Thanks to her husband acquiring and renouncing various titles she had, according to The Guinness Book of Records (1974-90), more names successively in her lifetime than any other once-married only British woman.
Her names in order were:
- Elizabeth Alington (1909 to 1936)
- Lady Dunglass (her husband's courtesy title; 1936 to 1951)
- the Rt Hon The Countess of Home (1951 to 1963)
- Lady Douglas-Home (as the wife of a knight; 1963 to 1974)
- the Rt Hon The Baroness Home of the Hirsel (her husband having been given a life peerage; 1974 to 1990)
She died in September 1990 at the age of 80, her husband outliving her by just over five years. They had been married for 54 years.