Hersey, Marchioness of Linlithgow
Encyclopedia
Hersey, Marchioness of Linlithgow (31 March 18673 April 1937) was a British aristocrat, who was the wife
of John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
, who, as the 7th Earl of Hopetoun, was the first Governor-General of Australia
1901-1902.
, Scotland
, the third daughter and sixth child of nine children of Dayrolles Blakeney Mullins and Harriet Elizabeth Frances, née Wauchope, of Niddrie Marischal. On 18 January 1868 her father succeeded to the titles of 4th Baronet Mullins and 4th Baron Ventry
. On 3 November 1874, when she was seven, the family surname was legally changed to Eveleigh-de Moleyns by Royal Licence.
Her family had lived in County Kerry
in Ireland
since the 17th century, and her father was Deputy Lieutenant there. She grew up at Burnham House, County Kerry (now an Irish-speaking girls' secondary school known as Coláiste Ide) as well as at Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge
, London
. Their neighbours in London were the 6th Earl of Hopetoun
and his family. In 1873 the 6th Earl died and was succeeded by his son John Adrian Louis Hope
as the 7th Earl. On 18 October 1886, at age 19, at All Saints' Church, Ennismore Gardens, she married the 7th Earl of Hopetoun.
Their son Victor
(known as "Hopie"), was born on 24 September 1887 (he later succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow). A daughter Mary Dorothea was also born (her date of birth is not known). In 1889, her husband was appointed Governor of Victoria
, and they arrived in Melbourne
on 28 November. Lord Hopetoun was popular with Victorians, but Lady Hopetoun, then aged 22, had no experience of public life, was painfully shy, and was criticised for her reserved and haughty manner. She had been ill since the birth of her son and at the end of 1890 she returned to England for medical advice. She returned in May 1891, and soon became pregnant again. Their second son, Lord Charles (Melbourne) Hope, was born on 20 February 1892.
The torpedo gunboat HMVS Countess of Hopetoun
was named after her in 1890. It was incorporated into the Royal Australian Navy
in 1911 as HMAS Countess of Hopetoun and was used until 1924. It was later wrecked in the vicinity of Swan Island in Port Phillip
. In 1902 a steam launch was named after her, the Lady Hopetoun; it is still operational, as part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
Lady Hopetoun's private character was less formal than her public one. She was a keen angler, an expert horsewoman (once breaking her nose in a riding accident), and an enthusiastic hunter. She was also a crack shot, even though shooting was then considered an unusual activity for a woman, and disapproved of by Queen Victoria. She was also a photographer and an artist in cartoons, caricatures and watercolours.
The Hopetouns left Australia in March 1895 when his term as Governor of Victoria ended. Another daughter, Lady Jacqueline Hope, was born on 16 June 1896, but she survived only five days. They returned in 1900 when Lord Hopetoun was appointed the first Governor-General of Australia
. They arrived in Sydney on 15 December 1900. Their voyage to Australia on this occasion was marred by her contracting malaria
during a stopover in India
, where her husband also contracted typhoid fever
. The festivities for the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901 included a song "Welcome to the Earl and Countess of Hopetoun", with words by Joan Torrance and music by W. R. Furlong, which was dedicated to her husband.
On 3 September 1901, at the Royal Exhibition Building
in Melbourne, the Countess of Hopetoun announced the names of the winners of a competition to design the Australian Flag
, and unfurled the new flag for the first time.
Lord Hopetoun resigned the governor-generalship in May 1902. They left Australia (from Brisbane
) on 17 July, and on 27 October (while still formally occupying the position of Governor-General) he was created the 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
, and she became the Marchioness of Linlithgow.
The Marquess died suddenly in France in 1908. Their elder son Victor succeeded his father as the 2nd Marquess, and later became the Viceroy of India
1936-43, after having declined the governorship of Madras and the governor-generalship of Australia.
The Dowager Marchioness of Linlithgow died on 3 April 1937, three days after turning 70.
Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia
The Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia generally assists the office-holder in welcoming ambassadors and their spouses, and in performing their other official duties. The Governor-General's spouse traditionally participates in celebratory occasions, attends functions and, as a patron of...
of John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the...
, who, as the 7th Earl of Hopetoun, was the first Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
1901-1902.
Biography
Hersey Alice Mullins was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the third daughter and sixth child of nine children of Dayrolles Blakeney Mullins and Harriet Elizabeth Frances, née Wauchope, of Niddrie Marischal. On 18 January 1868 her father succeeded to the titles of 4th Baronet Mullins and 4th Baron Ventry
Baron Ventry
Baron Ventry, of Ventry in the County of Kerry, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Sir Thomas Mullins, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Ventry in the County of Kerry, in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1797. The Mullins family claimed descent from...
. On 3 November 1874, when she was seven, the family surname was legally changed to Eveleigh-de Moleyns by Royal Licence.
Her family had lived in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
since the 17th century, and her father was Deputy Lieutenant there. She grew up at Burnham House, County Kerry (now an Irish-speaking girls' secondary school known as Coláiste Ide) as well as at Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Their neighbours in London were the 6th Earl of Hopetoun
Marquess of Linlithgow
Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun....
and his family. In 1873 the 6th Earl died and was succeeded by his son John Adrian Louis Hope
John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the...
as the 7th Earl. On 18 October 1886, at age 19, at All Saints' Church, Ennismore Gardens, she married the 7th Earl of Hopetoun.
Their son Victor
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
(known as "Hopie"), was born on 24 September 1887 (he later succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow). A daughter Mary Dorothea was also born (her date of birth is not known). In 1889, her husband was appointed Governor of Victoria
Governors of Victoria
The Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
, and they arrived in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 28 November. Lord Hopetoun was popular with Victorians, but Lady Hopetoun, then aged 22, had no experience of public life, was painfully shy, and was criticised for her reserved and haughty manner. She had been ill since the birth of her son and at the end of 1890 she returned to England for medical advice. She returned in May 1891, and soon became pregnant again. Their second son, Lord Charles (Melbourne) Hope, was born on 20 February 1892.
The torpedo gunboat HMVS Countess of Hopetoun
HMVS Countess of Hopetoun
HMVS Countess of Hopetoun was a torpedo gunboat of the Victorian Naval Forces, Commonwealth Naval Forces and the Royal Australian Navy. She was named after Hersey, Countess of Hopetoun and later Marchioness of Linlithgow, the wife of the 7th Earl of Hopetoun, the then Governor of Victoria and...
was named after her in 1890. It was incorporated into the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
in 1911 as HMAS Countess of Hopetoun and was used until 1924. It was later wrecked in the vicinity of Swan Island in Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
. In 1902 a steam launch was named after her, the Lady Hopetoun; it is still operational, as part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
Lady Hopetoun's private character was less formal than her public one. She was a keen angler, an expert horsewoman (once breaking her nose in a riding accident), and an enthusiastic hunter. She was also a crack shot, even though shooting was then considered an unusual activity for a woman, and disapproved of by Queen Victoria. She was also a photographer and an artist in cartoons, caricatures and watercolours.
The Hopetouns left Australia in March 1895 when his term as Governor of Victoria ended. Another daughter, Lady Jacqueline Hope, was born on 16 June 1896, but she survived only five days. They returned in 1900 when Lord Hopetoun was appointed the first Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. They arrived in Sydney on 15 December 1900. Their voyage to Australia on this occasion was marred by her contracting malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
during a stopover in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where her husband also contracted typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. The festivities for the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901 included a song "Welcome to the Earl and Countess of Hopetoun", with words by Joan Torrance and music by W. R. Furlong, which was dedicated to her husband.
On 3 September 1901, at the Royal Exhibition Building
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
in Melbourne, the Countess of Hopetoun announced the names of the winners of a competition to design the Australian Flag
Flag of Australia
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton , and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter...
, and unfurled the new flag for the first time.
Lord Hopetoun resigned the governor-generalship in May 1902. They left Australia (from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
) on 17 July, and on 27 October (while still formally occupying the position of Governor-General) he was created the 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
Marquess of Linlithgow
Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun....
, and she became the Marchioness of Linlithgow.
The Marquess died suddenly in France in 1908. Their elder son Victor succeeded his father as the 2nd Marquess, and later became the Viceroy of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
1936-43, after having declined the governorship of Madras and the governor-generalship of Australia.
The Dowager Marchioness of Linlithgow died on 3 April 1937, three days after turning 70.
Children
- Lady Mary Dorothea Hope; 1936 married the 16th Earl of PembrokeSidney Herbert, 16th Earl of PembrokeSidney Herbert, 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery was a British peer.Pembroke was educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Oxford. Served War of 1939–1945 in Royal Artillery and Comptroller and Private Secretary to the Duchess of Kent, 1942–1948, as well as Equerry to the Duke of Kent...
- Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of LinlithgowVictor Hope, 2nd Marquess of LinlithgowVictor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
(24 September 1887–5 January 1952) - Lord Charles Melbourne Hope (20 February 1892–?)
- Lady Jacqueline Alice Hope (16 June 1896–21 June 1896)
Titles from birth to death
- 31 March 1867: Miss Hersey Alice Mullins
- 18 January 1868: The Hon Hersey Alice Mullins
- 3 November 1874: The Hon Hersey Alice Eveleigh-De Moleyns
- 18 October 1886: Countess of Hopetoun
- 27 October 1902: Marchioness of Linlithgow
- 29 February 1908: Dowager Marchioness of Linlithgow