Margaret Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

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The Duchess of Roxburghe
Personal details
Born
Margaret Elisabeth McConnel

23 December 1918
Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ireland
Died2 June 1983(1983-06-02) (aged 64)
Spouses
  • Lt.-Col. James Church
    (m. 19??; div. 1953)
(m. 1954; died 1974)
(m. 1976)
Children
Parents
  • Frederick Bradshaw McConnel
  • Frances Elizabeth Pringle

Margaret Elisabeth Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe (née McConnel; 23 December 1918 – 2 June 1983), later Hambro, was a Scottish activist and noblewoman.

Early life and background[edit]

She was born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ireland, the daughter of Frederick Bradshaw McConnel, Captain in the Gordon Highlanders, and Frances Elizabeth Pringle. The family later moved to Roxburghshire. William McConnel was her great-grandfather.[1]

Marriages and issue[edit]

Sometime before 1953, Margaret married Lt.-Col. James Church; the couple were divorced in December 1953.

On 5 January 1954 at Caxton Hall,[2] Margaret married George Innes-Ker, 9th Duke of Roxburghe. Together, they had:

Lord Roxburghe died in 1974, and their elder son, Guy, succeeded him to the dukedom.

In 1976, Margaret married Jocelyn Hambro, who survived her.[4][1]

Work and legacy[edit]

Margaret served as chairman of the National Society for Cancer Relief from 1964 until her death. She was credited with furthering the level of care in the United Kingdom for people with cancer through her activities and fundraising, including the construction of twelve continuing care homes, and introducing home care nursing services to allow people to receive treatment at home.[1]

After her death in 1983, The Times wrote that her contributions were "even more remarkable when viewed in the light of her continuing struggle against cancer over the past five years."[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Mrs J. O. Hambro". The Times. 2 June 1983. p. 14.
  2. ^ Times, Special To The New York (6 January 1954). "DUKE OF ROXBURGHE MARRIES IN LONDON". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  3. ^ Times, Special To The New York (19 November 1954). "Son to Duchess of Roxburghe". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 3426. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.