Daphne Fielding
Daphne Fielding | |
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 Pictured in 1927 with Henry Thynne, Viscount Weymouth | |
| Born | Daphne Winifred Louise Vivian 11 July 1904 Westminster,London,England |
| Died | 5 December 1997(aged 93) |
| Occupation | Author |
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The Hon.Daphne Winifred Louise Fielding(néeVivian,formerlyThynne;11 July 1904 – 5 December 1997) was a British author in the 20th century.
Early life
[edit]Daphne Vivian was born on 11 July 1904 inWestminster,London,the elder child ofGeorge Vivian, 4th Baron Vivian,and Barbara Cicely (néeFanning). Her younger brother wasAnthony Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian.Her parents separated when she was four years old and her father raised the children atGlynn, Cornwall,where the family were known as the 'mad Vivians'. He remarried in 1911 to Nancy Lycett Green (a daughter ofSir Edward Green, 2nd Baronet), with whom he had two more children.[1]
Her paternal grandparents wereHussey Vivian, 3rd Baron Vivianand the former Louisa Alicia Duff (sister of George William Duff-Assheton-Smith ofVaynol,and only daughter of Robert George Duff, of Wellington Lodge,Isle of Wight).[2]Her maternal grandparents were William Atmar Fanning and the former Winifred (néede Bathe) McCalmont (the widow ofHarry McCalmontwho was a younger daughter ofSir Henry de Bathe, 4th Baronet).[2]
Career
[edit]She moved in the world of the"Bright Young Things"in the 1920s and produced a series of popular books abouthigh society.[3]Of Fielding's memoirs,Mercury Presides,Evelyn Waughwrote: "Daphne has written her memoirs. Contrary to what one would have expected they are marred by discretion and good taste. The childhood part is admirable. The adult part is rather as thoughLord Montgomerywere to write his life and omit to mention that he ever served in the army. "[4]
Personal life
[edit]On 27 October 1927 she marriedHenry Thynne, Viscount Weymouth,who became the 6thMarquess of Bathin 1946. Neither his nor her parents approved of the marriage,[5]and they were divorced in 1953. From 1946, she was known as the Marchioness of Bath. The couple had five children:[1][5]
- Lady Caroline Jane Thynne (1928–1995); marriedDavid Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort.[2]
- The Honourable Thomas Timothy Thynne (1929–1930); died in infancy.[2]
- Alexander George Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath(1932–2020); marriedAnna Gyarmathy.[2]
- Lord Christopher John Thynne (1934–2017); married Antonia Palmer, daughter ofSir Anthony Palmer, 4th Baronet.[2]
- Lord Valentine Charles Thynne (1937–1979); married, first, Veronica Jacks and had issue. He married, secondly, Susanne Alder; and, thirdly, Liese Dennis.[2]
After her divorce, her first husband married Virginia Penelope (néeParsons) Tennant (following her divorce fromDavid Tennant).[6]Daphne remarried to MajorAlexander Wallace Fielding,son of Alexander Lumsden Wallace, of Kirkcaldy, on 11 July 1953. The couple divorced in 1978.[7]
Fielding died on 5 December 1997.
Works
[edit]- Longleat from 1566 to the present time.Longleat Estate (1949)
- Before the Sunset Fades.Longleat Estate (1951)
- Mercury Presides.London: Eyre & Spottiswoode (1954)
- The Adonis Garden(1961)
- The Duchess of Jermyn Street:Rosa Lewis.London: Eyre & Spottiswoode (1964)ISBN0-413-25190-X
- EmeraldandNancy:Lady Cunard and Her Daughter.London: Eyre & Spottiswoode (1968)ISBN0-413-25950-1
- The Nearest Way Home.London: Eyre & Spottiswoode (1970)
- The Rainbow Picnic: a portrait ofIris Tree.London: Eyre Methuen (1974)ISBN0-413-28520-0
- Face on the Sphinx: a portrait ofGladys Marie Deacon,Duchess of Marlborough.London: Hamish Hamilton (1978)ISBN0-241-89314-3
References
[edit]- ^abChisholm, Anne (2004). "Fielding, Daphne Winifred Louise Vivian (1904–1997), writer and socialite".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68822.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^abcdefgPeter W. Hammond, editor,The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda(Stroud,Gloucestershire,U.K.:Sutton Publishing,1998), page 72.
- ^Pippeit, Roger (17 April 1955)."Life Was Like That; MERCURY PRESIDES. By Daphne Fielding. Illustrated. 256 pp. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. $5".The New York Times.Retrieved13 January2023.
- ^Chisholm, Anne (20 December 1997). "Obituary: Daphne Fielding: The wife of Bath's tale".The Guardian.p. 17.
- ^abVickers, Hugo(17 December 1997)."Obituary: Daphne Fielding".The Independent.Retrieved13 August2016.
- ^"From bohemia to a life of nobility".Sydney Morning Herald.31 October 2003.Retrieved3 June2014.
- ^""Secret marriage" appeal succeeds ".Portsmouth Evening News.27 July 1955. p. 1.Retrieved13 August2016.
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