Elizabeth became engaged to James, Marquess of Ormonde in 1875, and the pair were married at Aldford Church, Chester, on 2 February 1876.[1] The Duke of Westminster settled a £15,000 Dowry on Elizabeth.[2]
They had two daughters:[3]
Lord and Lady Ormonde leased 32 Upper Brook St in London as their London home from the Duke of Westminster from 1881 to 1921 (Lady Ormonde continued to lease the property after Lord Ormonde's death in 1919).[8] It was later reported that the property was gifted to Elizabeth by her father.[9]
Elizabeth's father died in 1899; his will provided for an additional £20,000 to Elizabeth's marriage settlement, increasing the total to £35,000.[2]
The 1901 Census of Ireland records that the Ormondes' Household at Kilkenny included a Butler, Housekeeper, Cook, three Ladies Maids, a Lodge Keeper, two Footmen, one "Odd Man", three Housemaids, two Dairy Maids, one Still Room Maid, one Scullery Maid, one Kitchen Maid, a Hospital Nurse and a Professional Nurse.[10]
In 1910 Lord and Lady Ormonde leased Solent Lodge on the Isle of Wight.[11] The house was later purchased by Lord Ormonde, who bequeathed it to Elizabeth upon his death.[9] During the First World War, Elizabeth served as the President of the Kilkenny County Branches of the British Red Cross Society and Soldiers' and Sailors' Families' Association.[12]
On her husband's side of the family, Elizabeth's mother-in-law Frances, Marchioness of Ormonde had served as a lady-in-waiting to the widowed Queen Adelaide from 1844 to 1849; Queen Adelaide was also a godmother of the Third Marquess of Ormonde.[13] Elizabeth's late father-in-law John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde had also served as a Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria from 1841-1852, and 1853-54.
Lady Mary Butler (later Lady Mary Fitzwilliam) also served as a Lady of the Bedchamber in the Household of the Queen's daughter-in-law, The Duchess of Edinburgh from 1874,[15] and as Extra Lady-in-Waiting from 1877.[16]
The close relationship between the Royal Family and Elizabeth's family was well-documented in the days prior to the wedding of their elder daughter Lady Beatrice Butler. Two days prior to the Wedding Ceremony (the reception was held at Stafford House) King Edward and Queen Alexandra received Lord and Lady Ormonde, Lady Beatrice, and Beatrice's fiancée Major-General Sir Reginald Pole-Carew at Marlborough House, where the King and Queen presented Beatrice with a wedding present of a pair of diamonds wings with a large ruby in the centre. The King also personally presented an Indian Shawl directly to Lady Beatrice. King Edward VII's daughter Princess Victoria also gave Beatrice a wedding present of a blue enamel and diamond brooch. The King's sisters Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Henry of Battenberg gave respective wedding presents of a diamond and emerald bracelet, an antique silver and tortoiseshell casket and a gold curb bracelet. The Duke of Cornwall and York and Duchess of Cornwall and York gave the couple a diamond and enammelled pendant, and the King's brother the Duke of Connaught gave a buhl clock.[17]
Dowager Marchioness of Ormonde
Elizabeth's husband James died on 26 October 1919. Upon his death, the family titles passed to his brother Lord Arthur Butler, whilst the family estates, were inherited by Arthur's elder son George. Lord Ormonde's total estate (including entailed property) was valued at approximately £450,000[18][19]
Elizabeth left Kilkenny Castle in January 1920, and lived at Solent Lodge on the Isle of Wight which she retained ownership of. She also continued to maintain the London Residence at 32 Upper Brook Street until 1922.[8] Elizabeth died on 25 March 1928. Her unsettled estate was reported to be valued at £16,796, with a net personality of £7,300.[20] She was survived by her two daughters.
^"Court Appointments". The Morning Post. Windsor Castle (published 28 January 1874). 23 January 1874. p. 5. Retrieved 19 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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