Person    | Female  Born 7/2/1888  Died 9/4/1951

Lady Winifred Fortescue

Categories: Benefactor, Literature, Theatre

Countries: France

Writer and actress. Born as Winifred Beech in a Suffolk rectory. Died France.

1914 she married John Fortescue (1859-1933, librarian, archivist at Windsor Castle and British Army historian), despite being 28 years younger than him. She gave up her stage career and took up an interior decorating and dress designing business until illness forced her to give it up. She then began writing for Punch, the Daily Chronicle and The Evening News, and then started a Women's Page for the Morning Post. In the 1930s Sir John and Lady Fortescue moved to Provence in France, where she began her book writing career with 'Perfume from Provence'. She wrote a number of other books there. The marriage produced no children and her husband died within 2 years of them moving to France, but she stayed on until forced to move out by the German invasion during WW2. She returned at the end of the war and died in Opio, Provence.

Peter Riley, curator of Perfume from Provence, drew our attention to the photo of a miniature version of the Elfin Oak, also by Ivor Innes, which Fortescue wrote about in 'Perfume from Provence’. Peter confirms that (2023) it still  hangs in the porch of the Fortescue's former home in Provence.

Sister-in-law to Emily Fortescue for whom we have a good case as the donor of the nearby clock tower.

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Lady Winifred Fortescue

Creations i

Elfin Oak

For hundreds of years, no one knows for how many, this tree lived its life qu...

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Other Subjects

Nazareth House

Nazareth House

In 1850, Dr. Nicholas Wiseman became concerned about the plight of the aged, orphans and abandoned children in London. He appealed to a recently formed religious order in France which took care of ...

Building, Benefactor, Community / Clubs, Religion

1 memorial
Lady Kortright

Lady Kortright

Aided by Andrew Behan we have found two candidates for the Lady Kortright who gave the funds to the Grosvenor Hospital but cannot conclusively identify her. See what you think… One candidate is th...

Person, Benefactor, USA

1 memorial
Harndale Group

Harndale Group

Harndale Shipmanagement Services Limited was one of several companies formed by Keshava Raghuveer and Harini Raghuveer. It was incorporated on 31 January1984 with a company registration number of 0...

Group, Benefactor, Commerce, Transport

1 memorial

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Percy George Bentham

Percy George Bentham

Sculptor. Born Fulham. City and Guild Art School Newsletter 2014 confirms that 'Navigation' (being conserved by the school at the time of publication) is by Bentham, who studied at the school.

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial