RECLUSE PEERESS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20740, 25 February 1939, Page 10 (Supplement)

RECLUSE PEERESS

SHUT IN OWN SUITE A VILLAGE MYSTERY AN EXTRAORDINARY EXISTENCE (From a Correspondent) LONDON, Jan. 14. To the country folk living in ancient Holdenby and neighbouring hamlets in the valley* near Northampton, the Dowager Lady Annalv of Holdenby House has been for generations the bright star watching over their lives, writes the special representative of the Sunday Express. Yet this great old lady, friend of kings and queens, living in one of the most famous houses in England, has always been to the villagers a personage of complete mystery. For more than half a century she has lived in a suite of rooms in Holdenby House, rarely seen by the outside world and never taking part in the gay social life she knew before her marriage in 1884. Only a few of the older people have seen her, none has ever spoken to her and none can explain the riddle of her extraordinary existence. They may never find the answer now Drawn Blinds Aged seventy-six, her always fragile health now delicate beyond repair, Lady Annaly is not expected to leave her rooms again. Her windows remain with their blinds drawn winter and summer, except on rare occasions. The temperature of her rooms is kept unfailingly at seventy degrees. Even her relatives hardly, ever see her now. Lady Annaly was a graceful, goldenhaired girl of slim figure and Dresden china beauty when as the Hon. Lilah Georgiana Agar-Ellis, daughter of Lord CLifden, she married Lord Annaly. She was one of the most popular debutantes in London Victorian society, and a first-rate dancer. Soon after the birth of her first child, Ihe present Lord Annaly, she began to withdraw herself from the active life of the countryside, and her visits to London became fewer. Became Timid A significant fact is that Lady \nnaly was a twin; the other twin, also a girl, died at the age of two. She developed a timidity at meeting strangers, a shyness which made her go to remarkable lengths to avoid Introductions of any sort. At that time she devoted her life exclusively to her children—two daughters were born to her, one now the wife of Viscount Galway, Gov-ernor-General of New Zealand. Meanwhile her husband, who died m 1922, entertained brilliantly both at. Holdenby House and in London. But the amazing thing is that although Lord Annaly was host at Holdenby House to King George V and (jueen Mary, the Duke of Windsor as Prince of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of York, Lady Annaly never met them while they were there. As her husband was Master of the famous Pytchley Hunt for twenty years many hunt halls were held at Holdenby House. But all Lady Annaly would hear of them were the music and laughter floating up from the great drawing-room to her suite above. About six years ago the Duchess of York brought the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to Holdenby House, but again the hostess was invisible.. Days of Sleep I visited Holdenby House last week. * learned that the last person to occupy the rooms which the dowager will now never leave was the Prince °f Wales in 1924. Most of her days are now spent sleeping or resting in the bed in which he slept. Lady Annaly still retains a staff of ten servants, still keeps up her town house in Hertford Street, W., still keeps her motor-car, though she will never use it again.

Her woman companion, who has been with her more than forty years, told me, “It was always understood when royalty came that Lady Annaly would be excused her role as hostess. The matter, in fact, was never mentioned “Lady Annaly spends most of her time reading and writing letters. She is still a fine-looking woman, and her brain remains extraordinarily alert. “Nothing has been disturbed since she last looked over the house. Many Kindnesses “Now one of her greatest pleasures is to look across the lawns beneath her bedroom window's when the village fete is held in the grounds every year. She docs so many kindnesses in the village that I could not start to tell you of them.'’ Even in her own house Lady Annaly remains the Invisible Lady of Goodness. She invites there for weeks at a time, people whom she has never met personally, but whose friendship she values. None of these guests ever sees her.