Anne Duchess of Rutland, former wife of 10th Duke of Rutland
Michael Rhodes
Rutland, former wife of the late 10th Duke of Rutland, died suddenly
27 December, 2002.
In 1946 she captured the heart of Charles John Robert Manners, Duke of
Rutland, Marquess of Granby, Earl of Rutland, Lord Manners, Lord Roos
of Belvoir, one of Britain's most eligible bachelors. The duke was
known as much for his looks as for his great wealth [he was once seen
as a possible escort for the then Princess Elizabeth] was widely
recognised to be the inspiration of many of Barbara Cartland's
bodice-ripping heroes. Even in the mid-1990s Dame Barbara described
the duke as *the most handsome man in England.*
Anne Duchess of Rutland was born Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell, daughter
of Major William Cumming Bell, of Bingham Lodge, Edgerton, near
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
Not from the top-drawer of the British estabishment, Anne Cumming Bell
was a fashion model and equestrian. On 27 April, 1946 she married the
10th Duke of Rutland, who inherited his title and fortune at the age
of 20 in 1940 on the death of his father.
Anne came as chatelaine to Belvoir Castle, the family seat, which
boasts 160 rooms and sits in 18,000 acres. The estate is also home to
to the Duke's foxhounds, the Belvoir Hunt.
During the Civil War Belvoir was held by the King and captured by the
Parliamentary army who dismantled the histric house brick by brick.
Belvoir was completely rebuilt in 1668.
Well into the 20th Century the style of living at Belvoir was
romantically archaic, says Brian Masters in *The Dukes* - with
trumpeters in bright livery and powdered wigs marching up and down
corridors and sounding a great blast when it was time to alight from
bed; the watchman, who throughout the night shouted the time at each
hour; the ballroom always ready for dancing - a private orchestra
playing soft music in a room adjoining the dining room - background
noise from musicians who were never seen.
The marriage of the Rutlands foundered in the mid 1950s, and was
dissolved in 1956. In May, 1958, his Grace went on to marry Frances
Helen Sweeny, daughter of Charles Sweeny and of Margaret, Duchess of
Argyll. Anne, Duchess of Rutland never remarried.
She leaves a daughter, Lady Charlotte Manners, who was born 7 January,
1947.
The funeral takes place at Belvoir Castle, 16 January, 2003.
--
Michael Rhodes.
Michael Rhodes
> Anne Duchess of Rutland, chatelaine for a decade of Belvoir Castle,
> Rutland, former wife of the late 10th Duke of Rutland, died suddenly
> 27 December, 2002.
> Not from the top-drawer of the British estabishment, Anne Cumming Bell
> was a fashion model and equestrian.
I am informed by a chum on the gymkana circuit that the Duchess, on
quitting Belvoir, removed to a Georgian farmhouse at Putley, near
Ledbury, Herefordshire, where she became famed as a breeder of ponies.
She moved to Herefordshire so that she could be at the centre of the
main Welsh mountain pony sales at Hereford and Haye-on-Wye.
One of her creatures *Strelitzie* won a first in the Ponies of Britain
Show at Peterborough in the 1960s, and was second in the All Welsh
Show.
She was a member of the Council of the National Pony Club.
I am told that it was the Duke of Rutland who instigated divorce
proceedings against his wife in 1956 on the grounds of desertion in
February, 1953, by the Duchess. A decree nisi was granted, 12 June,
1956.
Regarding her activities on the catwalk. The Times obituary of the
10th Duke of Rutland states that Anne did not make her name as a model
until after the dissolution of her marriage, and appeared on the
catwalk as Anne Duchess of Rutland.
Re the Duchesses lineage: Anne Cumming Bell was the eldest of the
three daughters of Maj William Cumming Bell by his wife, nee Bairstow.
One source states that Anne's maternal grandfather was the celebrated
organist Sir Edward Bairstow [1874-1946], Master of Music at York
Minster & Prof. of Music and Durham University.
--
Michael Rhodes
Michael Rhodes
> Rutland, former wife of the late 10th Duke of Rutland, died suddenly
> 27 December, 2002.
> The funeral takes place at Belvoir Castle, 16 January, 2003.
A columnist in the Daily Mail [7 Jan] says he is surprised that the
funeral of Anne Duchess of Rutland is taking place at Belvoir Castle.
The 10th Duke's brothers - known as The Bad Manners - apparently
mocked Anne's Yorkshire origins, exclaiming *Eee, Bluddy 'ell* in her
presence. She never returned to Belvoir after separating from the
Duke, but is returning in death...
--
Michael Rhodes
wilborn...@gmail.com
Louis Epstein
> Anne Duchess of Rutland was reported by Jennifer's Diary to have been present at Lady Charlotte's coming-out dance at Belvoir.
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