Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely
Encyclopedia
Lady of the Bedchamber
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Lady of the Bedchamber in the British Royal Household...
and a close friend of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Her parents were James Hope-Vere and Lady Elizabeth Hay, and through her mother she was a cousin of Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, the first Duke of Wellington. After her marriage to John Loftus, the third Marquess of Ely, she developed friendships with Queen Sophie of the Netherlands
Sophie of Württemberg
Princess Sophia Frederika Mathilde of Württemberg was Queen of the Netherlands as the first wife of King William III of the Netherlands.-Biography:...
and the Empress Eugénie
Eugénie de Montijo
Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox-Portocarrero de Guzmán y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo , was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
. Jane arrived at court as a Lady of the Bedchamber
Lady of the Bedchamber
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Lady of the Bedchamber in the British Royal Household...
in 1851, and despite her own nervousness and lack of discretion, she became a close companion of Queen Victoria until her resignation in 1889. Her service was marred by her constant illnesses and fear of the Queen, but she proved a loyal and devoted servant, deferring to her royal mistress in all matters. Jane died on June 1, 1890 and is buried at Kensal Green cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early life
Jane was the daughter of James Hope-Vere, Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
, and Lady Elizabeth Hay. Through her cousin Elizabeth, Lady Douro
Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
Elizabeth, Duchess of Wellington was born Lady Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of the eighth Marquess of Tweeddale. One of her brothers was the ornithologist Viscount Walden, and another the Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay...
, she became a friend of Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, the first Duke of Wellington. On 29 October 1844, Jane Married John Loftus, the third Marquess of Ely
Marquess of Ely
Marquess of Ely, of the County of Wexford, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Charles Loftus, 1st Earl of Ely. He was born Charles Tottenham, the son of John Tottenham, who had been created a Baronet, of Tottenham Green in the County of Wexford, in the Baronetage of...
, and the couple spent much of their time on Ely's Irish estates, such as Loftus Hall
Loftus Hall
Loftus Hall is a large mansion house on the Hook peninsula, County Wexford, Ireland that is said to have been haunted both by the devil and by the ghost of a young woman....
in County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
, but they also visited the continent regularly. Jane developed friends in high places, including Queen Sophie of the Netherlands
Sophie of Württemberg
Princess Sophia Frederika Mathilde of Württemberg was Queen of the Netherlands as the first wife of King William III of the Netherlands.-Biography:...
and the Empress Eugénie
Eugénie de Montijo
Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox-Portocarrero de Guzmán y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo , was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
. Jane represented Queen Victoria at the birth of Empress Eugénie's son, Napoléon, Prince Imperial
Napoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial
Napoléon, Prince Imperial, , Prince Imperial, Fils de France, was the only child of Emperor Napoleon III of France and his Empress consort Eugénie de Montijo...
.
Attendance on Queen Victoria
Jane was appointed as a lady of the Queen's bedchamberLady of the Bedchamber
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Lady of the Bedchamber in the British Royal Household...
on 15 July 1851. Although hard-working, loyal and devoted, she lacked the knowledge and discretion required for the role. In 1855, Mary Bulteel, later the wife of the Queen's private secretary
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
Sir Henry Ponsonby
Henry Ponsonby
Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby GCB was a British soldier and royal court official who served as Queen Victoria's Private Secretary.-Biography:He was the son of the British Army general, Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby....
, disapproved of Jane's conduct, and commented that “Lady E[ly]. is more utterly the reverse from what she ought to be on this occasion than anybody can possibly conceive. I mean, I see she is preparing to be foolishly cringing to all the little miseries of etiquette...I quite long for somebody as the Queen's first lady with more natural dignity”. Despite her shortcomings, the Queen came to rely heavily on “Dearest Jane”, as she was referred to. The Queen required the utmost effort and devotion from her servants, and Jane followed this code of conduct with total deference to her royal mistress. However, her health suffered as a result, and it remained a constant burden throughout her waiting. In a letter from Henry Ponsonby
Henry Ponsonby
Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby GCB was a British soldier and royal court official who served as Queen Victoria's Private Secretary.-Biography:He was the son of the British Army general, Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby....
to Sir Thomas Biddulph, another courtier, he reported that Jane “was principally taken up with her own health”. Jane was also concerned about her own health, and in 1876, she confided to Ponsonby that “she cannot go on as it is, that it is killing her”, and he advised her to write to the Queen threatening to resign if her position was not made easier. The Queen relented, but continued to impose restrictions on Jane's contact with the outside world. Jane's son, who became the 4th Marquess on the death of his father in 1857, was anxious to visit, but the Queen would not allow him to. Instead, he requested an interview with Ponsonby about his mother's arduous duties; Ponsonby accepted, but Jane said “oh no, perhaps the Queen would not like it”. Ponsonby referred to this fear of the Queen as absurd, knowing that the Queen would not be angry with him for paying a visit to Jane's son.
Although her service was marred by her nervousness, and taxed her health, Jane Ely quickly became one of the Queen's most trusted attendants. The Queen referred to Jane as “almost one of ourselves”, which indicates the difference that Victoria liked to maintain between herself and non-royals. Jane became the most prominent of ladies that were recognised “agents” of the Queen, the others being Harriet Phipps and Horation Stopford. The role was exploited, especially in the royal household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
, where they found in Jane a useful advocate to the Queen when requesting approval for a course of action. The use of Jane as an unofficial secretary was widely acknowledged in society, and references to her are found in many letters from the aristocracy. When the Earl of Beaconsfield fell out with the Queen after he refused to meet Lord Chelmsford
Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford
General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford GCB, GCVO, was a British general, best known for his commanding role during the Anglo-Zulu war. The centre column of his forces was defeated at the Battle of Isandlwana, a crushing victory for the Zulus and the British army's worst ever...
, he wrote despairingly to Jane, with the probable intention that she would show it to the Queen, that “I love the Queen — perhaps the only person in this world left to me that I do love; and therefore you can understand how much it worries and disquiets me, when there is a cloud between us.”
Personal life
Jane's relationship with the Queen was close, but it became strained for a short period when rumours circulated that Jane was to remarry. Lord TorringtonGeorge Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington
George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington , was a British colonial administrator and courtier.Torrington was the son of Vice-Admiral George Byng, 6th Viscount Torrington, and succeeded his father in the viscountcy in 1831 at the age of eighteen. In 1847 he was appointed Governor of Ceylon, a post he...
mentioned the possibility of her remarriage to Robert St Clair-Erskine
Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn
Robert Francis St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn , styled Lord Loughborough until 1866, was a Scottish Conservative politician...
, Lord Loughborough, but shortly afterwards, Jane personally denied that there was any truth in it. Other suitors included Count Cavour, the Piedmontese
Piedmont-Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia or Sardinia, also Piedmont-Sardinia, Sardinia-Piedmont or Piemonte, refers to the states of the House of Savoy from 1720 or 1723 onwards, following the award of the crown of Sardinia to King Victor Amadeus II of Savoy under the Treaty of The Hague...
leader.
Following the marriage of Princess Louise
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
in 1871, Jane was asked to live with the Queen on a more permanent basis. She continued to serve until April 1889, when, following the death of her only son, she wrote to the Queen tendering her resignation, reporting that “this last blow has quite crushed” her. Following her resignation, she was granted the honorary title of Extra
Lady of the Bedchamber. On June 11, 1890, she died at her home at 22 Wilton Place, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and was interred next to her husband at Kensal Green cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
. The Queen was informed by a telegram from Jane's daughter, and she confided to her journal that she was “much upset. God knows what an awful loss she is to me. She was absolutely devoted to me and we were so intimate”.