Lady Dorothy Mills
Encyclopedia
Lady Dorothy Rachel Melissa Walpole Mills (born 11 March 1896 in London
, England
; died 4 December 1959 in Brighton
, England
) was an author of both novels and accounts of her many travels and explorations.
, London
, United Kingdom
, the daughter of Robert Horace "Robin" Walpole, the 5th and final Earl of Orford
, and Countess Louise Melissa Corbin of the United States. Her half sister is Lady Anne Berry
(née Walpole), the English and New Zealand
horticulturist who founded Rosemoor Garden
, Devon
.
Lady Dorothy married Captain Arthur F. H. Mills
of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
after he was wounded in the First World War in 1916, being presented at the ceremony with a wedding ring made from a bullet that had been surgically removed from his ankle after he was wounded in combat at La Bassée
, France
. Mills was also an author of both fiction and non-fiction titles. They later divorced in 1933 after he was discovered having an adulterous affair.
, the Bosphorous, Arabia, and Venezuela
. She is believed to be the first "white woman" to visit Timbuktu
, as described in her travelogue The Road to Timbuktu [Duckworth & Co.: London, 1924].
After being severely injured in a car accident in 1929, she recovered and resolved to become the first to discover the source of the Orinoco River in 1931, leading to her book, The Country of the Orinoco [Hutchinson & Co.: London, 1931]. While planning a trip to Egypt and the Middle East, her father, Lord Walpole, died in Manurewa
, Auckland
, New Zealand
, on 27 September 1931.
, Washington, a millionaire railroad and agricultural tycoon who mistrusted the Earl.
After her husband, Arthur, did not contest her filing for a divorce decree in London in 1932, it was finally granted in 1933. Lady Dorothy "retreated to a quite and private life" at the seaside Steyning Mansions Hotel at Eastern Terrace in Brighton
, publishing no more books before her death in 1959.
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; died 4 December 1959 in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was an author of both novels and accounts of her many travels and explorations.
Family
She was born in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the daughter of Robert Horace "Robin" Walpole, the 5th and final Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1697 in favour of the naval commander Edward Russell, who served three times as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was created Baron Shingay and Viscount Barfleur at the same time...
, and Countess Louise Melissa Corbin of the United States. Her half sister is Lady Anne Berry
Lady Anne Berry
Lady Anne Sophia Berry is an English and New Zealand horticulturist who founded Rosemoor Garden. She offered the garden to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1988. In 1990 she married Bob Berry and went to live on his farm at Tiniroto, Gisborne, New Zealand...
(née Walpole), the English and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
horticulturist who founded Rosemoor Garden
Rosemoor Garden
Rosemoor Garden is an internationally renowned collection of gardens in North Devon, England. The Lady Anne Palmer created the original garden of in 1959, and developed it over a 30 year period. The garden was first opened to the public in 1967, under the National Gardens Scheme...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Lady Dorothy married Captain Arthur F. H. Mills
Arthur F. H. Mills
Arthur Frederick Hobart Mills is one of a family of authors. His father, Arthur Mills , was a Tory and an expert of colonial economies and governance. The senior Mills' India in 1858 is still in print and accurately describes the political and economic conditions in India after the Indian...
of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
after he was wounded in the First World War in 1916, being presented at the ceremony with a wedding ring made from a bullet that had been surgically removed from his ankle after he was wounded in combat at La Bassée
La Bassée
La Bassée is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-History:La Bassée was the birthplace of the painter and draftsman Louis-Léopold Boilly .-References:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Mills was also an author of both fiction and non-fiction titles. They later divorced in 1933 after he was discovered having an adulterous affair.
Career
Her travel adventures took her to places such as LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, the Bosphorous, Arabia, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. She is believed to be the first "white woman" to visit Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
, as described in her travelogue The Road to Timbuktu [Duckworth & Co.: London, 1924].
After being severely injured in a car accident in 1929, she recovered and resolved to become the first to discover the source of the Orinoco River in 1931, leading to her book, The Country of the Orinoco [Hutchinson & Co.: London, 1931]. While planning a trip to Egypt and the Middle East, her father, Lord Walpole, died in Manurewa
Manurewa
Manurewa is the southernmost major suburb of Manukau City, one of the four cities that make up the metropolitan area of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 6km south of the Manukau City Centre, and 26km southeast of the Auckland CBD....
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, on 27 September 1931.
Retirement
Her father's death allowed Lady Dorothy to access a trust fund left to her in 1918 by her American grandfather, Daniel Chase Corbin, of SpokaneSpokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
, Washington, a millionaire railroad and agricultural tycoon who mistrusted the Earl.
After her husband, Arthur, did not contest her filing for a divorce decree in London in 1932, it was finally granted in 1933. Lady Dorothy "retreated to a quite and private life" at the seaside Steyning Mansions Hotel at Eastern Terrace in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, publishing no more books before her death in 1959.