Lady Margaret Sackville
Encyclopedia
Lady Margaret Sackville (24 December 1881 – 18 April 1963) was an English poet
and children’s author.
, Lady Margaret was the youngest child of Reginald Windsor Sackville, 7th Earl De La Warr
, who died when she was fourteen. She was a second cousin of Vita Sackville-West
.
She began to write poetry at an early age and at sixteen became a protegée of Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
. With his encouragement, she had her early poems published in periodicals such as The English Review
, the Englishwoman's Review
, Country Life
, The Nation, The Spectator
and the Pall Mall Gazette
. She published her first book of poems, Floral Symphony, in 1900. In 1910 she edited A Book of Verse by Living Women. In her introduction, she noted that poetry was one of the few arts in which women were allowed to engage without opposition and made a direct connection between women's social freedom and the freedom of the imagination.
When the Poetry Society
was formed in 1912, Lady Margaret was made its first president. She had also been the first president of its predecessor, the Poetry Recital Society, formed in 1909. Joy Grant, in her biography of Harold Monro
, writes that Lady Margaret "spoke well and to the point at the inauguration, hoping that the Society would 'never become facile and "popular", to turn to a merely trivial gathering of persons amiably interested in the same ideal'. Her half-expressed fears were unfortunately fulfilled: the direction in which the Society was heading soon became obvious — poetry was made an excuse for pleasant social exchanges, for irrelevant snobbery, for the disagreeable consequences of organised association."
She had a passionate 15-year love affair with Ramsay MacDonald
, recorded in letters they wrote to each other between 1913 and 1929. MacDonald repeatedly proposed to her, but she declined to be his wife. His biographer David Marquand
speculated that, although social considerations were a factor in her refusal, the main reason was that they were of different religions. Lady Margaret was Roman Catholic, while MacDonald was raised in the Presbyterian Church, later joining the Free Church of Scotland. Lady Margaret never married.
At the outbreak of World War I
, she joined the anti-war Union of Democratic Control
. In 1916 she published a collection of poems called The Pageant of War. It included the poem "Nostra Culpa", denouncing women who betrayed their sons by not speaking out against the war. Her sister-in-law, Muriel De La Warr, and her nephew, Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr
, were also involved in the peace movement. Her brother, Gilbert Sackville, 8th Earl De La Warr, was killed during the conflict in 1915. The spare and angry strength of Lady Margaret's war poems has attracted recent critical attention. Brian Murdoch notes the absence of overt patriotic elements in The Pageant of War and its memorialisation of all the dead: soldiers, non-combatants and refugees.
She spent much of her adult life in Midlothian
and Edinburgh
, where she became the first president of Scottish PEN
and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
. She was a member of Marc-André Raffalovich
's Whitehouse Terrace salon
, where she would meet guests like Henry James
, Compton Mackenzie
and the artist Hubert Wellington. In 1922 she published "A Masque of Edinburgh." This was performed at the Music Hall, George Street, Edinburgh
, and depicted the history of Edinburgh in eleven scenes from the Romans to a meeting between the poet Robert Burns
and the writer Sir Walter Scott
. She lived at 30 Regent Terrace
, Edinburgh, from 1930 to 1932.
In 1936 Lady Margaret moved to Cheltenham
, where she lived for the rest of her life. She died of a heart condition at Rokeby Nursing Home, Cheltenham, in 1963.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and children’s author.
Life
Born at 60 Grosvenor Street, MayfairMayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, Lady Margaret was the youngest child of Reginald Windsor Sackville, 7th Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr is a title created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1761.In the United States, Thomas West, 3rd baron is often named in history books simply as Lord Delaware. He served as governor of the Jamestown Colony, and the Delaware Bay was named after him...
, who died when she was fourteen. She was a second cousin of Vita Sackville-West
Vita Sackville-West
The Hon Victoria Mary Sackville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH , best known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author, poet and gardener. She won the Hawthornden Prize in 1927 and 1933...
.
She began to write poetry at an early age and at sixteen became a protegée of Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt was an English poet and writer. He was born at Petworth House in Sussex, and served in the Diplomatic Service from 1858 to 1869. His mother was a Catholic convert and he was educated at Twyford School, Stonyhurst and at St Mary's College, Oscott...
. With his encouragement, she had her early poems published in periodicals such as The English Review
The English Review
The English Review was an English-language literary magazine published in London from 1908 to 1937. At its peak, the journal published some of the leading writers of its day.-History:...
, the Englishwoman's Review
Englishwoman's Review
The Englishwoman's Review was a feminist periodical published in the United Kingdom between 1866 and 1910.Until 1869 called in full The Englishwoman's Review: a journal of woman's work, in 1870 it was renamed The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions.One of the first feminist...
, Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
, The Nation, The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
and the Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
. She published her first book of poems, Floral Symphony, in 1900. In 1910 she edited A Book of Verse by Living Women. In her introduction, she noted that poetry was one of the few arts in which women were allowed to engage without opposition and made a direct connection between women's social freedom and the freedom of the imagination.
When the Poetry Society
Poetry Society
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry".The Society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society in 1912...
was formed in 1912, Lady Margaret was made its first president. She had also been the first president of its predecessor, the Poetry Recital Society, formed in 1909. Joy Grant, in her biography of Harold Monro
Harold Monro
Harold Edward Monro was a British poet, the proprietor of the Poetry Bookshop in London which helped many famous poets bring their work before the public....
, writes that Lady Margaret "spoke well and to the point at the inauguration, hoping that the Society would 'never become facile and "popular", to turn to a merely trivial gathering of persons amiably interested in the same ideal'. Her half-expressed fears were unfortunately fulfilled: the direction in which the Society was heading soon became obvious — poetry was made an excuse for pleasant social exchanges, for irrelevant snobbery, for the disagreeable consequences of organised association."
She had a passionate 15-year love affair with Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
, recorded in letters they wrote to each other between 1913 and 1929. MacDonald repeatedly proposed to her, but she declined to be his wife. His biographer David Marquand
David Marquand
David Ian Marquand FBA, FRHistS, FRSA is a British academic and former Labour Party Member of Parliament .Born in Cardiff, Marquand was educated at Emanuel School, Magdalen College, Oxford, St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and at the University of California, Berkeley...
speculated that, although social considerations were a factor in her refusal, the main reason was that they were of different religions. Lady Margaret was Roman Catholic, while MacDonald was raised in the Presbyterian Church, later joining the Free Church of Scotland. Lady Margaret never married.
At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she joined the anti-war Union of Democratic Control
Union of Democratic Control
The Union of Democratic Control was a British pressure group formed in 1914 to press for a more responsive foreign policy. While not a pacifist organization, it was opposed to military influence in government.-World War I:...
. In 1916 she published a collection of poems called The Pageant of War. It included the poem "Nostra Culpa", denouncing women who betrayed their sons by not speaking out against the war. Her sister-in-law, Muriel De La Warr, and her nephew, Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr
Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr
Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, GBE, PC, DL, JP , styled Lord Buckhurst until 1915 , was a British politician. He was the first hereditary peer to join the Labour Party and became a government minister at the age of 23...
, were also involved in the peace movement. Her brother, Gilbert Sackville, 8th Earl De La Warr, was killed during the conflict in 1915. The spare and angry strength of Lady Margaret's war poems has attracted recent critical attention. Brian Murdoch notes the absence of overt patriotic elements in The Pageant of War and its memorialisation of all the dead: soldiers, non-combatants and refugees.
She spent much of her adult life in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, where she became the first president of Scottish PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
. She was a member of Marc-André Raffalovich
Marc-André Raffalovich
Marc-André Raffalovich was a French poet and writer on homosexuality, best known today for his patronage of the arts and for his lifelong relationship with the poet, John Gray.-Early life:...
's Whitehouse Terrace salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
, where she would meet guests like Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
, Compton Mackenzie
Compton Mackenzie
Sir Compton Mackenzie, OBE was a writer and a Scottish nationalist.-Background:Compton Mackenzie was born in West Hartlepool, England, into a theatrical family of Mackenzies, but many of whose members used Compton as their stage surname, starting with his grandfather Henry Compton, a well-known...
and the artist Hubert Wellington. In 1922 she published "A Masque of Edinburgh." This was performed at the Music Hall, George Street, Edinburgh
George Street, Edinburgh
Situated to the north of Princes Street, George Street is a major street in the centre of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Laid out from 1767 as part of James Craig's plan for the New Town, George Street was named in honour of King George III.-Geography:...
, and depicted the history of Edinburgh in eleven scenes from the Romans to a meeting between the poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
and the writer Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
. She lived at 30 Regent Terrace
Regent Terrace
Regent Terrace is a residential street of 34 classical 3-bay townhouses built on the tail of Calton Hill in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Regent Terrace is within the Edinburgh New and Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1995.- Houses :...
, Edinburgh, from 1930 to 1932.
In 1936 Lady Margaret moved to Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, where she lived for the rest of her life. She died of a heart condition at Rokeby Nursing Home, Cheltenham, in 1963.
Works
- Floral Symphony (1900)
- Poems (1901)
- A Hymn to Dionysus and Other Poems (1905)
- Hildris the Queen: A Play in Four Acts (1908)
- Fairy Tales for Old and Young (1909) with Ronald Campbell Macfie
- Bertrud and Other Dramatic Poems (1911)
- Jane Austen (1912)
- Lyrics (1912)
- More Fairy Tales for Old and Young (1912) with Ronald Campbell Macfie
- Short Poems (1913)
- Songs of Aphrodite (1913)
- The Career Briefly Set Forth of Mr. Percy Prendergast Who Told the Truth (1914)
- The Dream-Pedlar (1914)
- The Travelling Companions and Other Stories for Children (1915)
- The Pageant of War (1916)
- Three Plays for Pacifists (1919)
- Selected Poems (1919)
- Poems (1923)
- A Rhymed Sequence (1924)
- Three Fairy Plays (1925)
- Collected Dramas: Hidris, Bertrud (1926)
- Romantic Ballads (1927)
- Epitaphs (1926)
- Alicia and the Twilight: A Fantasy (1928)
- 100 Little Poems (1928)
- Twelve Little Poems (Red Lion Press 1931)
- Ariadne by the Sea (Red Lion Press, 1932)
- The Double House and Other Poems (1935)
- Mr. Horse's New Shoes (1936)
- Collected Poems of Lady Margaret Sackville (1939)
- A Poet Returns: Some Later Poems by Lady Margaret Sackville (1940) edited by Eva DobellEva DobellEva Dobell was a British poet, nurse, and editor, best known for her poems on the effects of World War I and her regional poems.-Biography:...
- Tom Noodle's Kingdom (1941)
- Return to Song and Other Poems (1943)
- Paintings and Poems (1944)
- The Lyrical Woodland (1945)
- Country Scenes & Country Verse (1945)
- Miniatures (1947)
- Tree Music (1947)
- Quatrains and Other Poems (1960)