The Right Honourable

The Countess of Kimberley
Frances Margaret Irby at her Court Presentation in June 1906
Born
Frances Margaret Irby

1 December 1884
Died4 January 1950(1950-01-04) (aged 65)
OccupationSocialite
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1905; div. 1910)​
    James Fountayne Montagu
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1910; div. 1921)​
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1922; died 1941)​
      ChildrenMaj. Morgan George Crofton
      John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley
      Parent(s)Howard Irby
      Mary Brandling

      Frances Margaret Wodehouse, Countess of Kimberley (1 December 1884 – 4 January 1950) was an English socialite and member of the Bright Young Things.[1] She married three times, always with members of the British aristocracy.[2] She scandalized society when she went to live with her future second husband without waiting for her divorce to be effective.[3]

      Biography

      Frances Margaret Irby was the only daughter of Lt.-Col. Leonard Howard Loyd Irby and Mary Brandling.[4]

      Since her presentation at court on 1 June 1906, presented by Lady de Blaquiere,[5] Irby, according to the journals of the time, showed to be somewhat wild. She married three times.[3]

      On 12 December 1905, Frances Margaret Irby married Sir Morgan George Crofton, 6th Baronet (1879–1958), son of Capt. Edward Hugh Crofton and Isabel Annie Julia Miller; they divorced on 8 April 1910. They had one son, Major Morgan George Crofton (1907–1947).[4] Irby left Crofton for James Montagu without waiting for the divorce, creating a huge scandal, since she went to live with Montagu.[3]

      On 22 October 1910 she married James Fountayne Montagu (1887–1971) of Papplewick Hall, son of James Wilson Montagu and Laura Adeline Thellusson; they divorced 1921.[4]

      On 5 May 1922 she married John Wodehouse, 3rd Earl of Kimberley, son of John Wodehouse, 2nd Earl of Kimberley and Isabel Geraldine Stracey.[6] When they married, reporters asked the question "Can Lord Wodehouse's Love Tame His Lively Bride?"[3] They had one son, John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley (1924–2002).[4]

      Lady Kimberley died on 4 January 1950.[4]

      References

      1. ↑ "Eminent Victorian". The Guardian: 19. 23 May 1928. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
      2. ↑ Vanderbilt, Gloria Morgan; Furness, Thelma (2017). Double Exposure: A Twin Autobiography. Pickle Partners Publishing. p. 197. ISBN 9781787204393. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
      3. 1 2 3 4 "Can Lord Wodehouse's Love Tame His Lively Bride? - 16 Jul 1922, Sun • Page 21". The Ogden Standard-Examiner: 21. 1922. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
      4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
      5. ↑ "Court Dress". The Lafayette Negative Archive. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
      6. ↑ New York Times 6 May 1922 "LORD WODEHOUSE WEDS MRS. FRANCES MONTAGU; Bride of Polo Player and ex-Member of Parliament Had Been Married Twice Before" Page 7
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