Marie Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon

A 1916 charity stamp for the Bombay Presidency War and Relief Fund organised by Lady Willingdon.

Marie Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon GBE CI DStJ (24 March 1875 — 30 January 1960) was born as Marie Adelaide Brassey, a daughter of Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey. On 20 July 1892, she married Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), the future Governor General of Canada and Viceroy of India. They had two children, Lieutenant Gerard Frederick Freeman-Thomas (3 May 1893 – 14 September 1914), killed, aged 21, in the First World War, and Inigo Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Willingdon (25 July 1899 – 19 March 1979).

Honours

She was:

• Invested as an Imperial Order of the Crown of India (C.I.) in 1917^[1]
• Decorated with the Kaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal
• Invested as a Dame of Justice, Venerable Order of Saint John (D.J.St. J.)
• Decorated with the Order of Mercy.^[2]
• Invested as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in December 1917^[3]
• Invested as a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1924 Birthday Honours^[4]

Legacy

• Marie Canyon on the Cowichan River, Vancouver Island, is named for her, commemorating a 1930 canoe trip from Cowichan Lake down that river to the city of Duncan, British Columbia.^[5]
• The Lady Willingdon Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan is named after her
• The Lady Willingdon Hospital in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India is named after her. www.manalihospital.com

References

1. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29886. p. 6. 29 December 1916. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
2. The London Gazette: no. 27555. p. 3277. 22 May 1903. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
3. The London Gazette: no. 30413. p. 12680. 4 December 1917. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
4. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32941. p. 4417. 30 May 1924. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
5. Paterson, T.W. "Chronicles: A name is a name...so long as it's spelled right".

External links

• Profile at ThePeerage.com