Alford, Lady Marian (1817-1888)

Lady Marian Alford, 1817-1888, painted by Sir Francis Grant in 1841. On display at Belton House, Lincolnshire. Lady Marian Alford, 1817-1888, painted by Sir Francis Grant in 1841. On display at Belton House, Lincolnshire. Copyright National Trust Collections, acc. no. NT 435959.

Marianne Margaret Compton, Viscountess Alford (generally known as Lady Marian Alford), was an art patron and author, who was particularly known for her work to support embroidery and the Royal School of Needlework. She was the author of Needlework as Art, an influential book published in 1886.

Marian Alford was also the editor of The Handbook of Embroidery (written by Letitia Higgins; 1880, available here), and the author of a booklet called The Handbook of Art Needlework for the Royal School, South Kensington (1880).

Lady Marian was the oldest daughter of Spencer Compton, the 2nd Marquess of Northampton and his wife, Margaret. She was born in Rome and spent much of her childhood in Italy. Her family came back to England in 1830. Lady Marian married John Hume Cust, son of the 1st Earl Brownlow. Lady Marian was an accomplished artist, who was particularly interested in embroidery and its history and how women had used embroidery as a form of employment. She was involved in the setting up and running of what became the Royal School of Needlework (London).

She also helped in promoting the high-quality Madeira embroidery in Britain, which was developed by Bella Phelps on the island of Madeira.

Source: SURTEES, Virginia, 'Egerton, Marianne Margaret, Viscountess Alford [known as Lady Marian Alford] (1817–1888),' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

National Trust Collections online catalogue (retrieved 18 June 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Sunday, 13 November 2016 18:36