Lady Gwendolen Mary Anne Stuart (Fitzalan-Howard) played a significant part in the development of Castell Coch.
Gwendolen Fitzalan-Howard (1854 – 1932) was the daughter of The 1st Baron Howard of Glossop and granddaughter of The 13th Duke of Norfolk.
She was engaged to John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute in February 1872 and the couple married on 16 April 1872.
Gwen left her beloved father, stepmother and five siblings to live with John in Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute. The couple travelled extensively and made regular visits to Cardiff.
The new Lady Bute was an accomplished horsewoman who enjoyed pony carriage driving and rowing. Gwen also loved acting and reading aloud.
John preferred his title to his surname and was known as Lord Bute, or simply “Bute”. Lady Gwendolen Mary Anne Stuart was therefore known as Lady Bute.
There are a handful of photos of Lady Bute. For this first article I’ve chosen two photos from the National Gallery for Scotland.
I’ve digitally cleaned up and cropped both these photos to present a cleaner image but the originals are shown at the end of the article with links to the original source.
Portrait of a Woman
This photo is unidentified on the National Gallery for Scotland website but it’s clearly Lady Bute.
There’s a related image of Lord Bute that shows him as a young man.
This portrait was used in newspapers around the time of their wedding.
The couple were married in Brompton Oratory and travelled to Cardiff later that day. They were greeted by various dignitaries as they disembarked the train.
Crowds cheered the happy couple as they travelled through the town in an open carriage. Cardiff was decorated with arches, painted cloths and coats of arms.
Gwendolen Fitzalan-Howard
This photo looks very similar to the portraits that were released to the press ahead of her wedding.
It was taken by Alexander Bassano, the famous royal and high society photographer.
Lord and Lady Bute had four children:
- Lady Margaret Crichton-Stuart (24 December 1875 – 6 June 1964)
- John, 4th Marquess of Bute (20 June 1881 – 16 May 1947)
- Lord Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart (15 May 1883 – 2 October 1915)
- Lord Colum Edmund Crichton-Stuart (3 April 1886 – 18 August 1957)
Bute died in 1900 at the age of 53. After her husband’s death, Gwen lived in Castell Coch with Margaret for a short period.
Gwen didn’t remarry and died in 1932 at the age of 77.
Lady Bute played a significant part in the development of Castell Coch. I’m struggling to find sources for this story so stay tuned but be patient for part 2!
Sources
The Grand Designer: Third Marquess of Bute by Rosemary Hannah is an amazing book that contains lots of information about Lady Bute.
- The Grand Designer: Third Marquess of Bute – Rosemary Hannah 2012
- High Street decorated for the wedding of the 3rd Marquess of Bute, Cardiff, 1872 – People’s Collection Wales
Both of these amazing photos are from the National Gallery for Scotland.
