WOMEN OF NORFOLK
www.icenimagazine.co.uk
Issue 91 2020
Women Of Norfolk Mary Cecil (1857 - 1919) Born Mary Rothes Margaret TyssenAmhurst on April 25th 1857 in Didlington Hall (near Swaffham), Norfolk, she was commonly known as ‘May’ among family. Her surname was changed to Tyssen-Amherst in 1877 (reasons for changing the ‘u’ in ‘Amhurst’ to an ‘e’ are unknown, it could be to adhere to spelling errors of their name over the years). Her father was William Tyssen-Amherst and her mother was Margaret Susan Mitford. Mary’s family came from wealthy Flemish traders who had come to own property in Hackney (London) and Norfolk. Her father was a collector of books and artefacts, especially of Egyptian origin - this was a huge influence on the young Mary. The collection of antiquities was (at one time) one of the largest in England. Mary’s mother, Margaret, was a talented wood carver (with many of her works decorating Didlington Hall) and an amateur surgeon; noted for her skills in needlework. One of seven daughters, Mary was homeschooled by tutors on the guidance of her mother and father. She was taught in the arts (painting, music), domestic arts (coined ‘culture of domesticity’, covering cookery, needlework etc.) and also horsemanship. On the persistence of her parents, she was also taught the importance of childhood education, caring for the poor and the significance in establishing institutions that fostered the health and welfare of society. Influenced by her father’s collection, Mary became interested by Ancient Egypt at a young
age and would spend most of her time within the museum that her father had built within the family estate. In 1871, Margaret and William took the young Mary to Egypt (which had recently opened up to tourism). However, they did not travel commercially and instead went by private car of Isma’il Pasha (Khedive ‘Sutlan’ of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 to 1879). While in Egypt, they stayed at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo and made trips to the pyramids, Saqqara (an ancient burial ground) and Suez. During this trip, Mary began to sketch local birds, camped in the desert and toured the palace of Inji Hanim (Isma’il Pasha’s aunt through marriage to his uncle, Sa’id Pasha). In 1885, Mary went on to marry Colonel Lord William Cecil, the son of the 3rd Marquess of Exeter and together had four sons: William Cecil (1886-1914, killed at the Battle of the Aisne), Thomas James Cecil (18871955), John Francis Amherst Cecil (1890-1954) and Henry Mitford Cecil (1893-1962). In 1892, Mary’s father, William, was appointed the 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney for his membership of the House of Commons, which he served on multiple occasions. However, William had no male heirs and so a special remainder was granted allowing Mary to success him as 2nd Baron Amherst of Hackney (styled Lady William Cecil, Baroness Amherst of Hackney). This remainder would allow the title of Baron to be passed onto any male heir that Mary would produce in the future. Some time after, William became in debt when he was defrauded by his solicitor and was forced to sell his vast collection and a large portion of estate to settle
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