RENE LLEWELLYN A Legendary Fondness For All
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By Denis Cotter
ore than three decades have gone by since an indomitable English woman, Rene Llewellyn, (1906-1991) passed away. She lived in the Middleburg area from the time she arrived in the U.S. in 1945 and was a constant force for good in her adopted American home town.
Rene’s local charitable resume includes founding the Windy Hill Foundation that provides more than 300 affordable housing units for lower income families in Loudoun and Fauquier counties, starting the local chapter of FISH, which helps residents with financial problems pay essential bills for utilities, rent and much more, and helping found Seven Loaves that aids food insecure families. Born in central London, Irene Eleanor Franks was the second child of Arthur and Florence Franks. She had a sister Iris, just 15 months older. Her father’s profession is listed on her baptismal certificate as “draper.” When they were 19 and 20, respectively, Rene (pronounced Ree-Nee) and Iris were debutantes, presented at Court to King George V and Queen Mary in July, 1925. In 1929, Rene married Eric Burt, son of the managing director of an old established printing firm, Wyman and Sons. Rene and Eric had one child in 1932, their son Kenneth. As a young mother, Rene threw herself into charitable work with her society hostess friends, many of them titled.
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MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE| Winter 2024
