Lady Rachel Pepys

Lady Rachel Pepys
DCVO
Lady Rachel Pepys DCVO
Born	Lady Mary Rachel Fitzalan-Howard; 27 June 1905; St James's, Westminster
Died	17 August 1992 (aged 87); Burgess Hill, West Sussex
Spouse(s)	Colin Keppel Davidson (m. 1939⁠–⁠1943) ; Anthony Pepys (m. 1961⁠–⁠1967)
Children	Duncan Davidson; Harriet Mary Sefi
Parent(s)	Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk; Gwendolen Constable-Maxwell, 12th Lady Herries of Terregles

Lady Mary Rachel Pepys, DCVO (née Fitzalan-Howard, 27 June 1905 – 17 August 1992) was an English courtier from the Howard family. She was lady-in-waiting to Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, from 1943 to 1968.

Early life

Lady Mary was born at Norfolk House, St James's Square, the eldest child of Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk (1847–1917), and his second wife, Gwendolen Constable-Maxwell,^[1] who was a peeress in her own right as 12th Lady Herries of Terregles.^[2]

Marriage and issue

On 31 July 1939, Lady Mary married Lt. Col. Colin Keppel Davidson CIE OBE, son of Col. Leslie Davidson and Lady Theodora Keppel, daughter of the 7th Earl of Albemarle. They had two children:^[2]

Duncan Henry Davidson (b. 1941), Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II 1955–57; founder of Persimmon plc.
Harriet Mary Davidson (b. 1942), who married Michael Sefi, the current Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection.

Her husband was killed in Tunisia during the Second World War.^[2]

On 9 November 1961, she married Brig. Anthony Hilton Pepys, a descendent of diarist Samuel Pepys, but he died just six years later.^[2]

Later life

Lady Pepys retired from the Duchess of Kent's household in 1962. She later lived at Highfield House, Crossbush Lane, Arundel. She served as governor of St Philip's Catholic Primary School in Arundel.

She died in 1992, aged 87 at St George's Retreat, a nursing home run by Augustinian sisters near Burgess Hill, West Sussex.^[3] Her funeral was held at Arundel Cathedral and attended by two of the Duchess's children, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent.^[4]

References

^ "The Duchess of Norfolk – Birth of a Daughter". London Evening Standard. 28 June 1905. p. 7. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2911. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
^ "Lady Pepys Dies". Littlehampton Gazette. 21 August 1992. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Royal Mourners for Lady Pepys". Littlehampton Gazette. 28 August 1992. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2024.

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