Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria from 1883 to 1885. She also served as one of the acting Mistresses, along with the Duchess of Bedford, from 1892 to 1895 while the position was vacant. The Mistress of the Robes was always a Duchess and attended Queen Victoria on every State occasion. She had precedence over every lady of the Court and when in residence, presided at the Household table. She looked over and passed on the Queen’s personal bills sent to her from the Robes Office. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the Mistress of the Robes was a political appointment and changed when the political party of the government changed.

Born Lady Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill on Lower Brook Street in Mayfair, London, on November 14, 1854, she was the daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Frances Vane, and she had ten siblings:

Anne’s father served as Lord Steward of the Household from 1866 to 1867, and Lord President of the Council from 1867 to 1868. He later served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1876 until 1880.

James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe. source: Wikipedia

On June 11, 1874, Anne married James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford (later the 7th Duke of Roxburghe). He was the son of James Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe and Susanna Dalbiac (a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1865 to 1895).  Anne and her husband had seven children:

  • Lady Margaret Innes-Ker (1875-1900) – married James Orr-Ewing, had issue
  • Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe (1876-1932) – married Mary Goelet, had issue
  • Lady Victoria Innes-Ker (1877-1970) – married Charles Hyde Villiers, had issue
  • Lady Isabel Innes-Ker (1879-1943) – married the Hon. Guy Greville Wilson, no issue
  • Lord Alastair Innes-Ker (1880-1959) – married Anne Breese, had issue
  • Lady Evelyn Innes-Ker (1882-1949) – married William Fellowes Collins, had issue
  • Lord Robert Innes-Ker (1885-1959) – married (1) Charlotte Cooney, no issue; (2) Eleanor Woodhead, no issue

In 1883, Anne was appointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria, during the liberal government led by Prime Minister William Gladstone. She served until 1885 when the Conservative party returned to power. When Gladstone returned as Prime Minister in 1892, the position of Mistress of the Robes remained vacant, as no one would accept the position due to Gladstone’s policy of Home Rule in Ireland. For the next three years, Anne, along with the Dowager Duchess of Atholl, fulfilled the duties of the role, although neither was formally appointed.

In 1897, Anne was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and served until the Queen died in 1901. In later years, she christened the RMS Mauretania, then the largest ship in the world; and served as President of the Haddingtonshire branch of the British Red Cross Society during World War I. She was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in King George V’s 1919 New Year’s Honours.

Kelso Abbey. photo: By Eddie Mackinnon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9565642

After a lengthy illness, the Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe died on June 20, 1923 at her daughter Evelyn’s home on South Audley Street, Mayfair, London. She is buried at Kelso Abbey in Scotland, near Floors Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Roxburghe.

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