Anglo-Irish noblewoman, yachtswoman and antiquarian
Lady Constance Mary Butler (26 March 1879 – 20 April 1949) was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman, yachtswoman and antiquarian. Medical volunteer work during World War I led to a later career in radiography.
Both of her parents were active in yachting,[2] and Lady Constance was recognized as a "keen yachtswoman" and a "wonderful swimmer."[3] "Lady Ormonde and her daughter always wear, when yachting, the most severely simple and workmanlike clothes."[2] She was also considered a beauty among the noblewomen of her generation,[4] and what she wore (on dressier occasions than yachting) was reported in detail on society pages.[5]
She and her sister attended the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, seated in a box set aside for "personal friends of the Queen and Queen Alexandra."[6] During World War I she managed a Red Cross depot for medical and surgical supplies,[7] and collaborated with Bishop John Henry Bernard on translating, editing, and publishing the Charters of Duiske Abbey.[8]
Later in life, Lady Constance Butler remained interested in medical work, and became an expert on radiography, heading the x-ray department at St. Andrew's Hospital in London by 1924.[9][10]
Personal life
Although she and her sister could not (as women) inherit their father's title and properties, in 1898 they inherited a comfortable London house, land in County Tipperary,[11] and a fortune from another relative, the last Lord Lismore, whose sons died young.[3] Lady Constance Mary Butler died in 1949, aged 70 years.