Nina Ogilvie-Grant, 12th Countess of Seafield

The Right Honourable
The Countess of Seafield
Nina Seafield
Born
Lady Nina Caroline Ogilvie-Grant

(1906-04-17)17 April 1906
Nice, France
Died30 September 1969(1969-09-30) (aged 63)
Marylebone, London, England
NationalityBritish
Spouse
Derek Studley-Herbert
​
​
(m. 1930; div. 1957)​
ChildrenIan Ogilvie-Grant, 13th Earl of Seafield
Lady Pauline Ogilvie-Grant
Parent(s)James Ogilvie-Grant, 11th Earl of Seafield
Nina Townend

Nina Caroline Ogilvie-Grant, 12th Countess of Seafield (17 April 1906 – 30 September 1969) was a Scottish peeress and landowner.

Early life

Cullen House, seat of the Earl of Seafield

Nina Seafield was born on 17 April 1906 in Nice, Provence, France.[1] She was the only child of James Ogilvie-Grant, 11th Earl of Seafield and the New Zealand heiress Mary Elizabeth Nina Townend (1876–1962).[2] One of the family seats was Castle Grant, Morayshire.[3] She rented out the castle to American financier and railroad executive George Jay Gould in 1922.[4] She was a friend of Nancy Mitford and especially close with Mark Ogilvie-Grant, a cousin who at one point considered marrying her.[5][6]

Her paternal grandparents were Francis William Ogilvie-Grant, 10th Earl of Seafield and the former Anne Trevor Corry Evans. Her maternal grandparents were Dr. Joseph Henry Townend and Harriet (née Cox) Townend, of Christchurch.[7][8]

Peerage

Her father was killed in action on 12 November 1915 in France during World War I and Nina succeeded, suo jure, to the earldom of Seafield in the Peerage of Scotland. Her uncle, Trevor Ogilvie-Grant, succeeded to the barony of Strathspey in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, and as Chief of the Clan Grant.[2]

Personal life

On 2 January 1930, Lady Seafield's engagement was announced to Derek Herbert Studley-Herbert (1907–1960),[3] son of John Tatchell Studley and Beatrice de Chair.[7] They married on 24 January 1930 in London. Before their divorce in 1957, they were the parents of:

  • Ian Derek Francis Ogilvie-Grant, 13th Earl of Seafield (born 1939), who married firstly Mary Dawn Mackenzie Illingworth, daughter of Henry George Coats Illingworth (son of Sir Percy Illingworth), in 1960. They divorced in 1971 and he married secondly Leila Refaat, daughter of Mahmoud Refaat, in 1971.[7]
  • Lady Pauline Anne Ogilvie-Grant (1944–2010),[9] who married firstly her brother-in-law James Henry Harcourt Illingworth in 1964. They divorced in 1970 and she married secondly Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 6th Baronet in 1972. They were divorced in 1976 and she married thirdly Hugh Richard Sykes in 1976. They too divorced and she married finally David John Nicholson in 1989.[7]

A month after her divorce, her engagement to Armar E. Archbold was announced. Archbold, heir to a Standard Oil fortune, however, died before they were wed.[10]

Her former husband died of cancer on 26 March 1960 in Jamaica.[9] Lady Seafield died of cancer in a London hospital on 30 September 1969 and was succeeded in the earldom of Seafield by her only son Ian.[10][11]

Reputed wealth

The Countess of Seafield was allegedly the second richest woman in Britain after Queen Elizabeth II.[12] At the time of her death, she was said to have earned $250,000 a year and owned "300 square miles in the shires of Banff, Moray and Inverness."[10] She owned Cullen House and Castle Grant, but spent most of her time in Paris and the Bahamas where she owned properties.[10][13]

References

  1. ^ "James Ogilvie-Grant". Lincoln University Living Heritage: Tikaka Tuku Iho. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "EARL OF SEAFIELD KILLED.; Was a Captain in Cameron Hlghlanders and Chief of His Clan". The New York Times. 16 November 1915. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (3 January 1930). "COUNTESS OF SEAFIELD IS REPORTED ENGAGED; Wealthy Scottish Peeress Said to Be Betrothed to Derek S. Herbert, Eton Athlete". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  4. ^ TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (16 July 1922). "HISTORIC CASTLE IN THE HIGHLANDS LEASED BY GOULD; Principal Seat of the Earls of Seafield, Chiefs of Clan Grant, Since 1701. THE KING'S FAVORITE MOORS Red Deer So Plentiful That Lawn Mowers Are Superfluous on Castle Grounds. LAST EARL KILLED IN WAR Vast Estates Now Held by Trustees for His Daughter, Lady Nina, Not Yet of Age". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  5. ^ Hastings, Selina (2012). Nancy Mitford. Random House. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4481-1241-8.
  6. ^ Thompson, Laura (2015). Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78497-088-8.
  7. ^ a b c d Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3552.
  8. ^ "ROMANCE of THE SEAFIELD PEERAGE". Sunday Times. 16 August 1925. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Lady Pauline Ogilvie-Grant Nicholson; Aristocrat". The Herald. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d Times, Special to The New York (1 October 1969). "Countess of Seafield Is Dead; Wealthy Scottish Landowner". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Wealthiest Peeress Dies, Aged 63". EveningStandard. 30 September 1969. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  12. ^ "The Londoner's Diary". Evening Standard. 16 March 1957. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  13. ^ Times, della Denman Special to The New York (27 January 1974). "An Earl's Estate Becomes a Luxury Retreat". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Countess of Seafield
1915–1969 		Succeeded by