page_title: Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland
section_title: Marriage and death
hierarchical_section_title: Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland / Marriage and death
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Henry John Brinsley Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland
context_page_description: Marion Margaret Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland was a British artist and noblewoman. A granddaughter of the 24th Earl of Crawford, she married Henry Manners in 1882. She was styled the Marchioness of Granby from 1888 to 1906, when Manners succeeded as Duke of Rutland. She had five children, including the 9th Duke of Rutland and the socialite Lady Diana Cooper.
  Though she had no formal training as an artist, the Duchess painted portraits of her social circle. Many of her works were displayed at various major art exhibits in the UK, including the Grosvenor Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the New Gallery. Violet was also a prominent member of The Souls, an aristocratic social circle that favoured intellectual pursuits and avant-garde artistic tastes. Known for her beauty, she was the subject of many paintings. Watts Gallery Trust acquired a beautiful Watts portrait of her in Dec 2016. Inspired by the acquisition, John Julius Norwich donated over 40 of Violet's own drawings, including a self-portrait and a portrait of Harry Cust. She became engaged in sculpting after the death of her elder son Robert in 1894.
context_section_description: At the age of 26, she married Henry Manners on 25 November 1882. He was the only son and heir of John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland. Husband and wife had little in common; the handsome Henry was a political Conservative whilst Violet was described as "bohemian". She provided him with two male heirs, but her second and third daughters were possibly fathered by others: Lady Violet by Montagu Corry, 1st Baron Rowton and Lady Diana by Harry Cust. The couple also moved in different social circles, as he enjoyed hunting and she pursued more intellectual interests.
  Henry became the Marquess of Granby in 1888. In 1906 he succeeded his father as the 8th Duke of Rutland; Lady Granby became the Duchess of Rutland. During World War I, the Duchess converted her London house at 16 Arlington Street into a hospital. Her daughter Diana, a prominent socialite, served as a nurse at the house. Violet's son-in-law, Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho, died during the war, though her only surviving son was spared from fighting at the front.
  The Duke of Rutland died in 1925, and was succeeded in the dukedom by their second and only surviving son, John. The Duchess of Rutland died on 22 December 1937 and was buried at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire.
caption: Henry Manners, by Violet Manners
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