Dorothea Ponsonby
{{Short description|English writer (1876–1963)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}
File:Miss Dorothea Parry (1876-1963), married April 12th 1898.jpg
Dorothea "Dolly" Ponsonby, Baroness Ponsonby of Shulbrede ({{nee|Parry}}; 1876 – 11 July 1963), was an English writer and close friends of the Llewelyn Davies and du Maurier families. She was the mother of Elizabeth Ponsonby of the Bright Young Things.
Biography
Dorothea "Dolly" Parry was born in 1876, the daughter of Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet and Lady Elizabeth Maude Herbert (1851–1933). Her sister was Gwendoline Maud Parry.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
On 12 April 1898 she married Arthur Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede and had two children: Hon. Elizabeth Ponsonby (1900–1940, married John Denis Cavendish Pelly) and Matthew Ponsonby, 2nd Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede (1904–1976).{{cite web|title=Miss Dorothea Parry (1876-1963), married April 12th 1898|url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/2907539/miss-dorothea-parry-1876-1963-married-april-12th-1898|website=The Royal Collection Trust|accessdate=19 January 2018}}
In 1917, together with her husband, she wrote Rebels and Reformers.
She was a close friend of the Llewelyn Davies' family, a connection that started with her mother, Elizabeth Maude Herbert, who was friends (and admirer) of Margaret Llewelyn Davies, and Dolly became friends with Arthur Llewelyn Davies and in particular close friend with Sylvia du Maurier. She was also a close friend of J. M. Barrie.{{cite book|last1=Dudgeon|first1=Piers|title=The Real Peter Pan: The Tragic Life of Michael Llewelyn Davies|date=2015|publisher=Biteback Publishing|page=310|isbn=9781849549257|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HpppCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT310|accessdate=19 January 2018}}
Death and legacy
Dorothea Ponsonby died on 11 July 1963. She left a body of letters and her diaries which provide a useful insight into her life and the notable people that she socialised with.{{cite book|author=Piers Dudgeon|title=Captivated: J. M. Barrie, Daphne Du Maurier and the Dark Side of Neverland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FN0AM3N3qSMC&pg=PA312|date=8 June 2011|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-1-4464-7657-4|pages=312–}}
References
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Category:20th-century English women writers
Category:20th-century English writers
Category:English letter writers
Category:English women letter writers