Frances Horner

Frances Jane Horner, Lady Horner (née Graham), was born on 28 March 1854 and died on 1 March 1940. She was a British social figure, associated with the intellectual and artistic circle known as the "Souls," and a patron of the arts.

Her parents were William Graham (1817–1885) and Jane Catherine (née Lowndes; born between 1819 and 1820, died 1899). William Graham was involved in the importation of dry goods from India and Graham's port from Portugal; he also served as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow from 1865 to 1874. Frances was the sixth child and the fourth daughter in her family. She had two older brothers, Rutherford and William, who both died young in 1872—Rutherford aged 23 from diphtheria and William aged 17 from an accidental morphine overdose. Her younger sister, Agnes Graham, married Herbert Jekyll, brother of garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.

Frances was educated at home by governesses, initially at Langley Hall near Manchester and later at a residence in Lowndes Square, London. Her father’s involvement with trade and the arts, particularly his patronage of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, connected her to notable artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. Burne-Jones, who was married, became infatuated with Frances and depicted her in several artworks. Notably, at age 15, she was portrayed as "The Lady of the Window" in Burne-Jones's "Vita Nuova" in 1869. In 1880, she appeared in Burne-Jones's "The Golden Stairs," carrying cymbals. She has been described as an important woman in his life, second only to his wife, daughter, and mistress Maria Zambaco.

In 1883, she married John Francis Fortescue Horner (1842–1927), a barrister and member of the Horner family estate at Mells Manor and Mells Park near Frome in Somerset. Her husband held positions such as Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant, and served as High Sheriff of Somerset in 1885. He was also one of the Commissioners of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues from 1895 to 1907. Frances was elevated to Lady Horner in 1907 when her husband was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

The couple had four children: Cicely Margaret Horner (1883–1972), who married George Lambton, fifth son of the 2nd Earl of Durham; Katharine Frances Horner (1885–1976), who married Raymond Asquith, son of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith; Edward William Horner (1888–1917), who was killed during World War I; and Mark George Horner (1891–1908), who died of scarlet fever. After 1900, the family moved from Mells Park to the more manageable Manor House. Mells Park was destroyed by fire in 1917 and was subsequently rebuilt based on a design by architect Edwin Lutyens for the McKenna family; Pamela Jekyll, her niece, was the wife of Reginald McKenna.

As a hostess at Mells, Lady Horner entertained members of the "Souls," including Edwin Lutyens, H. H. Asquith, and R. B. Haldane. She was known for her patronage of artists and her artistic involvement, including embroidery work. One of her embroidery designs by Burne-Jones, titled "L'Amor che mouve il Sole e Faltre Stelle" (from Dante’s Divine Comedy), is displayed in St Andrew's Church, Mells. The same church features a stained glass window by William Nicholson, commissioned as a memorial to her husband, and a large equestrian statue of her son Edward Horner, with a bronze figure by Alfred Munnings, installed in 1923 on a plinth designed by Lutyens, with lettering by Eric Gill.

Horner commissioned additional artworks for Mells, including two shelters designed by Lutyens and inscriptions by Gill in memory of her son Mark. The village also contains works by Lutyens, such as the Mells War Memorial unveiled in 1921.

Later in her life, Lady Horner served as a Justice of the Peace and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1919. After her husband's death, she continued to reside at Mells with her daughter Katharine Asquith. She published her memoirs, titled "Time Remembered," in 1933. In 1939, she was living at Mells with her daughter Katharine and grandchildren Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, and Lady Helen Asquith. The house is presently the residence of Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith.