Dorothy Wood, Countess of Halifax

Dorothy Evelyn Augusta Wood, Countess of Halifax (née Onslow; 7 February 1885 – 2 February 1976), styled as the Lady Irwin from 1925 until 1934, was a British aristocrat, courtier, and Vicereine of India. Born at Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, London, she was the daughter of William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow, Governor-General of New Zealand, and Hon. Florence Gardner, the daughter of Alan Gardner, 3rd Baron Gardner.[1][2] Her brother, Richard William Alan Onslow, was a prominent politician and succeeded to the Earldom of Onslow.[3][4]

She was the wife of Viceroy and Governor-General Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax. They had five children. She held the office of Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.[2][5]

Having succeeded the Countess of Reading in 1926 (and Viscountess Goschen in 1929), she was succeeded, as Viceregal-Consort of India, by The Countess of Willingdon in 1931.

  1. ^ "Halifax, Dorothy Evelyn Augusta Wood". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke’s Peerage & Gentry. p. 1729. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1
  3. ^ Vulliamy, C. E. (1953). The Onslow Family 1528–1874: with some account of their times. London. Chapman & Hall.
  4. ^ Morris, Susan; Bosberry-Scott, Wendy; Belfield, Gervase, eds. (2019). "Onslow". Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Vol. 1 (150th ed.). London: Debrett's Ltd. pp. 3895–3905. ISBN 978-1-9997670-5-1
  5. ^ Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).: House of Commons official report. H.M. Stationery Office. 1971. p. 347.