Social Victorians/People/Brienen

Also Known As

 * Family name: van Brienen or de Brienen
 * Baron A. N. F. M. van Brienen du Groote Lindt of Wassenaar
 * de Brienen

Demographics

 * Nationality: Dutch

Residences

 * 15 Great Stanhope Street, London (1892–1897, at least) (etc.)
 * 5 Belgrave Square, the Baroness purchased the house of the "late Countess of Shaftesbury" (1898–)
 * Klingendaal, The Hague

Family

 * Baron Arnoud Nicolaas Justinus van Brienen (18 July 1839 – )
 * Baroness
 * Baroness Irene Blanche Nicolette van Brienen (5 November 1883 – 21 April 1974)
 * Marguerite de Brienen, sometimes called Margaret in the papers
 * Lily de Brienen
 * Daisy de Brienen
 * Other daughters

Relations

 * Mme de Brienen's brother was Baron de Tyull, who died c. June 1893.
 * In 1904 Irene Blanche Nicolette van Brienen married Hon. Cyril Augustus Ward (1876–1930), 5th son of William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley.
 * A newspaper report for 15 October 1890 says that Mdlle. de Brienen was one of several cousins of Lady Florence Harris, who was sister of the 4th Earl of Malmesbury.

Miss de Brienen

 * Lady Helen Mary Theresa Vane-Tempest-Stewart (daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Londonderry)
 * Lady Margaret Frances Susan Innes-Kerr (eldest daughter of Anne Duchess of Roxburghe)
 * Lady Alice Adeliza Hervey (daughter of Marquess and Marchioness of Bristol)
 * The Hon. Violet and the Hon. Dorothy Maud Vivian (daughters of Lady Louisa Vivian)
 * Hon. Bridget Harbord (daughter of Lord and Lady Suffield)
 * Miss Enid Wilson (daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilson)

Organizations
Baron de Brienen: "one of the guardians of the young queen of Holland (1897).

Timeline
Baroness de Brienen and one or more of her daughters attended a great many social events at this time.

1890 March 14, Friday, Baroness de Brienen, Miss de Brienen, and Miss Marguerite de Brienen attended a Queen's Drawing Room hosted by Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace. (5, Col. 7b)

1890 June 27, Friday, the de Brienens were present at the Duchess of Westminster's garden party at Grosvenor House. (5, 3b)

1890 October 15, Wednesday, Mdlle. de Brienen was one of six bridesmaids of Lady Florence Harris as she married Sir Charles Grant. The sentence about the bridesmaids suggests that some of them, including Mdlle. de Brienen, were cousins: "It was a very pretty wedding, the bridesmaids being six charming children, Miss Daisy Baillie and Miss Rose Carew, nieces of the bride, Countesses Irene and Elsa Lützow, Mdlle. de Brienen, and Hon. Molly Manners, cousins of the bride, who were very prettily dressed in pale blue bengaline redingotes of Louis XV. style, trimmed with pale blue feathers, and large felt hats trimmed feathers to match." According to the Morning Post, the Mdlle. de Brienen in the wedding party was Irene de Brienen and Molly Manners was the bride's cousin, not any of the others. (5, Col. 6b)

1891 November 3, the St. James's Gazette reports that "It is proposed to hold an international exhibition in connection with sporting and fishing, and of horses, at Scheveningen, near The Hague, next summer, under the patronage of the Queen of the Netherlands. A committee has been appointed to organize the exhibition, and the Queen has selected Baron A. N. F. M. van Brienen du Groote Lindt of Wassenaar to be commissary-general of the committee."

1895 May 8, Wednesday, Baroness de Brienen, Miss de Brienen and Miss Marguerite de Brienen attended a Queen's Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace hosted by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Wales. (5, Col. 6c–7a.)

1896 April 25, Saturday, Miss de Brienen was one of eight bridesmaids of Lady Evelyn Cecilia Curzon-Howe as she married Mr. J. Eyre "of Shaw Park, Berkshire." The other bridesmaids were "Lady Helen Mary Theresa Vane-Tempest-Stewart (daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Londonderry), Lady Margaret Frances Susan Innes-Kerr (eldest daughter of Anne Duchess of Roxburghe), Lady Alice Adeliza Hervey (daughter of Marquess and Marchioness of Bristol), Miss Brienen (daughter of Mrs. De Brienen), the Hon. Violet and the Hon. Dorothy Maud Vivian (daughters of Lady Louisa Vivian), Hon. Bridget Harbord (daughter of Lord and Lady Suffield) and Miss Enid Wilson (daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilson).

1896 July 11, in the column "Overheard by the Little Bird," The Gentlewoman says, "At the Hague — 'I hope it is not true that Miss Lily de Brienen was seriously hurt when bicycling last week.'"

1897 July 2, Baron and Baroness de Brienen and Miss de Brienen attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House.

1899 May 18, Thursday, Baroness de Brienen, Lily de Brienen, and Marguerite de Brienen attended a State Ball at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball
At the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball, a Miss de Brienen (at 259) was among the goddesses. Baron Brienen is at 465, and Baroness Brienen is at 466.

Questions and Notes

 * 1) Irene de Brienen was 14 years old at the time of the ball, so the Miss de Breinen is not likely her.
 * 2) A newspaper report for 15 October 1890 says that Mdlle. de Brienen was one of several cousins of Lady Florence Harris, who was sister of the 4th Earl of Malmesbury. I see nothing in The Peerage to help make the connection.
 * 3) Baron Arnaud van Brienen apparently kept a stable and bred horses.