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Nellie Lisa Melles, 2nd Baroness Burton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lady Burton
Lady Burton in 1916
Born
Nellie Lisa Bass

(1873-12-27)27 December 1873
Rangemore, England
Died28 May 1962(1962-05-28) (aged 88)
Spouse(s)James Evan Bruce Baillie (1894-1931; his death)
William Eugene Melles (d. 1953)
Children3
Parents
FamilyBass family

Nellie Lisa Melles, 2nd Baroness Burton (née Bass, formerly Baillie; 27 December 1873 – 28 May 1962) was a British heiress and art collector. She succeeded her father as the second Baron Burton.

Early life and family

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Lady Burton was born Nellie Lisa Bass on 27 December 1873 in Rangemore to Michael Bass, a brewer and Liberal politician, and Harriett Georgina Thronewill, an heiress of the Thornewill and Warham company. Lady Burton's grandfather, Michael Thomas Bass, served in the British Parliament. Her great-great grandfather, William Bass, founded Bass Brewery. Her father was created a baronet, of Stafford in the County of Stafford, by Queen Victoria in 1882. In 1886, he was created the first Baron Burton.

Adult life

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In 1894, she married Colonel James Evan Bruce Baillie, of Dochfour in Inverness-shire, with whom she had three children.[1] Upon her first marriage, she received a gold snuff box from the Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.[2] Her husband died in 1931. She married a second time to Major William Eugene Melles.[3] Her second husband died in 1953.

As her father had no sons, Lady Burton succeeded her father, as a hereditary peeress by virtue of a special remainder from 1897,[4][5] as the second Baron Burton in 1909.[6] She and her mother lived in Grosvenor Square following her father's death.[7]

She was an art collector and consigned woven tapestries from 1760 and 1783 that were designed by Jean-François de Troy.[8][9] She also owned two sculptures, of a nymph and of cupid, designed by Étienne-Maurice Falconet.[10]

She sold Chesterfield House to Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles in 1919 and Rangemore Hall to the Staffordshire County Council in 1949.

Lady Burton died in 1962.[10] Her son, Brigadier George Evan Michael Baillie, was killed during World War II, leaving her to be succeeded to the barony by her grandson, Michael Baillie, 3rd Baron Burton.[4][11]

References

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  1. ^ "Lady Burton". Every Woman's Encyclopaedia.
  2. ^ "A SWISS OR GERMAN VARI-COLOUR GOLD SNUFF-BOX". Christie's.
  3. ^ "Nellie Lisa (née Bass), 2nd Baroness Burton - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk.
  4. ^ a b "Obituary, Lord Burton". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. ^ "A LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED TULIPWOOD AND AMARANTH TABLE DE NUIT". Christie's.
  6. ^ "Nellie Lisa (née Bass), 2nd Baroness Burton". npg.org.uk.
  7. ^ "Grosvenor Square: Individual Houses built before 1926 Pages 117-166 Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings)". British History Online. LCC 1980. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Tapestry". December 25, 1760 – via Victoria & Albert Museum.
  9. ^ "Tapestry". December 25, 1783 – via Victoria & Albert Museum.
  10. ^ a b "Nellie Bass Melles, 2nd Baroness Burton (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection)". The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection.
  11. ^ "Lord Burton of Dochfour". heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 4 June 2013.