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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 12, 2009, 01:54:54 PM »

Victoria’s visits to Russia:

1884 – for Ella’s wedding Father, Ernie and Alix
1886 – to visit Ella with Father, Ernie and Alix and Irene
1890 – to visit Ella at Ilinskoye with Father, Ernie and Alix
1896 – for Coronation - at Ilinskoye with both Ella and Alix
1901 – Ilinskoye and Peterhof
1905 – for Sergei’s funeral
1906 – to visit Ella then Alix 
1907 – to visit Ella at Ilinskoye
1908 – with Ella at laying of foundation stone for convent – St. Petersburg – Estonia
1912 – with Alix at Peterhof
1914 – with Ella on Volga voyage – saw Alix briefly

Victoria therefore made regular visits to Russia over a period of thirty years.  She must have loved her sisters, and enjoyed their company very much.  As expected, her visits increased after Ella was widowed and she was there for significant occasions in both sisters’ lives.   

I am sure that her opinions on Russia and the Russians, if known, would make interesting reading. 

Thanks for all the contributions.   

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Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Young Alix - Before her Marriage

« on: March 12, 2009, 11:08:33 AM »

I have found that Margaret Jackson was well established in the family by 1873 as she looked after the children, with Mrs Orchard, when Princess Alice went to Italy.

According to Christopher Warwick: "Miss Jackson was everything a good, , intelligent and God-fearing protestant governess should be.”  His portrayal of the woman is completely different to that given by Queen Victoria's letter.  “Miss Jackson instilled in her charges lifelong values of respect, moral integrity, honesty and responsibility.” She shared these values with Princess Alice. She disliked gossip, both good and bad, as did Princess Alice.  She was also forward thinking in her ideas about girl's education.  Margaret Jackson's qualities make her an ideal teacher for the daughters of the Princess.

The only negative note is from Carolly Erickson who uses the word irascible as a description, but then adds that she is: "liberal and cultivated."

This irascibility must be the bad temper that the Queen refers to.

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 11, 2009, 02:38:13 PM »

Victoria's visits to Russia:

1884 – for Ella's wedding
1896 – for Coronation - at Ilinskoye with both Ella and Alix
1901 – Ilinskoye and Peterhof
1905 – for Serge’s funeral
1906 – to visit Ella then Alix 
1908 – with Ella at laying of foundation stone for convent – St. Petersburg – Estonia
1912 – with Alix at Peterhof
1914 – with Ella on Volga voyage – saw Alix briefly

Thank you Teddy, Keith and Helen. I began the list in answer to a question from Ingrid Alexie but am finding this subject quite interesting.

Over a span of thirty years Victoria made eight visits to Russia. These visits became fairly frequent when she had two sisters living there. So far there are no recorded visits to Ella and Serge during the first twelve years of their marriage.

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 11, 2009, 10:26:52 AM »

Apologies, I have typed 1917 instead of 1914.

Is anyone aware of any other visits missing from my list?   

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 11, 2009, 04:34:00 AM »

Victoria’s visits to Russia:

1884 – for Ella’s wedding
1896 – for Coronation - at Ilinskoye with both Ella and Alix
1905 – for Serge’s funeral
1906 – to visit Ella then Alix 
1908 – with Ella at laying of foundation stone for convent – St. Petersburg – Estonia
1917 – with Ella on Volga voyage – saw Alix briefly

Did she attend Alix’s wedding?

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 10, 2009, 04:28:09 PM »

Victoria of Battenburg was in Russia in 1906, staying with Ella then Alix.  On September 22nd 1907 she had a long talk about Russia with Emily Loch. She was saddened by the disasters that had struck the Romanovs.

The previous year she had attended the funeral of Grand Duke Serge.

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Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Young Alix - Before her Marriage

« on: March 10, 2009, 04:10:38 PM »

Thank you for quoting this letter.  I wonder if Queen Victoria was speaking from personal experience, or had others relayed this information to her.

I assume that Margaret Jackson had an easier character when she first became Alix’s Governess.  If not it was unlikely that she would have been chosen for that role.

Do you know if she had worked with the older Hesse girls as well?

Was a different person found to replace Miss Jackson?

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Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Young Alix - Before her Marriage

« on: March 09, 2009, 04:21:33 PM »

The only source of information I have is the Emily Loch book.

I myself would like to know what brought Queen Victoria to this conclusion.

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 09, 2009, 04:09:48 PM »

yeah mabe who know

By the way, I have found Lord Mountbatten’s birth weight recorded in Hessian Tapestry. He was over eight pounds.

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 09, 2009, 03:20:02 PM »

Thank you for clarifying my mistakes Grandduchessella.

As Russka Princess has read the Vickers biography she will know Queen Victoria noted that Alice was a very small baby. 

But it does not follow that Louis was larger or heavier.

but lets go back to VHM

Dickis birth i think was not soo easy for her i mean she became Dicki with 37 years.

Even though she was thirty-seven when she had Louis, Victoria could very well have had an easy labour.  There may be information about his birth in the Zeigler biography.       

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Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Young Alix - Before her Marriage

« on: March 09, 2009, 02:48:48 PM »

May I ask why you are specifically interested in Ms Jackson?

Thomas, I was reading the paragraph about Margaret Jackson in the Emily Loch book when there was a post about the relationship between the Empress and her court on a different thread.

I wondered why would coming from a small German Court be seen as a social disadvantage? Princess Alix was able to enjoy dancing and games and also ‘lively conversation.’ Therefore she could have adapted to the Russian Court and perhaps tolerated a different style of behaviour to what she was used to.

Her Governess was a serious minded person and the theory that Miss Jackson’s influence affected Alix’s view of the world seemed reasonable to me.   

I wondered if this had been discussed previously.


The replies from both you and Helen were very interesting to me, as I know little of her Alix’s friends and mentors.

Miss Jackson was a devout protestant who had left a previous post because her employer had become a Roman Catholic.  She also may have had some influence on the development of Alix’s religious beliefs.

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 09, 2009, 04:47:38 AM »

Not always...Eddy was kind of small...

I hope my correction doesn't offend you but Victoria of Battenburg's youngest son was Louis not Eddy.

Where did you find the information that he was small at birth?

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 09, 2009, 04:44:10 AM »

I am sorry, my post has appeared out of order.

well the first birth is always heavy than the others.

Are you making that observation from experience?

Like Victoria of Battenburg I have had four children and the birth of my first child was easier than that of my youngest.

Have you read any biographies of Lord Mountbatten? ‘Eighty years in pictures’ only gives the date, time and place of his birth.

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The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven- part II

« on: March 08, 2009, 06:01:48 PM »

Are you making that observation from experience?

Like Victoria of Battenburg I have had four children and the birth of my first child was easier than that of my youngest.

Have you read any biographies of Lord Mountbatten? ‘Eighty years in pictures’ only gives the date, time and place of his birth.

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Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Young Alix - Before her Marriage

« on: March 08, 2009, 05:44:23 PM »

I have used the search engine and scanned the thread but I cannot find any mention of Princess Alix’s Governess.

As Margaret Jackson was in daily contact with the young Princess for several years she must have had some considerable influence on her.

In Emily Loch’s memoirs there is a paragraph devoted to this.

Miss Jackson’s influence is seen in a negative light and blamed for the distaste that the Empress had for society.

Apparently Queen Victoria herself eventually came to think that Miss Jackson was not a fit person to be with Alix.

In ‘Alexandra The Last Tsarina’ she is a liberal and cultivated Governess who believes that girls should have the same education as boys.

Has the effect of Margaret Jackson’s principles on Princess Alix ever been explored on this forum?