Madame de Lavalette rented Market Lavington Manor House in the early years of the twentieth century. She brought with her her early Mercedes car and her chauffeur who, in the photo, sits in the driver’s seat outside the distinctive brickwork of the manor house. The other man is not known – perhaps a footman.
Early Mercedes belonging to Madame de Lavalette outside Market Lavington Manor – a photo at Market Lavington Museum
Market Lavington Museum has no information about Madame de Lavalette. The 1901 census shows a couple of people called Lavalette and the 1911 census has half a dozen, but none of them lived in Market Lavington.
If you know anything about this lady who must have brought one of the first cars to the Lavington area then please contact the curator.
Tags: car, Market Lavington, Museum, person, photograph
Market Lavington Museum 
April 1, 2013 at 5:49 am |
[…] The top name reads G de Lavalette. This was Georgina, Marquess de Lavalette and we can find her on the 1901 census as the head of house at Market Lavington Manor. We knew she rented the house for when Charles Awdry purchased the manor in 1902 he took on Georgina as a tenant. We know little of Georgina although we have seen her car on this blog – a fine Mercedes (click here). […]