Lady Grizel Winifred Louisa Cochrane

Lady Grizel Winifred Louisa Cochrane
Born	14 May 1880 St George Hanover Square, London
Died	5 December 1976(1976-12-05) (aged 96)[1] Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Known for	Hunting
Spouse(s)	Lt.-Col. Hon. Ralph Gerard Alexander Hamilton, Master of Belhaven (m.1904-1918; Killed in action)
Parents	Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald (father) Winifred, Countess of Dundonald (mother)

Lady Grizel Winifred Louisa Cochrane (later, Hamilton) (1880–1977) was a Welsh and Scottish aristocrat. She was the daughter of Winifred, Countess of Dundonald and Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald and the wife of Lt.-Col. Hon. Ralph Gerard Alexander Hamilton, Master of Belhaven, who died in action during the First World War, she was a famous huntress.

International travel

Along with her husband, she was a keen huntress, to which, she'd often travel to Kenya, Africa to embark on her big game hunting. Some of the animals she killed were; hippopotamus, wildebeest, leopard, rhinoceros, waterbuck, cape buffalo, her hunts were extensively covered in popular magazines and newspaper articles.^[2][3]

Personal life

Born in, St George Hanover Square, London, she spent most of her childhood at Gwrych Castle, Abergele, Wales.

On the 1st of March 1904 (which landed on Saint David's Day), Grizel married Ralph Gerard Alexander Hamilton, Master of Belhaven at Henry VII Chapel, London. Their marriage was the first ever to be held at the venue during lent, breaking a long held tradition.

The service was arranged by her mother, Winifred, Countess of Dundonald. the event was kept small due to the chapel's limited space and quiet due to it being lent, the altar was decorated with annunciation lilies. Hanging over the stall was the naval flag of Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (who was her great grandfather), on the flag rested a wreath tied with a white satin bow. Her father was absent from her wedding due to his military duties in Canada, in-lieu of this, her uncle Thomas Cochrane walked her down the isle and then her mother gave her away.^[4][5]

In the last year of WWI, Grizel became a widow when her husband was killed in action on Easter Sunday by a shell on the Western front, this affected her greatly as she never remarried.^[6][7]

In 1933, she was invited to open a £30,000 (~£1.7 million in 2021 after inflation) swimming pool at Rhos-on-Sea, Wales.^[8]

References