Lilias Margaret Frances, Countess Bathurst

Earlier in 1905, before Lady Bathurst became the owner, Fabian Ware was made editor of The Morning Post.^[18] Shortly after beginning work, he came into conflict with Glenesk, who thought Ware should promote tariff reform less. Ware wrote asking Lady Bathurst to intervene and threatening to resign.^[16] When Glenesk died in November 1908, she became the owner of the paper. Although Spenser Wilkinson, the paper's lead writer, attempted to turn her against Ware,^[16] Ware eventually became Lady Bathurst's favorite editor.^[19]

When Lady Bathurst took ownership of the newspaper, it was reported that she was the only female newspaper owner in London,^[20] and by some papers that she was the only woman in the world to own a major newspaper.^[5] She focused The Morning Post on political and diplomatic affairs^[21] and was a dedicated Conservative.^[2] Borthwick played a large role in dictating the paper's policies. In 1922, it was written that "no line of importance is admitted to the columns without her 'O.K'".^[5] She was described in 1977 as having remained in "constant contact with its editor and with the latest political maneuvers and events."^[8] The historian Keith M. Wilson wrote in a history of The Morning Post that under her editorship the paper grew to "reflect her own character and outlook", noting that, in addition to being closely involved with editing, Lady Bathurst often contributed articles to the paper.^[10] However, she also sought to preserve the paper to be handed over to her children and was conservative in her management, unwilling to take risks.^[22]

In response to the perceived military deficiency of the United Kingdom and Germany's successful test of a

Upon the recommendation of Rudyard Kipling, Lady Bathurst appointed H. A. Gwynne editor of the paper in 1911.^[20][26][27] She stayed informed about important matters of the paper and generally supported Gwynne.^[2] Her father had been very successful running the paper; he developed a system to accept payment for coverage in social columns that was earning an estimated $500,000 per year for the paper by 1914. That year, The New York Times described the Morning Post under his control as "a capably conducted newspaper in all respects, conservative in its methods, and retaining possibly more editorial influence than any other London newspaper". The New York Times considered that Lady Bathurst ran the paper "with a success equal to her fathers".^[28]

In May 1914

Since the end of the war, the paper had not been financially performing as well as Lady Bathurst had hoped. Attempts at increasing its profits—and therefore her own income—were unsuccessful. After August 1922, the paper's finances were continually overdrawn, and Lady Bathurst herself was in increasingly poor financial condition.^[34] Coupled with a dramatic fall in circulation,^[2] in December 1922 she decided to sell the paper, assigning her son Allen Bathurst, Lord Apsley, to handle the negotiations. Negotiations with Rupert E. Beckett of The Yorkshire Post began in 1923, but were unsuccessful. On 7 April 1924 the paper was sold to Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland, and a consortium of prominent Conservatives for £500,000 (£30,338,968 in 2021).^[20][26]

Later life and death

After selling the paper she lived in relative obscurity, helping her son politically. Allen Bathurst died in 1942 and Seymour Bathurst the following year. She died on 30 December 1965 at the age of 94 in