Grubb, Joan Mary

Birth Name Grubb, Joan Mary
Gender female
Age at Death 78 years, 6 months, 3 days

Narrative

From Wikipedia:

Joan Mary de Sales La Terriere (1889–1968) was an Irish socialite and equestrienne, born in County Tipperary. She was one of the early luminaries of show jumping.
Early life and career

She was born at Castle Grace, County Tipperary, the estate of her father Samuel Grubb,[1][2] a member of the local gentry.[3] Her mother was Alice Hannah Binney.[4]

As Joan Grubb, she first came to public attention by abandoning the convention of riding sidesaddle, as was expected of women. She was the first woman to ride astride at the Olympia London International Horse Show,[5] where her 'gentleman's' style of riding caused controversy, she persisted in doing so at other international competitions. Mark Bence-Jones in his book Twilight of the Ascendancy, described the then Joan Grubb as one of the "fast women" who was viewed with suspicion for their contempt for the traditional role of women.[6] She became friends with other outspoken women of her day, including Dorothea Conyers and Constance Markievicz.[7]

Her riding career was cut short at the outbreak of World War One, where she served as an ambulance driver with the Red Cross. She married Gerard Arthur O'Callaghan on 14 October 1914. He was the son of a General and served as an officer in the 18th Irish Regiment in the First World War. He was killed at Flanders on 24 May 1915.[8][4] After the war she married her second husband,[9] Lieut. Col. F.J.B. de Sales La Terriere, a Scotsman.[10]
Divorce and death

After the war, Joan de Sales La Terriere again came to public attention by going to the House of Lords in London to have her marriage to Lieut. Col. de Sales La Terriere dissolved through a private members bill.[11] The marriage was duly dissolved. This was to be the last dissolution of an Irish marriage for over 70 years, until divorce again became legal in Ireland after its 1995 Referendum on Divorce.

She had two children with La Terriere, Tara and Roderick (Rory named after Rory O'Connor was killed during World War two.[12]) As she was a woman without religion[13] she was buried in the grounds of her home, Kiltinan Castle in 1968.[14][4]

References

Castle Grace
"Royal Blood", Genealogy of Grubb, de Sales La Terriere.
The Tipperary Gentry, Hayes, W.J. Vol 1. Grubb
Joan Mary Grubb. "Person Page". www.thepeerage.com.
[1], Fethard-Killusty Annual Emigrants' Newsletter, 1988: Joan de Sales La Terriere
Twilight of the Ascendancy, Mark Bence-Jones: see 'Grubb' & 'de Sales La Terriere'.

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Grubb, Samuel RichardSeptember 26, 1855September 6, 1921
Mother Binney, Alice Hannah1864August 29, 1955
    Brother     Grubb, Richard Raymond de Cruce June 11, 1886 December 28, 1970
         Grubb, Joan Mary July 30, 1889 February 2, 1968

Families

Family of O'Callaghan, Gerard Arthur and Grubb, Joan Mary

Married Husband O'Callaghan, Gerard Arthur ( * + May 24, 1915 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage October 14, 1914      

Family of La Terriere, Francis de Sales and Grubb, Joan Mary

Married Husband La Terriere, Francis de Sales ( * + ... )
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
La Terriere, TaraAugust 22, 1919
La Terriere, RoderickNovember 21, 1922October 29, 1944

Family Map

Family Map

Source References

  1. 1911 Ireland Census