Lady Beryl Marjorie Johnson

   Another name for Beryl was Hobson.

  General Notes:

Beryl was greatly appreciated by many people from all walks of life for her spiritedness and courage. She grew up in Cheshire with two sisters (Doreen and Yvonne) and a brother (Reginald). At school, she devel-oped a passion for tennis and won doubles at Junior Wimbledon two years running. As a debutante, she was presented at Court, pronounced a beauty, and sought in marriage by a number of eligible beaux. She was drawn to the tall and hand-some John Hobson from an old Northamptonshire family.

The outbreak of war pro-pelled them into marriage, resulting in four children born within six years-Edwina as the eldest, Charles who died aged 4 months, Caroline and Sarah.

Life in her 30s was marked by raising her daughters with the help of Nan in post-war rural England. Despite rationing, there was no shortage of food for the Hobson family, thanks to the gardens and orchard of Cogenhoe Close. In the long summer evenings, the sound of tennis was frequently heard along with cries of delight or despair as the ball hit a rough spot on the bumpy grass court and a point was lost or gained.

The family moved to London when husband John entered Parliament. Beryl carried out - but did not relish - the duties thrust upon her as a politician's wife, particularly when John was made Attorney General. The media atten-tion drove her mad (she once told a journalist who had been repeatedly phoning for an interview that her favorite hobby was 'eating worms'). As John worked all hours of the day and night, she was fortunate to have two of her greatest friends-Betsy Muir and Ginny Hussey-living in London.
Spring and summer brought welcome escape to Tulliemet in Scotland, with great gath-erings of family and friends to walk the moors for grouse, stalk deer, and fish for trout and salmon. Beryl was a keen fisherwoman, spending hours in her waders in the river, flouting convention by using a spinner in place of a fly.

One of the lowest periods of her life came when John died of a brain tumor, and Beryl was widowed at the age of 48. Within the next 18 months, she also lost her brother, whom she adored, and her father, with whom she was very close. Never one to openly express her emotions-'Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone' was a maxim she steadfastly lived by-Beryl struggled to come to terms with her loss and to find meaning in life for herself. The turning point came when she moved to Woodbine House in Paxford, where she settled for the rest of her life. Her days revolved around gardening and helping others-working at Kiftsgate Gardens and the Home Farm Trust, acting as second mother to friends who sought her advice and support, building a strong relationship with her grandchildren, and play-ing an active role in the village.

Beryl is remembered for many things. Generous and fair, she was very practical in her approach to life. A sense of order was all important to her, as evidenced by her immac-ulate home and garden, where nothing was out of place. In this, she was greatly assist-ed by Sheila, Geoffrey and Philip, who became part of the Hobson household. She also looked to her sons-in-law, Julian and Andrew, to help take care of her financial affairs and matters of the soul.

Beryl loved social order as well, and was well versed in family trees and titles, country estates, and National Trust homes. Her volume of Who's Who was ready to hand, along with her horticul-tural and gardening reference books. But she wasn't a snob. She was never happier than standing at a garden stall, selling plants that she had potted herself, and engaging people she had never met in conversation about their lives and interests. Even in her last days at Cheltenham hospital, she was telling stories to the nurses. 'I like to make people laugh,' she explained. 'I'm 84 and I've had a very good life.'

Beryl leaves behind daughters Edwina, Caroline and Sarah, sons-in-law Julian, Andrew and Hinton, grandchildren Charles, David, Toby, Kate, Aidan, Francesca and Kieran, and great-grandchildren Rosie, Jack, Alex, William, George, Freddie, Nadya and Felix.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Aged 11 3/4:

• Tennis:

Beryl married The Rt Hon Sir John Gardiner Sumner Hobson OBE TD QC PC MP, son of Lt Col Gerald Walton Hobson CMG, DSO and Wynifred (Wynnie) Hilda Muir, on 9 Dec 1939 in Chester Cathedral.³ (The Rt Hon Sir John Gardiner Sumner Hobson OBE TD QC PC MP was born on 18 Apr 1912 in Long Clawson Hall, Melton Mowbray,⁴ died on 4 Dec 1967 in London and was buried in Wappenham, Towcester, Northants.)