Rose Paterson
Rose Paterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 August 1956 Northumberland, England |
| Died | 24 June 2020 (aged 63) |
| Occupation(s) | Business leader, philanthropist, auction expert |
| Known for | Chairman of Aintree Racecourse, first female chairman of Jockey Club Racecourses |
Rose Emily Paterson (Template:Née; 13 August 1956 – 24 June 2020) was a notable British business leader, philanthropist, and served as chairman of Aintree Racecourse.
Early life
Born on 13 August 1956 in Northumberland, Rose Emily Paterson was the daughter of the 4th Viscount Ridley and Lady Anne Lumley, herself the daughter of the 11th Earl of Scarbrough. Her lineage included her great-grandfather, Sir Edwin Lutyens, through his daughter Ursula. Among her relatives was her uncle, Nicholas Ridley, a distinguished Conservative cabinet minister during the Thatcher administration. She was one of four siblings, including her brother Matt Ridley, who holds the title of the 5th Viscount Ridley.
The family resided near Seaton Burn on their ancestral Blagdon Estate. Rose received her education at Westfield School in Newcastle upon Tyne followed by attendance at West Heath Girls' School in Sevenoaks. During her school years, she engaged in horse racing betting as a bookmaker and remarked that she "made quite a killing". After completing secondary education, she took a gap year before pursuing a degree in history at New Hall, Cambridge. Additionally, she completed an art history program in Venice.
Career
Her professional experience included working at Sotheby's auction house, where she specialized in providing expert advice and appraisals for artworks.[1] After her husband's successful election as a Member of Parliament in 1997, she took on the roles of personal assistant and office manager for his Shropshire constituency.[1]
In 2014, she was named chairman of Aintree Racecourse and subsequently stepped down from her duties assisting her husband in 2015.[1] Prior to this appointment, she had been serving as a director on the racecourse's committee since 2005.[2] That same year, she broke new ground by becoming the first female chairman of Jockey Club Racecourses, succeeding The 4th Baron Daresbury.[3]
In 2019, she was appointed to the board of stewards at the Jockey Club, which owns Aintree Racecourse.[2][4]
Personal life
In 1980, she wed businessman and future Conservative cabinet minister Owen Paterson, son of Alfred Dobell Paterson and Cynthia M. Owen.[5][2] Together they had three children: two sons and a daughter.[1] Their residence was at Shellbrook Hill in Ellesmere, Shropshire,[6][7] a Grade II listed building since May 1953,[8] and also at Hillsborough Castle during Owen's tenure as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.[9]
In 2020, she contracted COVID-19.[9] That June, her body was discovered in woodland near their home; the investigation by West Mercia Police classified her death as "unexplained," with no indication of third-party involvement.[5] She was aged 63.[1]
A coroner later determined that her death was a suicide.[10] In her memory, the Rose Paterson Trust was established.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedShropshire Star obituary - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Keogh, Frank (24 June 2020). "Rose Paterson: Aintree Racecourse chairman dies aged 63". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ↑ "'The sort of person you don't meet very often': tributes flow for Rose Paterson | Horse Racing News | Racing Post". Racing Post.
- ↑ "Jockey Club pay tribute after death of Aintree chairman Rose Paterson". Racing TV.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Rose Paterson, Aintree chair and wife of Tory ex-minister, found dead". The Guardian. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ↑ "Shropshire MP Owen Paterson's wife Rose makes Who's Who". www.shropshirestar.com. 7 December 2015.
- ↑ "Chair of Aintree Racecourse Rose Paterson has died". Chair of Aintree Racecourse Rose Paterson has died.
- ↑ "SHELLBROOK HILL, Ellesmere Rural - 1176416 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedTelegraph obituary - ↑ "North Shropshire MP's wife Rose Paterson's death was suicide, coroner rules". Border Counties Advertizer. 22 September 2020.
- ↑ "The Rose Paterson Trust". Rose Paterson Trust. Retrieved 14 August 2021.