London, 13 December 2016. The Delegation of Great Britain and Ireland notes with much regret the passing of The Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury, age 94.
Molly Salisbury, an Anglican, was a longstanding member and supporter of the Constantinian Order in Britain. She was awarded the Gold Benemerenti Medal in the early 1980s and in 2006 was invested into the Royal Order of Francis I to the rank and dignity of Dame Commander in recognition of her charitable and inter-religious endeavours in Great Britain and beyond.
In 1982 she founded the Help Poland Fund to supply Roman Catholic Church centres in Poland with medical supplies, food and clothes. In 2000 she set up a Foundation based in Krakow providing help in the fields of medical assistance, education and poverty alleviation. The Dowager Marchioness also campaigned on pro-life issues for over 40 years and supported countless charitable organisations during her lifetime.
The Marchioness was a renowned garden designer, best known for her restoration of Hatfield House gardens. She was a Vice President of the Royal Horticultural Society, President and a Director of the Museum of Garden History, a past Trustee of the Chelsea Physic Garden and a member Honoris Causa of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners. She was the author of “The Gardens of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother”, “The Gardens at Hatfield”, “A Gardener’s Life” and numerous articles on garden history and design.
She will be greatly missed.
Rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. Requiescat in pace.