by Nicholas Schofield

St Mary’s RC School on Rockingham Road is one of the oldest surviving schools in the area. Opened on 24^th February 1895, it was founded from the church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Michael, which was established three years previously on Lawn Road.

Few records have survived from the early days of the school, as with so many, but an interesting clue is provided by the foundation stone that was laid in June 1894 and can be found near what is now the Early Years classroom. It reveals the name of the forgotten benefactor who made the building of the school possible: the Honourable Mrs Harriet Maria Georgina Le Poer Trench (1840-1909) of 3 Hyde Park Gardens, London and St Hubert’s, Gerrards Cross. The Catholic population in Uxbridge at the time was small and mostly made up of Irish immigrants; her generosity proved to be essential. 

Mrs Le Poer Trench was the only child of Sir William Martins (c.1787-1874), a member of the Royal Household under four Sovereigns, who bore the title of Gentleman-Usher to the Sword of State. Her mother, Lady Harriet Martins (c.1803-1867), was herself the daughter of a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s office.  

In April 1864 she married William Le Poer Trench (1837-1920), son of the third Earl of Clancarty; they had two children. He eventually gained the rank of Colonel in the Royal Engineers and was mentioned in despatches after bravely commanding a ladder company in the capture of Guangzhou and Nankow during the Second Opium War (1856-60). He was Conservative MP for County Galway (1872-74) and a keen huntsman; when he bought ‘Langley Lodge’ in Gerrards Cross he renamed it ‘St Hubert’s’ after the patron saint of hunting. He served as a local JP and built Victoria Road in Gerrards Cross, just behind St Hubert’s, for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. 

Mrs Le Poer Trench was a devout Catholic – presumably a convert – and supported many charitable causes, including St Mary’s School. The church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Michael was, at the time, the nearest Catholic church to Gerrards Cross and the school was meant as a memorial to her mother.  

Mrs Le Poer Trench died on 24 February 1909 (the anniversary of the opening of St Mary’s), aged 70. Her Requiem was celebrated at the Catholic Church in Uxbridge and she was buried at Fulmer. At her death, the value of her estate was over £122,000 (today around £16 million) and she bequeathed £100 to St Mary’s. She left a number of other bequests, including ‘the proceeds of the sale of her large diamond tiara, wedding lace, flounces, shawl and Brussels lace to the Hospital of St Elizabeth, Grove End Road, London.’ Among the floral tributes at her funeral was an Irish Harp from the miners working for Colonel Le Poer Trench at Dereen Commane, County Cork, in whom she apparently took a close interest. 

The Le Poer Trench family continues to have links with the area: the current Earl of Clancarty, Nicholas Le Poer Trench, was born in Uxbridge in 1952 and has a seat in the House of Lords.