Evelina de Rothschild

Evelina Gertrude de Rothschild (August 25, 1839 – December 4, 1866) was an English socialite and a member of the Rothschild banking family of England.

Biography

Evelina de Rothschild was the daughter of Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879), the first Jew to sit in the British House of Commons. Her mother was Charlotte von Rothschild (1819-1884), a cousin from the Naples branch of the family.

Continuing the endogamy strategy within the Rothschild family to ensure that control of their wealth remained in family hands, on June 7, 1865, Evelina de Rothschild married her cousin Ferdinand James von Rothschild (1839-1898) of the Austrian branch of the family. Because of her parents' prominent position as one of the wealthiest and most influential families in England, guests at her wedding banquet and ball included Benjamin Disraeli, the ambassadors from Austria and France, and Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.

Following a lengthy honeymoon across Europe, Evelina and her husband settled into a home at 143 Piccadilly in London near her parents. Pregnant with their first child, she died on December 4, 1866 while giving birth to a stillborn son. She is buried at the West Ham Cemetery.

Commemoration

In her memory, her husband built, equipped, and endowed the Evelina Hospital for Sick Children in Southwark, one of the neglected and poorest districts of London. [ [http://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news/newsarchive/archive0305/evelinaopeningdate.aspx Evelina Children’s Hospital opening date announced ] ] Her father Lionel assumed sponsorship of the first school for girls in Palestine, which opened in Jerusalem in 1854, and renamed it the "Evelina de Rothschild School". Her mother, Charlotte, inaugurated the Evelina Prize, awarded at Jewish elementary schools and Jews' College. [ [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=445&letter=R JewishEncyclopedia.com - ROTHSCHILD: ] ]

References