Lady Mairi Bury

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Lady Mary Elizabeth "Mairi" Bury (25 March 1921 – 16 November 2009) was a Northern Irish politician, gardener, aviator, and stamp collector. She was born at Mount Stewart, County Down, the youngest child of Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, and Edith Chaplin. She grew up privately at Mount Stewart.

Her father loved aviation and helped set up an aerodrome at Newtownards. As a child, Mairi learned to fly and, at age 12, piloted a plane solo in 1934. In 1936 she accompanied her father to Germany and met Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, later recalling that neither impressed her.

During World War II she joined the Women’s Legion, driving transport in the London docks. She married Derek Keppel, Viscount Bury, in 1940; they had two daughters and later divorced in 1958.

Mount Stewart and the estate
After her father’s death in 1949, Mairi and her mother inherited Mount Stewart. The gardens, created by her mother, were given to the National Trust in 1957 to ensure their future. Mairi continued to live on the estate, moving into an apartment after she gave the house and most contents to the Trust in 1976.

Public life and sports
Mairi Bury was a Justice of the Peace for County Down. She left the Ulster Unionist Party to join the Democratic Unionist Party, believing it was the best way to protect Northern Ireland’s interests. She was the life president of Ards Football Club and the commodore of Newtownards Sailing Club. She also owned racehorses and a stud farm in Northern Ireland, achieving notable wins including the Gold Cup at Ascot and the Irish Thousand Guineas.

Stamp collecting
From the age of eight, Mairi was a devoted stamp collector. She built a renowned collection, becoming a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London. Her stamps included rare items such as Penny Blacks. After her death, Sotheby’s estimated the collection as among the finest ever gathered by a woman, selling for about £3 million across more than 2,000 lots.

Death and legacy
Mairi Bury died at Mount Stewart in 2009 and is buried in the family burial ground in the Mount Stewart gardens. A fountain in the gardens, modeled after her as a toddler, was created in 1925 and restored in 2012.