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Teresa Rothschild

1915 – 1996

Counter-intelligence officer and magistrate, second wife of Victor Rothschild, third Baron Rothschild

Intelligence officerMagistrate Counter-intelligence
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About Teresa Rothschild

Lived 1915 – 1996 (aged 80). Teresa Rothschild was a British intelligence officer, magistrate, counter-intelligence and magistrate (England and Wales).

Teresa Georgina Rothschild, Baroness Rothschild (née Mayor; 10 September 1915 – 29 May 1996) was a British counter-intelligence officer and magistrate. She was the second wife of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild.

Early life She was born Teresa Georgina Mayor in London on 10 September 1915, the daughter of Robert John Grote Mayor (1869–1947), a civil servant working for the Board of Education, and his wife, (Katherine) Beatrice Mayor, née Meinertzhagen (1885–1971), a poet and playwright.

Her paternal grandfather was Joseph Bickersteth Mayor, brother of John E. B. Mayor and nephew of Henry Bickersteth, 1st Baron Langdale and Rev. Edward Bickersteth. Her father was the brother of English novelist F. M. Mayor and a great-nephew of the historian George Grote, philosopher John Grote, and colonial administrator Arthur Grote.

Career After Cambridge, she worked for the publisher Jonathan Cape. During the Second World War, she was recruited by MI5 to work as assistant to Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild, working in anti-sabotage operations.

She became a magistrate, and was Chairman of the Bench, and was a lecturer at the Cambridge Institute of Criminology, and she sat on various Home Office boards investigating the subject of penal reform. She was a trustee of Cambridge's Arts Theatre.

Personal life On 14 August 1946, she married Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild, her boss in MI5, and they had two sons (one died in infancy) and two daughters together.

Emma Georgina Rothschild (born 1948), married the economist Amartya Sen (born 1933) in 1991 Benjamin Mayer Rothschild (born and died 1952) Victoria Katherine Rothschild (born 1953), lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and the second wife of the writer Simon Gray (1936–2008) Amschel Mayor James Rothschild (1955–1996), married to Anita Patience Guinness, worked for N.M. Rothschild & Sons, and killed himself in 1996

Later life Rothschild died on 29 May 1996 in London, and was survived by her two daughters, both of whom pursued academic careers, and a son, who entered the Rothschild banking business.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Intelligence officer, magistrate, Counter-intelligence, Magistrate (England and Wales)
Education
Bedales School, Newnham College
Employers
MI5, University of Cambridge
Awards
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Also known as
Tess Rothschild, Teresa Georgina Rothschild, Lady Rothschild, Teresa Mayor Rothschild

Family & relationships

Spouse
Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
Child
Amschel Rothschild
Child
Emma Georgina Rothschild

People in Teresa Rothschild's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Teresa Rothschild's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Teresa Rothschild?

counter-intelligence officer and magistrate, second wife of Victor Rothschild, third Baron Rothschild (1915-1996)

When was Teresa Rothschild born?

Teresa Rothschild was born on 10 September 1915 in London.

When did Teresa Rothschild die?

Teresa Rothschild died on 29 May 1996 in London.

What was Teresa Rothschild's occupation?

Teresa Rothschild was an intelligence officer, magistrate, counter-intelligence and magistrate (England and Wales).

What nationality was Teresa Rothschild?

Teresa Rothschild was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Teresa Rothschild

· Wikidata: Q18577032

· DBpedia: Teresa Rothschild

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Teresa Rothschild. https://biography.guide/teresa-rothschild/

MLA: "Teresa Rothschild." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/teresa-rothschild/.

Chicago: "Teresa Rothschild." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/teresa-rothschild/.

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