Agnes Baden-Powell

Early life[edit]

Agnes was the thirteenth of fourteen children of her father, the Reverend Baden Powell, who had married twice previously. He was the Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford from 1827 to 1860. She was his third daughter, but the elder two had died before Agnes was born; she was her mother's only daughter.


Her mother, the third wife of Baden Powell (the previous two having died) was a gifted musician and artist, Henrietta Grace Smyth, the elder daughter of Admiral William Henry Smyth and his wife Annarella.


Apart from Robert already mentioned above, among Agnes's brothers were Warington Baden-Powell, Sir George Baden-Powell, Frank Baden-Powell, and Baden Baden-Powell.


When Agnes was only two years of age, the Reverend Baden Powell died.^[1] To honour him after his death, Agnes's mother Henrietta added Baden to their surname and that branch of the family has since been known as Baden-Powell.


Baden's death left the family under the firm control of Henrietta, who was determined to instill in her children a desire to succeed. Agnes' brother, Robert, has been quoted as saying, "The whole secret of my getting on lay with my mother."^[2]


Agnes went on to become an accomplished musician, playing the organ, piano and violin. Her varied interests included natural history and astronomy, and she kept bees, birds and butterflies in her home.^[3]


In April 1901, Agnes became engaged to Sir William Bisset Berry, the Speaker of the South African Parliament,^[4] but they did not marry.


With her brother Baden Fletcher Smyth Baden-Powell, Agnes made aeronautical balloons, working the silk for the envelope, and they made many flights together. Later she helped him with aeroplane-building. Agnes was an honorary companion of the Royal Aeronautical Society from 1938.^[5][6]


She was for some years president of the Westminster Division of the Red Cross, and worked for the League of Mercy and for Queen Mary's Needlework Guild.