Carmel Maguire
Carmel Maguire | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carmel June Maguire 1924 East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 21 July 1992 (aged 67–68) |
| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Other names | Carmel Dunnett Carmel, Countess of Kimberley Lady Kimberley Carmel Lowndes |
| Spouse(s) | Derek Dunnett (m. 1944–1948) John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley (m. 1949–1952) Jeremy Lowndes (m. 1954) |
| Children | John Wodehouse, 5th Earl of Kimberley |
| Relatives | Michael Maguire (father) Mary Maguire (sister) |
Carmel June Maguire (1924–1992), also known as Carmel Dunnett, Carmel, Countess of Kimberley, and Carmel Lowndes, was an Australian-born society figure who was the second wife of John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley between 1949 and 1952. She later married English landowner Jeremy Lowndes and died in Spain in 1992. Lowndes was convicted in a Spanish court in 1994 over her death.[1]
Early life
Maguire was one of five daughters of Michael Maguire, an Australian rules footballer, boxer and hotel-keeper. One of her sisters, Mary Maguire, was briefly active as an actor during the 1930s and 1940s.[2] In British and Australian press coverage, the sisters were sometimes nicknamed the "Marrying Maguires" because of their high-profile marriages.[2]
Marriages
Maguire married Derek Dunnett in 1944. The marriage ended in divorce in December 1948.[2][3]
In February 1949, Maguire married John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, becoming Countess of Kimberley.[2][4] A son, John (known by the courtesy title Lord Wodehouse), was born in January 1951.[2][5] The couple were divorced in 1952 with Maguire being granted custody of Lord Wodehouse.[2][6]
In 1954, she married Jeremy Lowndes.[7] In the 1980s, the couple had moved to Spain.[8][9]
Death
Maguire, then known as Carmel Lowndes, was found dead at the couple's villa in Sotogrande in southern Spain, on 21 July 1992.[10] In 1994 a Spanish court in Cádiz found Jeremy Lowndes guilty of her death and sentenced him to nine years' imprisonment.[1][11]
References
- ^ a b "Millionaire guilty of killing wife in villa". The Independent. 7 June 1994. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Child Neglected By, Earl, Wife Claims". Daily Mirror. Sydney. 1 August 1952. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ St. Claire, Mary (5 March 1949). "Lively Maguire family now includes Countess". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 16, no. 39. p. 24. Retrieved 31 December 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Marrying Maguires". The Sun. Sydney. 20 February 1949. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ Matheson, Anne (5 September 1951). "Earl and Countess live in gardener's cottage". The Australian Women's Weekly. p. 17. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ "Decree for Lady Kimberley". The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 August 1952. p. 17. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ "Marriage - Mr. W. J. Lowndes and Carmel Countess of Kimberley". The Times. 9 June 1954. p. 8.
- ^ Frost, Bill (7 April 1997). "'I was there when my wife died and the frame fitted very neatly'". The Times. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ Brown, Tim; Fleet, Michael (7 June 1994). "34 tempestuous years that ended in death for boxer's girl who took to the high life". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 8. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ Cusick, James (12 May 1994). "Man denies killing wife after row at villa: Wealthy English exile accused of manslaughter of ex-society beauty". The Independent. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ^ Brown, Tim (7 June 1994). "Businessman jailed for murdering wife in villa". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 8. Retrieved 30 December 2025.