Clermont State Historic Site

This is the second in a series of five blogs that will explore the life of Katharine Livingston Livingston Timpson’s children. If Katharine was Clermont’s forgotten daughter, her children are the forgotten grandchildren. Whereas Katharine’s sisters Janet and Honoria had no children, Katharine had five children. They lived their lives aware of their Livingston legacy but free to pursue lives outside of the Hudson Valley. I owe a tremendous debt to Robert Timpson, one of Katharine’s grandsons, for the information he has provided on his father and his father’s brothers and sisters. For this blog I also owe a debt to Yanni Moller, Kay’s grandson, who provided a tremendous amount of information on his grandmother.

Kay Timpson

Katherine (Kay) Livingston Timpson was the second child of Lawrence Timpson and Katharine Livingston Livingston Timpson and their first daughter. She was born in 1903 and like her brother Theodore spent the first few years of her life at Maizeland in Rhinebeck. She was three when her parents moved the family to England.

Maizeland

Kay was raised as a proper English girl although as she grew up, she continued to see herself as an American. She lived with her family at Woodstock House on the grounds of Blenheim Palace. As a teenager she was a frequent visitor to the Palace where it was hoped she would marry the eldest son and heir of the Duke of Marlborough, this marriage was not to be though.

Kay with her pony, Daisy

Kay grew into a tall girl with pale skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. She was also very charming. She was presented to the King of England at the age of 19. He commented on how charming she was only to receive a stiff rebuke from his wife. This was followed by a full London season where she was introduced to a number of eligible young bachelors.

Kay as she was presented to the King

Kay’s family frequently vacationed at the seashore, particularly Woolacombe beach, but she much preferred when they visited London. Kay had grown very fond of theater and opera. Eventually the love developed into a desire to perform herself. She performed at the Oxford Playhouse under the name Katherine Livingston.

Kay at Woolacombe Beach

After her time at the Playhouse she moved to Paris for three years. Already fluent in French, she learned Russian from the many White Russians who had fled to Paris to escape the Russian Revolution. She became so fluent that during the Cold War she was placed under police surveillance. Paris at the time was also the home to several expatriate Americans, the lost generation, who used between war Paris as their muse. These included painters and writers, like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. With her love of literature and art Kay would have fit right in, although there is no evidence she spent time in such lofty company.

Kay as an adult

From Paris she moved to Florence having already visited at least once while her grandfather John Henry Livingston was living there with his third wife Alice and their two daughter Janet and Honoria. She modernized her home outside of Florence and immersed herself in Italian culture, particularly Italian opera. Her time in Italy overlapped with the rule of Benito Mussolini. Kay was a fan of his attempts to modernize Italian infrastructure.

Speaking of fascists, during a visit to a cousin in Germany, Baron von Bocklinsau, she saw Adolf Hitler give a speech. She found him to be somewhat deluded.

Shortly before World War II began, she returned to England and lived in Cornwall, eventually moving to Chelsea. After the war she became involved in politics When she felt politics was heading in the wrong direction, she would visit the House of Lords and let the peers know her feelings.

The Spur

Kay was an unusual woman for her time. She was confident and independent. She was an intellectual interested in art, literature, and music. All of which she actively participated in. As mentioned, before she had performed at the Oxford Playhouse. At the age of 27 one of her poems was published in the magazine, The Spur.

Kay dressed flamboyantly possibly in pants, while leaning on a car she may have been driving

Since her passing in 1993 at the age of 90. Kay has been fondly remembered by her daughters; Flavia and Deirdre , and five grandchildren.

Kay\’s daughter Deirdre Katherine Livingston Moller