About
English landowner and philanthropist who became known after hiring a local excavator to investigate 18 burial mounds located on her estate. The Sutton Hoo ship burial was discovered, which contained a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts. It has been widely considered the most significant archeological find of its time.
Before Fame
She worked as a quartermaster at a Red Cross auxiliary hospital during World War I.
Trivia
She was deeply interested in Spiritualism. She is known to have visited a faith healer and offered financial support to spiritualist churches. In 1939, she donated all of the artifacts found on her estate to the British Museum, who is still in possession of the items.
Family Life
She was born in Elland, Yorkshire, into a family of rich industrialists who made their fortune by manufacturing equipment for the gas industry. She was educated at Roedean and traveled widely during her youth. In 1926, she married Frank Pretty. By 1930, she had turned 47 and given birth to her only child, Robert Dempster Pretty. Her husband died of stomach cancer in 1934. She died of stroke in 1942, at the age of 59. Her son was raised by her sister, Elizabeth.
Associated With
She was portrayed by Carey Mulligan in The Dig.
