Background
Helen was the daughter of William Duncombe, 1st Earl of Feversham, of Ryedale and Mabel Violet Graham, born at their estate of Duncombe Park in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England.
Helen was the daughter of William Duncombe, 1st Earl of Feversham, of Ryedale and Mabel Violet Graham, born at their estate of Duncombe Park in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England.
Helen was associated with "the Souls", a salon of noted intellectuals of the day which included Arthur Balfour, George Curzon, Henry James and Edith Wharton. She is believed to have been the model for the characters of Lady Thisbe Crowborough in Max Beerbohm"s story Hilary Maltby and Stephen Braxton in Seven Men (1919) and for Lady Irene Silvester in Maurice Baring"s story "A Luncheon Party" (1925). In 1904 during an extended visit to Venice, Lady Helen"s portrait was painted by John Singer Sargent.
That work is now part of the permanent collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America. During World War I Lady Helen trained as a nurse anaesthetist and treated thousands of patients.
During this time the Baroness kept a diary of her experiences, parts of which were published in 1946 as Red Cross and Berlin Embassy, 1915-1926: Extracts from the Diaries of Viscountess Doctorate"Abernon. The Vincents did not have children and Sir Edgar"s titles died with him in 1941.
Lady Doctorate"Abernon died at age 84 on 16 May 1954.
In 1899 he was elected a Member of Parliament for Exeter.