1900 – 1950
The War Years
Lady Annabel, eldest daughter of the Earl of Crewe married Hon. Arthur O’Neill MP in 1903. His family were the Lords O’Neill’s from Ireland. They had 3 sons and 2 daughters. Arthur was second in command of the Life Guards, at the outbreak of The Great War in 1914 he was posted to France and almost immediately reported missing, killed in action.
In 1921, a major estate sale by auction at The Crewe Arms Hotel in Crewe took place. Caused in part by increased living costs of the Crewe family and reduced rental income from the estate. Many farms and cottages were sold off. Madeley Manor failed to attract a buyer and was occupied by Annabel.
In 1922, aged 41, she married for a second time, Major Hugh Dodds.
During the Second World War, her second son Brian was killed when his troopship ‘Chobry’ was sunk in 1940 returning from Norway. Her eldest son, Shane, was killed in Italy in October 1944 ( He was second in command of the Irish Horse). Her third son, Terence was wounded at Arnhem. He went on to become Prime Minister of Northern Ireland 1963-69, and was made Lord Terence O’Neill of the Maine.
From her second marriage, she had two sons, Colin & Quentin. Colin was captured at Anzio and became a Prisoner-of-War.
Sir Malcolm Sargent, a friend of the Crewe-Dodds visited Madeley Manor several times after the war.