She was born on 6 September 1911, in Eddlethorpe, Yorkshire, daughter of the baronet of Sledmere. She trained in sculpture under Marnix d'Haveloose in Brussels from 1927 to 1932, then attended British School in Rome for six months. She established a studio on London and first exhibiting her sculpture in 1928. In 1934 she married Randal MacDonnell, Earl of Antrim. Their residence was Glenarm Castle, Co Antrim. Se served on the Northern Ireland Arts Council, and was a governor of Belfast College of Art and a trustee of the Ulster Museum. She died on 27 August 1984 at Glenarm Castle.