Heather Jenner

Heather Jenner (real name Heather Lyon; born 1914, died 1991 ^[1] ) was a matchmaker, who ran a marriage bureau, called "The Marriage Bureau", in Bond Street, Mayfair, London.

The daughter of Cyril Arthur Lyon, an Army general, she married, firstly, in 1942, Michael George Cox, from whom she was divorced in 1955 to marry the writer Stephen Potter. Widowed in 1969, she later married Sir John Hastings James, deputy master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint. ^{[2] [3]}

She established the agency in 1939, and kept the business secret from her family and friends, using the name 'Heather Jenner', as such activity was considered scandalous at the time. ^[4]

Her autobiography, Marriage is My Business, was published in 1954. ^[5]

She appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 31 July 1967. ^[6]

Bibliography

• —— (1953). Un mariage par jour. Pierre Horay. (in French)
• —— (1954). Marriage is My Business. Kimber.
• —— (1964). The marriage book. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd.
• —— (1967). Royal Wives. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. ISBN   978-0715602881.
• ——; Segal, Muriel (1970). Men and Marriage. Michael Joseph. ISBN   978-0718103675.
• —— (1979). Marriages are Made in Heaven. David & Charles. ISBN   978-0715376621.

References

1. "Heart Searching: 'In the end, chemistry is quite baffling': The Agencies. To begin a series, Angela Wilkes visits a traditional marriage bureau" . The Independent. London. 2 October 1993. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022.
2. Contemporary Authors: A Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Televi, Volumes 45-48, F. R. Locher, Gale / Cengage Learning, 1974, pg 258
3. "James, Sir John Hastings, (Sir Jack), (4 June 1906 – 27 May 1980), Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint, and ex officio Engraver of HM's Seals, 1957–70". James, Sir John Hastings, (Sir Jack) : Who Was Who – oi. Oxford University Press. December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U156073.
4. Pugh, Martin (1 August 2008). "Wish You Were Here?". History Today .
5. Jenner, Heather (1954). Marriage is My Business. Kimber.
6. "Desert Island Discs – Castaway : Heather Jenner". BBC Online . Retrieved 27 July 2014.