Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Valerie Horsman Soames

Female 1908 - 1985  (~ 76 years)


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  • Name Valerie Horsman Soames 
    Born 30 Oct 1908  Kensington, London, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Buried 1985  Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Chiswick, Middlesex, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I2567  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Family Victor Petrovitch Butzkoy,   b. 24 May 1890, Saint Petersburg, Russia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Oct 1952, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 62 years) 
    Married 15 Dec 1927  Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Divorced Yes, date unknown 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1110  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • BIOGRAPHY:
      1. May 2008 email correspondence between Irene Petersen, the step sister to Artemy (Arik) Butzkoy and Geraldine Bridgewater geraldine.bridgewater@ntlworld.com , who is a grand niece of Valerie Soames, Arik's father Victor's second wife:
      Irene: "I am ... daughter of Catherine Werblovsky who was married to Victor de Butzkoy and half sister to Artemy V, de Butzkoy deceased Nov. 26th 1993 in St. Helier, Jersey in the Channel Islands. I have met Rose Soames Gow in 1949 in London, Valerie's mother. Weren't they related to Churchill somehow? I do have pictures and would be glad to email some to you. By the way Victor Petrovich de Butzkoy was a Nobleman himself and had a very impressive Military career as an officer in the Csar's Army. He was an Assistant Military Attache in Washington D.C. for over a year and half, 1916-1917. His father also raised Borzoi (sp) dogs. Please tell us more about your relationship to Valerie and any other recollections and where do you live at the present time?? Who did Valerie remarry (maybe a Russian Colonel?) with and when did she pass away. I think V. Butzkoy died in the 50's."
      Geraldine: "I would love to know more about Victor while he was married to Valerie and in particular I am trying to find out how the Grand Duchess Xenia became Valerie's Godmother when she entered the Russian Orthodox Church. Do you have any information on thatby any chance? I wonder how close Victor Butzkoy was with the Imperial family. For your information Valerie married Kornelius/Cornelius Pechovsky, another Cossack who she met in the church in 1946, after she divorced Victor. I presume Victor did not marry again? Kornelius Pechovsky died in 1981 and Valerie in 1985. Both were buried at the Russian Orthodox Cemetery which is I believe in Chiswick. I went to Valerie's Funeral - a very moving affair. I would love to see any photos that you have of Victor and Valerie. Do you have any of Victor in uniform? Victor - so family records show - apparently met Rosie, Valerie's mother on the battlefields when Rosie was driving an ambulance in 1914-1918 in France. He was injured and she helped nurse him back during which time they fell in love and he moved into a house in Gloucester Rd., London, with Rosie who had recently been widowed from Gilbert Soames. (I am not sure about the connection to Winston Churchill.) Victor, I believe, continued to live with Rosie through the divorce with Catherine. Their relationship became very strained and they argued a lot. In 1925/6 Victor and [Rosie's daughter] Valerie eloped! and married in December. They went to live in Nice I believe with Valerie's Uncle Harry who had a villa there. Family records say that Uncle Harry asked Victor to pay for their board and lodgings by working in the gardens, which Victor was most reluctant to do because he preferred to go to the casino and mix with other Russian Nobility. Anyway, as you may be aware, after twenty years of marriage they divorced."
      Irene: "I know that my grandfather used to write from Germany to V.P. Butzkoy and also V.P.Butzkoy was trying to apply for a pension as he was in ill health and was in need of money for survival. I have sent you several pictures on several emails. I see that your email says Brighton, this is where Arik Butzkoy's son lives at the present time - Peter was born Dec. 2nd 1954 and his sister Susan born July 1959 might be in London; she has lived in Kentucky and owned many racing horses. Both are not married. Peter was once and had a son Richard. My brother used to live in Rottingdean."
      Geraldine: "I was looking through the papers downloaded from Chris and Julie's website and one papragraph about Victor really stood out and apparently you were also quite astonished. I am referring to the transcription in the book - I wonder what that was that was so incredulous? Also there is a letter from your grandfaher to Victor before or just after your mother divorced him and there is the mention of £1800 pounds. I cannot read Russian but it seems to me he was angry in the letter. I was wondering whether you knew what that was about. Also just one last question if I may be so bold to ask you. In the notes I have there is an entry for Nov. 21, 1922: ' Victor P. Butzkoy Former Major of the Russian Imperial ..... has finished with distinction the complete course of the Imperial Alexander Lyceum in Petrograd with its University classes.' I wonder if you can you tell me what that means? Any light you can throw on all of this would be very helpful and in return I wll send you my completed manuscript when it is written if you would like?"
      Geraldine: "Thank you for the pictures. I presume they are all of Victor Butzkoy some with Catherine and I believe that there is also a photo of Valerie. I will have to get my magnifying glass out. Isn't it amazing that we are sharing all this information? I am 55 have recently published a book about my time as the first woman dealer on the London Metal Exchange. It is called "Ring of Truth" and is available on Amazon. I am now retired after also having worked in Local Government for the last twenty years. I paint, write, and swim; and I do gardening. Valerie is my father's cousin - her mother was my grandmother's sister. I used to visit her often and we were close. Just to let you know that I have passed on some infrmation to the rest of the family and they are very impressed with Victor and his career, etc., and also now able to understand more clearly why he was always so short of money. I intend to write him up and do him justice for the family records. The truth is always so much better than family gossip! My cousin Julian Allason is looking into the name of Horstman or Horsman to find out its proper origins when he next visits his father James Allason who is now in his 90's. He was the originator of some of the stories about Victor. I shall let you all know the outcome as soon as he tells me something new. Did you ever hear any stories about Victor knowing the Grand Duchess Xenia or her husband Sandro?"

      2. Email from Geraldine Bridgewater
      May 26, 2008: "You asked the question whether Valerie was related to Winston Churchill and I have always grown up with the story that the Soames part of the family are part of the Churchill Family but my second cousin Julian Allason is not sure but he is sure that Valeries name was Horstman Soames and the name Horstman came from the Soames family but was not part of the surname. See below message from Julian Allason May 25, 2008: 'Yes, Horstman not Horseman via Soames but never part of the surname Dad says. Two of WSC's daughters were friends of my parents (and I talked to Mary recently). Diana, who later committed suicide, was especially close to my mother. No connection with Valerie known, although not impossible.'"

      3. Email from Margaret Ball dated 26 Aug 2014: "Her name was Valerie Horsman Soames, her father was Gilbert Horsman Soames (1879-1917), the son of Arthur Wellesley Soames (1852-1934) who was, I think, a Liberal MP, and Eveline Coles, who was the daughter of Timothy Horsman Coles (hence the Horsman part of the name). I too wondered if they were connected with the Soames who are related to Churchill, but have not established a link."

      4. Memory from Irene Petersen: "Valerie's mother was Victor's mistress first, than Valerie who then married him; later Valerie married a Russian guy."