In 1883, her husband succeeded his third cousin as the Earl of Stamford and Baron Grey of Groby, elevating her to the British nobility.

Her mother was a well-known figure at the Cape, sometimes referred to as "Queen Rebecca",[1] since she claimed to be related to the British royal family; less is known about her father.

In 1864, she met the Reverend Harry Grey, an Anglican clergyman from Cheshire in England and a third cousin of the 7th Earl of Stamford.

Grey was sent to the Cape as a remittance man, paid to stay abroad, due to habits his family thought dishonourable.

[2] Her husband died in 1890,[3] leaving Lady Stamford well off financially, though she and her children suffered much racial prejudices and snobbery from the English settlers in Cape Town.