Wife of former Cabinet minister found dead in wood near home
Tributes paid to Aintree racecourse head as Owen Paterson describes her death as ‘terrible shock’
THE worlds of racing and politics were in mourning for Aintree racecourse chairman Rose Paterson last night after the “wonderful, caring” mother and grandmother was found dead near her home.
The Jockey Club said she would be “missed greatly”, while her husband, the former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson, said her death had come as a “terrible shock”.
Boris Johnson said his “thoughts and every sympathy” were with Mrs Paterson’s family.
Mrs Paterson’s body was found in woodland near the family home in Ellesmere, Shropshire. Police said that her death was being treated as unexplained and they did not believe there was any third-party involvement.
Mr Paterson, who was Northern Ireland secretary and environment secretary under David Cameron, said: “It is with great sadness that I must inform you that my wife Rose has been found dead at our family home in Shropshire.
“Rose and I were married for 40 happy years. She was a wonderful, caring wife, mother and grandmother.
“Her death has come as a terrible shock to us all. I would ask the media to respect the privacy of myself and my family at this extremely difficult time.”
Mrs Paterson, 63, a former Daily Telegraph arts correspondent, became chairman of Aintree, the home of the Grand National, in 2014, having been a director since 2005. She was appointed as a steward of the Jockey Club in 2019.
Sandy Dudgeon, a senior Jockey Club steward, said: “This is tragic news, and our thoughts go out to Rose’s husband and all members of her family.
“Rose was a wonderful person and involved in so many aspects of our sport.
“She was a skilled chairman at Aintree, a valued member of our board of stewards and headed up our Horse Welfare Group. She also enjoyed participating at grassroots level over many years.”
Mrs Paterson, who had two sons and a daughter, was the daughter of the fourth Viscount Ridley and sister of the journalist Matt Ridley.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister heard the news this morning and has written to Owen. His thoughts and every sympathy are with Owen, his children and grandchildren at this difficult time.”
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader and a family friend, said: “My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Rose was a wonderful person, a great mother, a great wife and an incredibly successful person at turning round the fortunes of Aintree. Everybody will miss her enormously.”
West Mercia police said: “We can confirm the body of a woman has been
‘Rose was a great mother, a great wife, and incredibly successful at turning round the fortunes of Aintree’
found in woodland near Pant Lane, in Sodylt, Ellesmere. The death is currently being treated as unexplained, however at this stage there is believed to be no third-party involvement.”
Willie Mullins, the champion jump trainer in Ireland, said: “She was a great choice for the chair of Aintree. She never got flustered and was always cool in a crisis or in the face of a challenge, of which Aintree has had a few.
“She had a way of bringing people with her rather than dividing them. Every year she came to the Irish trainers and asked what she could do to help us with regard to Aintree.
“She had great foresight. If there was a controversy brewing she’d sort it out before it happened. And she was a horsewoman. If there were horse problems, and you talked to her you knew she knew what you were talking about.”