Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott was the direct descendant of Sir Walter Scott, who throughout her life, carried a torch for the memory of her distinguished ancestor and Abbotsford, the impressive mansion he built on the banks of the River Tweed.

A tall elegant woman, Dame Jean lost her mother when she was just 15 months old, and came strongly under the influence of her father, General Walter Constable-Maxwell-Scott. While he appreciated his precious patrimony, he

was also an enthusiastic traveller, and expended some of the family silver in funding

his expeditions.

On his death in 1954, Jean and her elder sister, Patricia worked to retrieve the family fortunes, developing Abbotsford House by the Tweed to a world market.

Within five years, Abbotsford's visitor count exceeded 50,000, an astonishing figure in an age of few cars and when coach travel was not yet popular. Two decades later, the figure was boosted to an all-time high of 86,000, which follwed a high-profile promotional trip to America by Jean and Patricia.

Three years ago, when

the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease struck, numbers plummeted to 31,000, and Dame Jean had anxious meetings with her accountants. The economic viability of Abbotsford House remained her priority, and she frequently guided

parties round the house.

Not that Abbotsford was anything less than a family home: a frequent question concerned the motto she inherited from Sir Walter - Reparabit Cornua Phoebe (there will be moonlight again). The quotation comes from Ovid, and remembers that Border reivers of old required moonlight for their activities. Afterwards, visitors would be entertained to tea and Selkirk bannock.

Educated at the Roman Catholic Couvent des Oiseaux at Westgate-on-Sea, Jean was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sir Walter, and from an early age showed strong leanings towards her lineage and literary heritage. She treasured the house that was her home, acquainting herself with the extraordinary range of knick-knacks and antiquities with which Sir Walter surrounded himself, and at the age of 10, was one of the official party at the dedication of a stained-glass window to Scott at Caddonfoot Kirk,

in Selkirkshire.

More than that, she busied herself learning his works, and was able to quote his narrative poetry at length. Her championing of his writing in later years led her to criticise the fact that Scott's works are no longer taught in schools, thus leading to a decline not only in interest in her ancestor, but in Scottish writing in general. She observed acerbically: ''We used to get people coming and quoting the Lay of the Last Minstrel to us. But now Sir Walter's writing is not taught in schools, and that has not helped us.''

While the immense literary fame of Sir Walter (1771-1832) ensured the survival of a huge amount of his correspondence, little of this was catalogued. An approach by Professor Jane Millgate of the University of Toronto was enthusiastically received by Jean and Patricia, with the resulting Millgate Union Catalogue of Correspondence providing, for the first time, records for some 14,000 traceable letters written to or by Scott, including nearly 10,000 held by the National Library of Scotland.

The Millgate project built on databases already created by two senior Scott scholars - Professor David Hewitt, of Aberdeen University, and Alan Bell, formerly of the department of manuscripts of the National Library of Scotland.

Dame Jean delighted in the

creation of the Sir Walter Scott Way, a 92-mile cross-country walk from Moffat to Cockburnspath connecting various places that inspired his poems and novels, and formally opened it last year.

Determined that Abbotsford and the Scott country should remain a major tourist draw in world tourism, she lent her name and presence to festivals celebrating Sir Walter and his work, and spoke annually at the Scott's Selkirk event from its inauguration four years ago.

Ten years ago, Abbotsford was the scene of an audacious break-in and a number of priceless antiques were stolen. The items taken include a wooden quaich belonging to Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Old Pretender's snuff box, a cloak clasp in the shape of two gold bees belonging to Napoleon, Mary Queen of Scots' silver-gilted seal and Sir Walter's personal silver tea service.

In recent years, she campaigned for development of the Borders to be carried out in a manner which both secured the future of the Scott country and economic recovery. Referring to land that was described by the poet Roger Quin as ''Scotland's Eden''. Joining forces with French-born Delphine Watson, an adopted Borderer who

was descended from Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, said: ''This is one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland and has inspired many writers and artists. It should not be spoilt in this way.''

Immersed in Border life, she was patron of the Trimontium Trust, the organisation dedicated to the archaeology of the Roman camp near Melrose, as well as being patron of the Dandie Dinmont Club, the breed of dog made famous by her ancestor.

In 1959, she was appointed Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who was a daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch, a near neighbour to her and a fellow

Borderer.

The two shared a love of horses, and Dame Jean was first to receive royal congratulation when Sir Wattie, the horse she jointly owned with Susan Luczyc-Wykorski, and ridden by Olympic dressage rider Ian Stark, twice won at Badminton.

In 1984, the Scot Stark took Sir Wattie as reserve mount to the Los Angeles Olympics. Four years later in Seoul, Stark on Dame Jean's horse took two silver medals.

As an 18-year-old in 1941, she became a nurse, working with the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment).

In 1969, she was appointed CVO, and promoted to DCVO in 1984.

Dame Jean never married. Predeceased by her elder sister Patricia in 1998, she died at home in Abbotsford. She had recently just left hospital where she had been receiving treatment for kidney failure.

Dame Jean Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott of Abbotsford DCVO; born June 8, 1923,

died May 5, 2004.