Agnes Florence was born in Baylham, near Ipswich, in 1863 where her father, William Edward Downes, was rector of the parish. She married the Yorkshire-born General Sir Richard Thomas Farren GCB in 1885 who, before his retirement, had served as a colonel in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.

By 1887, Sir Richard and Lady Agnes were living in Great Bealings where their three children, William Maurice, Richard Hugh, and Annie Primrose, were born. They continued to live in Bealings House until shortly after the death of Sir Richard in 1909 – he was ninety- three. By 1911, Lady Farren was living with her daughter, her sister, Anna, and her brother-inlaw, Reverend Walter George Bary, at Baylham Rectory in Walter’s parish. Later, Lady Agnes returned to Bealings, where she lived at Stoneylands.

At the start of the First World War, Lady Farren began work as a volunteer with the Red Cross at Compton Hall where she served from 4th October to 4th November 1914. She then spent the following six months caring for Belgian soldiers in her own home, before being appointed commandant at Foxborough Hall in August 1915. Her term of office ended in August 1916, when she handed the hospital over to Amy Maitland Wilson. Lady Farren went on to become head of enquiries at the Central Prisoners of War Unit of the Red Cross until March 1919. In 1916, Lady Farren was “Mentioned in Despatches” for her work with the Red Cross. She died on 30th April 1935 in Chelsea, London.

Lady Farren’s eldest son, William Maurice Alan Farren, was ordained as a minister and, on 14th April 1914, joined the army as a chaplain. He was sent to Malta in November 1914 and remained there throughout the war. His brother, Richard Hugh Farren, was a major in the Royal Artillery during the First World War. He was “Mentioned in Despatches” and was a prisoner of war having been reported as “missing” in May 1918.