Norah was born in Hildenborough, Kent. Her father, William Wykeham Frederick Bourne, born in British Guiana, was a wealthy East India merchant. Norah's middle name was the maiden name of her Welsh mother, Ann Margaret Bourne.
In the 1911 Census, Norah is described as an 'artist painter'. More precisely, she was a painter of miniatures. An article in the Worthing Herald mentions that she exhibited her work in London galleries. In fact, she was so skilled that one of her miniatures was chosen to be included in one of the small books in Queen Mary's Doll House at Windsor, completed in 1924.
Norah lived most of her life in Kensington, London, but for her final years her address was 46, St Michael's Road, Worthing, which passes Heene Cemetery.
There is an entry in Who's Who in Worthing and District (1938-39) devoted to Ann, Norah's mother, in which the house is called "Dalby". Dalby Hall was the ancestral home of the Wolseley family to which Norah's father was related through his mother, Eliza Jane Wolseley (c1828-1848). Eliza's ancestry can be traced through the first Baronet Wolseley to Henry V111 and beyond (see GENI for the complete sequence) The Brereton side of the family originated from Cheshire and settled in Ireland when Sir William Brereton was appointed Lord Justice and Lord High Marshall of Ireland. The Bourne and Woolsey families are mentioned in "The Royal Lineage of Our Noble and Gentle Families" by Joseph Foster printed in 1884 where the line is traced back to Edward 1.
Daughter of William Wykeham Frederick Bourne a General Merchant (deceased); M.I. Bourne, sister was present at the death resident at 46 St Michael's Road, Worthing
In Norah's probate announcement, her address is given as "Sorrento", 46, St Michael's Road, She left £2, 820 14s 7d to be administered by James Wykeham Bourne (her brother) and Charles Rowland Hopwood, solicitor. Unfortunately, the house has been replaced by modern buildings. Norah died on 11 November 1927 aged 44, and was buried at Heene on 15 November.