Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale
DL | |
---|---|
Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland | |
In office 1917–1944 | |
Preceded by | The Lord Muncaster |
Succeeded by | Frescheville Hubert Ballantine-Dykes |
Personal details | |
Born | Hugh Cecil Lowther 25 January 1857 London, Middlesex, England[1] |
Died | 13 April 1944 Stud House, Barleythorpe | (aged 87)
Spouse |
Lady Grace Cecilie Gordon
(m. 1878; died 1941) |
Relations | St George Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale (brother) Lancelot Lowther, 6th Earl of Lonsdale (brother) |
Parent | Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale |
Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale,
Early life
Born in 1857, he was the second son of Emily Susan (née Caulfeild), daughter of St George Francis Caulfeild of Donamon Castle of Roscommon, Ireland and Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale.[3]
In 1882, he succeeded his brother, St George Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale,[4] and was succeeded in turn by his brother, Lancelot Lowther, 6th Earl of Lonsdale upon his death in 1944.[5]
Career
Lonsdale inherited enormous wealth derived from his father's Cumberland coalmines, and owned 75,000 acres (30,000 ha) of land. He had residences at Lowther Castle, at Whitehaven Castle, Barleythorpe and Carlton House Terrace, London.
He was appointed
Lonsdale was known as the Yellow Earl for his penchant for the colour.[
In 1907, Lonsdale was part of the
In August 1895 the German Emperor
Although he was a Peer, he was rarely seen in the House of Lords.[citation needed] Because of his extravagance he was forced to sell some of his inherited properties. In 1921 Whitehaven Castle was sold, and in 1926 Barleythorpe. The same year the west Cumberland coalmines closed. In 1935 he moved from Lowther Castle because he could no longer afford to live there and moved to much smaller accommodation.[10]
His free-spending had largely wrecked the estate, and his heir, his brother Lancelot, the 6th Earl was forced to auction off the contents of Lowther Castle in 1947. This proved to be the largest English country house sale of the 20th century.[11]
Personal life
In 1878, before obtaining his inheritance, Lonsdale married Lady Grace Cecilie Gordon, third daughter of Maria Antoinetta Pegus (c. 1821–1893) and Charles Gordon, 10th Marquess of Huntly. Her family opposed the marriage as Lonsdale was not then wealthy and seemed irresponsible. This proved to be correct as the following year he invested in cattle in America; the venture collapsed and the Lowther family was forced to save him.
The couple then lived at Barleythorpe Hall near Oakham. Grace became pregnant but had a miscarriage after a fall while hunting. After this she was unable to bear children and remained a partial invalid for the rest of her life. She died in 1941.[citation needed]
After an affair with the actress
Lonsdale died in 1944 at Stud House, Barleythorpe, aged 87.[5]
Sports
Lonsdale was a founding member and first president of the
He enjoyed
After the First World War, Hugh gave up hunting and became more involved with race horses. He became a senior steward of the
From 1929 Lonsdale was the joint editor of the Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, a book series published by Seeley, Service and Co.[16][17]
In popular culture
Lonsdale was the subject of a biography by Douglas Sutherland.[18]
References
- ^ https://www.ancestry.co.uk/genealogy/records/hugh-cecil-th-earl-of-lonsdale-lowther-24-fr6grw
- ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- ^ "Henry, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale". lonsdale-estates.co.uk. Lonsdale Estates. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "LONSDALE OF THE LOWTHERS". The New York Times. 15 April 1944. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ a b Times, Cable to the New York (14 April 1944). "LONSDALE IS DEAD; NOTED SPORTSMAN; 'England's Most Picturesque Peer Was 87 -- Once Boxed With John L. Sullivan". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ a b Army List, various dates.
- ^ "No. 27169". The London Gazette. 27 February 1900. p. 1351.
- ^ "No. 27173". The London Gazette. 13 March 1900. p. 1715.
- ^ The New York Times 17 November 1902
- ^ TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (18 December 1935). "RACING PEER GIVES UP.; Earl of Lonsdale to Shut Stable and Costly Ancestral Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Lowther Castle". Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/62581. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ New York Times, 16 May 1889
- ^ British Museum Collection
- ^ "Lonsdale Cigars - Cao Black Moasic & Camacho Corojo Cetros | Cigar Choice Guide".
- ^ "Books and Authors", The Observer, 3 February 1929, p. 8.
- ^ The Lonsdale Library (Seeley, Service & Co.) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ISBN 0304930792.