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Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, 4th Baron Bliss, commonly known as Baron Bliss (16 February 1869 – 9 March 1926), was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
-born traveller who willed nearly two million
Belize dollar
The Belize dollar is the official currency in Belize (ISO 4217, currency code ''BZD''). It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign ''$'', or alternatively ''BZ$'' to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies.
It is divided int ...
s to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of what was then the colony of
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973, , now
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
.
Biography
He was born Henry Edward Ernest Victor de Barreto and lived in
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow (; historically Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow) is a town and civil parish within the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located on the River Thames, south-southwest of High Wycombe, west-northwest of Maidenhead and ...
, England, as a youth.
His father was Henry Aldridge, who inherited the estate of his uncle Edward Bliss of
Brandon, Suffolk
Brandon is a town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.
Brandon is located in the Breckland area of Suffolk, close to the adjoining county of Norfolk. It lies between the towns of Bury St Edmunds, Thetford, Mildenhall, Downha ...
, a manufacturer of
flintlock mechanism
The flintlock mechanism is a type of lock used on muskets, rifles, and pistols from the early 17th to the mid-19th century. It is commonly referred to as a " flintlock" (without the word ''mechanism''), though that term is also commonly used f ...
s for guns,
and changed his surname to Bliss under the terms of his uncle's will.
In 1855, Henry Bliss inherited the estate and title of his cousin the Baron de Alreyo of the
Kingdom of Portugal, although he was styled the Baron de Bliss due to the conditions stated in his uncle's will. In June 1869, he was granted another bequest from Colonel Carlo Antonio Barreto of the
Kingdom of Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, with the stipulation that he change his name to Barreto, and he did so in spite of the earlier limitation from his uncle.
Henry Edward Ernest Victor de Barreto was an engineer by trade and on the death of his father in 1890, became the 4th Baron de Barreto. However during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he reverted to his family name of Bliss, and was known afterwards as Baron Bliss. He was apparently successful in his career, but it is not known how he obtained his fortune, whether due to business acumen or inheritance, or a combination thereof.
Bliss became paralysed from the waist down in 1911 at the age of 42, likely due to
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
, and was confined to a wheelchair. Despite this, he remained active. He was apparently an avid sailor, but had his yacht confiscated for war purposes during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
When the war ended, he was wealthy enough to retire to a lifetime of
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
and leisure, so to that end he ordered a new 120 ft twin screw yacht from the famous Scottish yacht designer
Alfred Mylne
Alfred Mylne (1872–1951) was a Scottish yacht designer, born in Glasgow. He founded A Mylne & Co. in 1896.
Work
Alfred Mylne was apprenticed to the Scottish shipbuilders Napier, Shanks and Bell, and went on to work as a draftsman and appr ...
, which he christened ''Sea King II''.
In 1920, he sailed the yacht to the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
, where he stayed for five years. Meanwhile, his wife Baroness Ethel Alice Bliss stayed in England, living off a portion of his fortune. The couple had no children.
Although he had some property there, he eventually grew tired of Bahamanian society and decided to move on. Leaving the Bahamas behind, he sailed to
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
and was there for a short while when he came down with a serious bout of
food poisoning.
Deciding to accept a previous invitation from his friend Willoughby Bullock, who was then Attorney General of British Honduras, he sailed westward, stopping briefly in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
likely for medical attention, and arriving in the Belize City harbour on 1926.
Bliss's health appeared to improve over the next few weeks, and he spent much of this time sailing around the area in his
launch, exploring the coastline and fishing. However, just days before his 57th birthday, his health took a turn for the worse, and doctors advised him that he was terminally ill. It was at this time that he decided he would leave the bulk of his fortune to the country, and signed a new draft of his
will, dated . Several weeks later, he died on his yacht, never having landed on the Belize mainland. He was buried in the former site of a Spanish fortress which was extremely damaged after the
Battle of St. George's Caye
The Battle of St. George's Caye was a military engagement that lasted from 3 to 10 September 1798, off the coast of British Honduras (present-day Belize). However, the name is typically reserved for the final battle that occurred on 10 Septemb ...
in September 1798 in
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...
, what is now known as Bliss Park. This was a temporary arrangement, and he was later interred in a granite tomb near the sea, with a lighthouse nearby, built with funds from his estate.
The burial instructions were explicitly stated in the will.
The Bliss bequest
At the time of his death, Bliss's fortune was worth nearly (about ). About $480,000 was claimed by the United Kingdom in
inheritance taxes. His will gave specific instructions on how the money was to be used to the benefit of the citizens of British Honduras. Aside from small lifetime
annuities
In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals.Kellison, Stephen G. (1970). ''The Theory of Interest''. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. p. 45 Examples of annuities are regular deposits to a savings account, m ...
to his wife and relatives in England and to his personal staff, the remainder of the funds was placed in a
trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
, executed by the Governor, the Colonial Secretary, and the Attorney General.
The original money was to be invested in British
stocks and securities,
and only the
interest
In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distin ...
earned could be spent, and even that could not be spent on churches, dance halls or schools, except agricultural and vocational ones.
One-hundred
pounds sterling
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
was to be set aside annually for a
regatta, which has since been held every year on Baron Bliss Day.
A peculiar condition attached to the money was that no American may be a trustee or an employee of a trustee. No explanation was given.
Over the years, the trust has provided more than to fund projects, including the
Bliss Institute
The Bliss Institute is a theatre, museum, and National Arts Council in the cultural centre of Belize City. It is named after Baron Bliss.
The original construction started in 1953 and finished one year later. The architectural design was done in ...
,
Bliss School of Nursing,
and other
capital projects across the country.
, the fund was still worth roughly .
National Heroes and Benefactors Day
Soon after his death, the government declared to be Baron Bliss Day,
a national public holiday. This was later renamed to National Heroes and Benefactors Day, and is now observed the Monday closest to , unless it falls on a Saturday or it has been moved by decree. In 2019, it was celebrated on Monday, 11 March.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, Baron
Bliss, Baron Henry
Bliss, Baron Henry
British philanthropists
British emigrants to Belize