Charles Brinsley Marlay (1831 – 18 June 1912) was an Anglo-Irish landowner and art collector.

Life

He studied at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. He had large estates in Ireland, including

Belvedere House and Gardens Belvedere House and Gardens () is a country house located approximately from Mullingar, County Westmeath in Ireland on the north-east shore of Lough Ennell. It was built in 1740 as a hunting lodge for Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere ...

and the Jealous Wall (both inherited from Marlay's cousin Brinsley Butler, 4th Earl of Lanesborough in 1847) and

Tyrrellspass Castle Tyrrellspass Castle, dating back to circa 1411, is situated in the town of Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is the only remaining castle of the Tyrrells, who came to Ireland around the time of the Norman Invasion. Architecture Th ...

(inherited from Marlay's grandmother, who was the only daughter of

Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere PC (26 March 1708 – 13 November 1774) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. He became notorious for his abusive treatment of his second wife, Mary Molesworth. Early life He was the son of Rt. Hon. G ...

). He moved into Belvedere House and altered its upper façade's Diocletian windows as well as adding terracing and having plans drawn up by Ninian Niven for a walled garden. He was High Sheriff of

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

for 1853 and 1906,

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

for 1863 and

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

for 1885. He stood as one of the two

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

candidates for the

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

constituency at the 1880 general election but they both lost. He became a member of the

Burlington Fine Arts Club The Burlington Fine Arts Club (established 1866; dissolved 1952) was a London gentlemen's club based at 17 Savile Row. The club had its roots in the informal Fine Arts Club, a gathering of amateur art enthusiasts, founded by John Charles Robinso ...

, which held a manuscript exhibition in 1908 organised by Sydney Cockerell, Director of the

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...

. Marlay lent some of his own manuscripts to the exhibition. Cockerell also went to meet him in July 1908 to discuss "an addition to the Fitzwilliam". Marlay was keen to bequeath his collection but the Fitzwilliam did not yet have enough space or staff to cope with it and so Marlay also offered a financial bequest, bargained up from £50,000 to £80,000 thanks to Cockerell and also finally including the lease on Marlay's London house. Marley died at St. Katharine's Lodge,

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

on 18 June 1912. He made good on his offer to Cockerell and also left the museum eighteen books, 240 cuttings from 12th to 16th century illuminated manuscripts, all the manuscripts he had loaned in 1908, 84 paintings, prints, decorative arts, jewellery, glassware, carpets and Japanese artworks as well as some works that Cockerell disposed of as "modern, imitation, or of too low standard for an important museum". However, the money bequeathed by Marlay did still enable building works and established the Marlay Fund, the museum's first-ever purchase fund. Marlay did not leave everything to the Fitzwilliam, however. His personal papers and collection of family manuscripts were instead bequeathed to Richard Warwick Bond, who had edited William Bercher's 1559 ''Nobility of Women'' for the

Roxburghe Club The Roxburghe Club is a bibliophilic and publishing society based in the United Kingdom. Origins The spur to the Club's foundation was the sale of the enormous library of the Duke of Roxburghe (who had died in 1804), which took place over 46 days ...

at Marlay's request - they are now in the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

. Belvedere House and Tyrrellspass Castle both passed from Marlay to

Charles Howard-Bury Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury DSO, DL, JP (15 August 188120 September 1963) was a British-Irish soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician. Background and education A member of the Howard family, he was born at ...

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marlay, Charles Brinsley 1831 births 1912 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century Anglo-Irish people High Sheriffs of County Westmeath High Sheriffs of County Louth High Sheriffs of Cavan British patrons of the arts British art collectors Irish art collectors People associated with the Fitzwilliam Museum Collectors from London