Sir Julius Charles Wernher, 1st Baronet (9 April 1850 – 21 May 1912) was a German-born
Randlord
Randlords were the capitalists who controlled the diamond and gold mining industries in South Africa in its pioneer phase from the 1870s up to World War I.
A small number of European financiers, largely of the same generation, gained control of th ...
and
art collector
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...
who became part of the English
establishment
Establishment may refer to:
* The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization
* The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England
* The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...
.
Life history
Born in
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
, Hesse, Wernher was the son of Elisabeth (Weidenbusch) and Friedrich Augustus Wernher, a
railway engineer
Railway engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of rail transport systems. It encompasses a wide range of engineering disciplines, including civil engineering, compu ...
of
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
stock. He was educated at
Frankfurt-am-Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...
, where he entered a
merchant bank
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commodi ...
. In 1871, having served in the
Franco-German War, he moved to London at the age of 21. His talent for business was spotted by a diamond dealer named
Jules Porgès
Jules Porgès (25 May 1839 – 20 September 1921) was a Paris-based financier who played a central role in the rise of the Randlords who controlled the diamond and gold mining industries in South Africa.
He was born Yehuda Porges in Vienna and ...
of London and Paris, who sent Wernher in 1873 as his agent to the diamond mines of
Kimberley, South Africa to buy and export diamonds. Wernher bought up mining interests and by 1875 was a member of the Kimberley mining board. In that same year, Porgès and
Alfred Beit
Alfred Beit (15 February 1853 – 16 July 1906) was a Anglo-German gold and diamond magnate in South Africa, and a major donor and profiteer of infrastructure development on the African continent. He also donated much money to university edu ...
joined him in Kimberley, and Porgès formed the ''Compagnie Française des Mines de Diamants du Cap.'' Porgès returned to London after having made Wernher and Beit partners in the firm of Jules Porgès & Co. By 1884 Wernher returned to London and traded in diamond shares, while Beit remained in Kimberley to look after their interests. On Porgès' retirement in 1889, the firm was restructured and named ''Wernher, Beit & Co.''
With the discovery in 1886 of gold on the
Witwatersrand
The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...
, the firm appointed
Hermann Eckstein
Hermann Ludwig Eckstein (3 August 1847 – 16 January 1893) was a German-born British people, British mining magnate and banker.
Life history
Born in Hohenheim near Stuttgart, Germany to a Lutheran minister, he received an excellent educati ...
as their representative in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, while
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...
and Beit effectively amalgamated the Kimberley diamond mines by 1888 and enabled ''Wernher, Beit & Co.'' to acquire a controlling interest in
De Beers Consolidated Mines
De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and ...
. Wernher by now was managing over 70 South African companies from his London office, and developing a passion for collecting art. He was created a baronet in 1905, as well as being a member of the
Order of the Crown of Prussia
The Royal Order of the Crown (german: Königlicher Kronen-Orden) was a Prussian order of chivalry. Instituted in 1861 as an honour equal in rank to the Order of the Red Eagle, membership could only be conferred upon commissioned officers (or civ ...
. Despite having a reputation for prudence in business, Wernher was swindled out of £64,000 in 1906 by
Henri Lemoine, who claimed he could make synthetic diamonds.
Beset by failing health in 1911, Wernher merged the shareholdings of ''Wernher, Beit & Co.'' with those of Central Mining and Investment Corporation and Rand Mines Ltd. Besides his interest in art, Wernher funded an extension to the
National Physical Laboratory. He also bequeathed £250,000 to establishing a university in Cape Town, and £100,000 to the
Imperial College of Science and Technology
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
in London.
At the time of his death in London, he was one of the richest men in the United Kingdom with a fortune of £12 million (then $60 million in face value, then more than about 20–30 times current purchasing power). This accumulation of wealth was due to his level-headedness and attention to detail. In contrast, Beit was shrewd but impulsive, leading to fiascos like the
Jameson Raid
The Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched Raid (military), raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson, under the emplo ...
.
Art
Wernher kept his art collection at his London mansion,
Bath House in Piccadilly, and at his country house
Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo is an English country house and Estate (land), estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Old English language, Saxon word wikt:hoo#Etym ...
(occupied by Robert de Hoo in 1245). Much of it is now on display at
Ranger's House
Ranger's House is a medium-sized red brick Georgian mansion in the Palladian style, adjacent to Greenwich Park in the south east of London. It is situated in Blackheath and backs directly onto Greenwich Park. Previously known as Chesterfield ...
in the London suburb of
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
. In 1897 Wernher bought what was thought to be a later copy of the Madonna of the Pomegranate; the original was painted by
Sandro Botticelli
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...
in 1487. Restoration work carried out by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, and extensive testing, have shown that the painting at Ranger's House did in fact originate from Botticelli's 15th Century workshop in Florence.
A large memorial to Wernher now flanks the entrance to the
Royal School of Mines
The Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London. The Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics and parts of the London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Bioe ...
in London.
Marriage and children
On 12 June 1888, he married socialite Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz (1862 – 30 November 1945), nicknamed "Birdie", whom he described as "bright-eyed, fair-haired, small, intelligent and musical". She was the daughter of Jacob "James" Mankiewicz (1830–1879) from
Danzig, the son of Joel Mankiewicz, a
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
Jewish
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
. Her mother was Ada Susan Pigott from
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
, who had a brother who was a
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
. Birdie and her mother lived in part of a big mid-
Victorian house in Bayswater, at 15a Pembridge Square.
They had three sons:
# Sir Derrick Julius Wernher, 2nd Baronet (7 June 1889 – 6 March 1948), married Theodora Anna Romanoff, daughter of Nikita Romanoff (from an exiled Russian noble family – not related to the Imperial
House of Romanov
The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...
—whose members were in charge of the enterprise ''Sibirsky telegraf'', "The Siberian Telegraph", in 1861), on 14 December 1922.
## Anna Alexandra Wernher (14 May 1924 – May 2010)
# Major-General
Sir Harold Augustus Wernher, 3rd Baronet (16 January 1893 – 30 June 1973), married Countess
Anastasia de Torby
Lady Anastasia Mikhailovna Wernher (' Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby; 9 September 1892 – 7 December 1977) was a German-born Russian-British aristocrat and thoroughbred racehorse owner.
She was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Micha ...
(9 September 1892 – 7 December 1977), eldest child of
Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia
Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian: Михаил Михайлович; 16 October 1861 – 26 April 1929) was a son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia and a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.
He was raised in the C ...
and his
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
wife,
Sophie of Merenberg
Countess Sophie Nikolaievna of Merenberg, Countess de Torby (1 June 1868 – 14 September 1927), was the elder daughter of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau and his morganatic wife, Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina (who had been granted the title ...
, Countess de Torby, daughter of
Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau
Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau (20 September 1832 – 17 September 1905), was the only son of William, Duke of Nassau by his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg.
Marriage and issue
He married morganatically in London on 1 July 1868 w ...
and his morganatic wife, Russian noblewoman
Natalia Pushkina
Natalia Nikolayevna Pushkina-Lanskaya (russian: link=no, Наталья Николаевна Пушкина-Ланская; 8 September 1812 – 26 November 1863) ( Goncharova) (Гончарова), was the wife of the Russian poet Alexander Pu ...
.
##
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
George Michael Alexander Wernher (Edinburgh, Scotland, 22 August 1918 –
Béja
Béja ( ar, باجة ') is a city in Tunisia. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Béja is situated on the ...
,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, 4 December 1942), killed in action during the
North Africa Campaign, aged 24, while serving with
17th/21st Lancers Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the A ...
. He is buried at Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery at
Béja
Béja ( ar, باجة ') is a city in Tunisia. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Béja is situated on the ...
in Tunisia.
##
Georgina Wernher
Georgina, Lady Kennard (''née'' Wernher; formerly Phillips; 17 October 1919 – 28 April 2011) was a British aristocrat who was considered "one of the best connected women in the country." She was connected to many prominent families such as th ...
(17 October 1919 – 28 April 2011), married London 10 October 1944 Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips (1909–1980), son of Colonel Joseph Harold John Phillips. Remarried London December 1992 Lt.-Col.
Sir George Arnold Ford Kennard, 3rd Bt., son of Sir Coleridge Arthur Fitzroy Kennard, 1st Bt., and Dorothy Katherine Barclay. She had five children from her first marriage.
##
Myra Alice Wernher, CVO (born 8 March 1925), married 5 November 1946 Major Sir David Henry Butter, son of Colonel Charles Adrian James Butter. They had five children, including Georgina Butter, goddaughter and bridesmaid to
Princess Alexandra of Kent
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...
.
#
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
Alexander Pigott Wernher (18 January 1897 – 10 September 1916), killed in action at the
Battle of Delville Wood
The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and ...
, aged 19, while serving with Prince of Wales's Coy., 1st Bn.
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V ...
. He is buried in the Citadel New Military Cemetery at
Fricourt
Fricourt () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
Fricourt is situated on the D147 and D64 junction, some northeast of Amiens.
History
Fricourt is about a kilometre from Mametz. It was close to ...
.
The Wernher Mausoleum is in the Churchyard of Holy Trinity,
East Hyde
East Hyde is a hamlet located in Bedfordshire, England.
East Hyde lies on the border with Hertfordshire, but is part of the wider Hyde parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within ...
.
Alice, Lady Wernher, the widow of Sir Julius, remarried on 25 September 1919 to
Henry Lopes, 2nd Baron Ludlow
Henry Ludlow Lopes, 2nd Baron Ludlow (30 September 1865 – 8 November 1922), was a British barrister and politician.
Lopes was the only son of Henry Lopes, 1st Baron Ludlow, by Cordelia Lucy, daughter of Erving Clark, of Efford Manor, Plymouth. ...
(30 September 1865 – 8 November 1922). Upon her remarriage, she became known as Lady Ludlow.
Arms
References
External links
*
Wernher Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wernher, Julius
British mining businesspeople
German emigrants to England
Randlords
English art collectors
German art collectors
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
1850 births
1912 deaths
Julius
The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Businesspeople from Darmstadt
German emigrants to South Africa
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
19th-century English businesspeople