Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden

Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, 4th Baron Seaford (9 May 1880 – 5 November 1946) was an English

peer Peer may refer to: Sociology * Peer, an equal in age, education or social class; see Peer group * Peer, a member of the peerage; related to the term "peer of the realm" Computing * Peer, one of several functional units in the same layer of a net ...

, landowner, writer and patron of the arts. Lord Howard de Walden was also a powerboat racer who competed for Great Britain in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an International sport, international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. Th ...

Early life

Thomas Ellis was born in London on 9 May 1880, the only son of the 7th Baron Howard de Walden and Blanche Ellis (née Holden), daughter of William Holden the co-heir of Palace house, Lancaster. He was baptised with the name of Thomas Evelyn Ellis, and was known within his family as "Tommy". Educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry ...

, in 1917 he assumed the surname Scott-Ellis by Royal Licence.

Military career

Commissioned into the

10th Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince A ...

as a

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 ...

on 19 April 1899, and honorary colonel of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, he saw active military service in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 1 April 1900. Following the end of that war, he retired from active service in August 1902. He was appointed a

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 ...

(supernumerary) in the

2nd County of London Yeomanry The Westminster Dragoons (WDs) was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army Army Reserve, located in central London. Its lineage is continued by one of the Royal Yeomanry's six squadrons. Formed in the aftermath of Second Boer War as part of the ...

(Westminster Dragoons) on 13 September 1902. Scott-Ellis resumed active military service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, being promoted Major in the Royal Tank Corps.

Collecting and interests

After succeeding to his family titles in 1899 he received his inherited

estates Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representa ...

when he came of age in 1901. This included a large part of Marylebone, London and earned him the title of 'Britain's wealthiest bachelor'. His fortune derived from his grandmother's estates which she had inherited as daughter of the Duke of Portland. The Ellis family estates, built on

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and sugar estates 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 Hispan ...

, primarily Montpelier, Jamaica had been conveyed by his grandmother to his uncle, Evelyn Henry Ellis, in 1891. Lord Howard de Walden took a lease on Audley End House,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

which had once belonged to his ancestors, in 1904 but reportedly never felt settled there. The artist Auguste Rodin created a bust of Lord Howard de Walden in 1906 which is held in the collection kept at the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. He purchased 'Croesnewydd hall' near Wrexham in 1929 which had been the home of his ancestors; that in between leasing Chirk Castle,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnew ...

from 1911 in preparation for his marriage, which became his main residence after

until 1946; and where he learned the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

, he also spent time at 'Plas Llanina',

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. C ...

. The Barony also inherited Dean Castle in Kilmarnock via inheritance from his grandmother, the 6th Baron's wife, 'Lady Lucy Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck'. A great sportsman, he was back up for the British fencing team at the 'Intercalated games' at Athens, 1906. He was a member of a Jockey club between 1905-1924, and had passions for horse-racing and sailing. He interested in powerboats, and was crew member of the ''Dylan'' he participated in the first and only motor boat competitions at the Olympics of

1908 in London Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

. His steam yacht, ''Branwen,'' length overall, launched 28 October 1905 was the first vessel built at the John I. Thornycroft & Company's Woolston yard. In 1914, he provided financial support for the creation of

Crab Tree Club The Crab Tree Club was a nightclub in Greek Street, Soho, London, that was established by the painter Augustus John in April 1914 with the financial support of Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, Thomas Scott-Ellis (Lord Howard de Wal ...

in London and also in that year he was one of the people "blessed" in

Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited '' BLAST,'' the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His novels include '' Tarr'' ...

's '' Blast Magazine''. Scott-Ellis had been awarded the a degree of LL.D.

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...

by the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

, he was President of the National Museum of Wales also a governor in the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million ...

. He had also been made a trustee of the Tate Gallery in 1938 and served as president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales from 1931 to 1945. In 1934, he served as treasurer of the

Royal Salop Infirmary The Parade Shops, formerly the Royal Salop Infirmary, is a specialist shopping centre at St Mary's Place in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. History The original facility on the site was the Salop Infirmary design ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...

. Lord Howard de Walden became a keen heraldist and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

, as well as amassing one of the most extensive collections of British

armour Armour (British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specificall ...

, most of which is now on display at Dean Castle, Kilmarnock.

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...

, in his memoirs, recalls visiting de Walden at Chirk Castle and being "greatly impressed to find our host one morning, clad, cap-à-pie, in a suit of ancient armor and reading his newspaper." Lord Howard de Walden was also an author, who produced several plays under the pseudonym of T. E. Ellis. His passion was to do with literature from the medieval period, especially Welsh literature. He participated in writing in the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...

, in particular to do with the fables of the ''

Mabinogion The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...

''.

Dispute with John Lewis

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashvill ...

of the eponymous department store on

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...

engaged in a protracted legal dispute with de Walden, his ground landlord, over the

Holles Street Holles Street is a street in Marylebone in the City of Westminster in central London that runs from the south side of Cavendish Square to Oxford Street. History The street was one of those laid out around 1729 when the area north of Oxford Stree ...

premises. The litigation went through the courts for twenty-three years and cost Lewis £40,000. At one point John Lewis was sent to

Brixton Jail Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th centu ...

for contempt of court, and de Walden sued him for

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...

following his erection of placards at his stores. The case was eventually settled amicably.

Family

In 1912, Lord Howard de Walden married Margherita Dorothy van Raalte ( CBE,

DStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

, born 1890 died 1974); herself a collector of antiquities. Their six children were: * John Osmael Scott-Ellis, 9th Baron Howard de Walden (27 November 1912 – 9 July 1999) married firstly Irene Gräfin von Harrach, daughter of Hans-Albrecht Graf von Harrach and Helene Gräfin von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, on 21 August 1934. He married secondly, Gillian Margaret Buckley, daughter of Cyril Francis Stewart Buckley and Audrey Burmester, in 1978 (''see''

Viscount Mountgarret Viscount Mountgarret is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. The title was created in 1550 for the Hon. Richard Butler, younger son of Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond. Butler had largely rebuilt the tower house at Mountgarret in County Wexfor ...

) *Hon. Bronwen Mary Scott-Ellis (b. 27 November 1912 – 2003), twin with her brother, married The Hon. James Louis Lindsay, son of the 27th Earl of Crawford and Constance Lilian Pelly, on 26 April 1933 *Hon. Elisabeth Gwendolen Scott-Ellis (b. 5 December 1914 – 1976) married, firstly, Lt-Cdr Serge Orloff-Davidoff, son of Count Alexis Orloff-Davidoff, on 24 July 1935. She married, secondly, Bernard Wheeler Robinson (died 1997), son of Dr. Wheeler Robinson, on 31 October 1959 *Hon. (Essylt) Priscilla Scott-Ellis (15 November 1916 – 8 March 1983) married José Luis de Vilallonga y Cabeza de Vaca, 9th Marquess of Castellbell, on 27 September 1945 (''see''

Marquess of Castellbell Marquess of Castellbell ( es, Marqués de Castellbell) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of Grandee, granted in 1702 by Philip V to José de Amat, a Catalan nobleman who was Lord of Castellbell. The fourth ...

). She married, secondly, Ian Hanson, a young opera singer from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, in 1972 *Hon. (Margaret Irene) Gaenor Scott-Ellis, JP (b. 2 June 1919 – 2002) married Lieut. Richard Heathcoat-Amory, son of Lt.-Col. Harry Heathcoat-Amory JP DL and Evelyn Stanley, on 18 July 1938 (''see'' Earl Bathurst) *Hon. Rosemary Nest Scott-Ellis (b. 28 October 1922) married George Fitzroy Seymour JP DL, of Thrumpton, Nottinghamshire, on 1 June 1946 (''see'' Miranda Seymour FRSL) Lord Howard de Walden died, aged 66, on 5 November 1946 in London, being succeeded in the family titles by his son, John Osmael Scott-Ellis.

Works

*''Some Feudal Lords and Their Seals'' (1903) *''Banners Standards and Badges from a Tudor Manuscript in the College of Arms'' (1904) *''The Children of Don: a drama in verse'' (1912) *''Song of Gwyn ap Nudd (1913)'' *''Pont Orewyn'' (1914) *''

Lanval ''Lanval'' is one of the Lais of Marie de France. Written in Anglo-Norman, it tells the story of Lanval, a knight at King Arthur's court, who is overlooked by the king, wooed by a fairy lady, given all manner of gifts by her, and subsequently ref ...

: a drama in four acts'' (1908) *''Dylan'' (1919) *''The Cauldron of

Annwn Annwn, Annwfn, or Annwfyn (in Middle Welsh, ''Annwvn'', ''Annwyn'', ''Annwyfn'', ''Annwvyn'', or ''Annwfyn'') is the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn (or, in Arthurian literature, by Gwyn ap Nudd), it was essentially a world ...

'' (1922) *''The Cauldron of Annwn, including the story of Bronwen (1929)'' *''Five Pantomimes (1930)''

References

Books cited

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard de Walden, Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron 1880 births 1946 deaths Military personnel from London People educated at Eton College British motorboat racers Olympic motorboat racers of Great Britain Motorboat racers at the 1908 Summer Olympics English patrons of the arts Imperial Yeomanry officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Westminster Dragoons officers Barons Howard de Walden Seaford, Thomas Scott-Ellis, 4th Baron Eldest sons of British hereditary barons 20th-century British philanthropists