The apps third trail , “Explore West Cumbria”, is aimed at families travelling in cars or on public transport. They can stop off at various points of interest including the Roman fort at Moresby, north of Whitehaven, the village of St Bees, Florence Mine or Swinside Stone Circle near Millom and many other places of interest in between. 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. Fortunately, at the eleventh hour, his elder brother, St George died, and Hugh, spurned by Society, and hounded by his creditors, became overnight one of the richest men in England. He was only 25 when he unexpectedly, inherited the title in 1882. His ancient lineage, high rank and his important political offices, and above all, his immense personal fortune made his position secure, and he was to live for another fifteen years after Hugh was born, to enjoy his two favourite sports, of hunting and entertaining actresses. I keep an eye out for anything with the words ‘Yellow Earl’, ‘Hugh Lowther’, ‘Fifth Earl of Lonsdale’,” says Adam. “There’s definitely a market for it.

As he drove down the course at Ascot behind the King, his yellow carriages and liveried postillions made the Royal Carriages look drab and dowdy by comparison, the cheers for ‘Lordy’ as the working classes called him, were at least as loud and prolonged as those for the King. 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. [9] Lonsdale was known as the Yellow Earl for his penchant for the colour. [ citation needed] He was a founder and first president of the Automobile Association (AA) which adopted his livery. The article also refers to his secret visits to London slums and his concern for their occupants. His solution was for them to leave London for “roomy cottages with good gardens”, to exercise more, and drink “the healthy old beverages of beer and cider” rather than whisky and gin.

Baron Marcus Kimball

His high life lasted several decades. Then his extravagance and a slump in income during the Depression led to him selling the family assets one by one. Lowther Castle & Gardens opened its gates to the public as a visitor attraction in 2012. The opening came as the culmination of many years of work, consultations, fund-raising, grounds clearance and detailed building restoration. 1953 the castle had been de-roofed and its extensive gardens turned over firstly to commercial tree-planting and animal-rearing. Later they were abandoned entirely and Nature took over.

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. By now the West Cumbrian estate was seen as secondary in status to the east – there was no owner in residence, it was indeed a good source of wealth, but carried no social kudos. The Lowthers were involved in national politics but road routes to the west of the county were so bad, they rarely bothered to visit. Their emotional attachment to West Cumberland was very much depleted, so the Lowthers would eventually decide to retain their East Cumberland and Westmorland estates and sell off the rest. In the two counties the Lowthers owned a total of 67,457 acres. 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. [15] [16] In popular culture [ edit ] Lonsdale was a keen sportsman, a talented horseman, and a ‘horse whisperer’ of his day, patron of hunting and racing, and founder of the Royal International Horse Show. He also supported local sports such as hound-trailing, fell-running and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and instigated the Lonsdale Belt for boxing.Begbie wrote of his subject: “There is something in the closeclipped mutton-chop whiskers, which he wears in defiance of fashion, which gives one an indication of his mind. He loves the period of his boyhood, the days when a pipe smoked in the harness room, or a day with the ferrets, was more to the youth of England than all the smaller pleasures of aestheticism; and it is to this period he belongs, and to this period he clings, with all the tenacity of a conservative nature.” The Lonsdale Library (Seeley, Service & Co.) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019. Notable riders with the Hunt in the 20th Century included members of royalty – the Prince of Wales, Duke of York and the Duke of Gloucester. Hugh did so in spectacular style, with an expedition which reached Alaska. He later claimed to have made it to the North Pole.

When he died, in the arms of a well-known opera singer, he was succeeded by his nephew, Hugh Lonsdale’s father – but Hugh and his two younger brothers, Charles and Lancelot, knew the likelihood of their ever succeeding to the spectacular family fortunes remained remote. His boyhood had made him shy and uneasy, with his social equals, and he covered this shyness in Society with a flamboyance, which, even in the ostentatious age of the Edwardians, people found hard to accept.Hugh Lowther finished his account with the words, “I can look at my strong right hand and say with truth, this hand put to sleep John L. Sullivan!” Modesty was never one of Hugh Lowther’s weaknesses.