 |
|
|
 |
The Museum
|
 |
5th Marquess of Bath
1862-1946
Thomas, son of the 4th Marquess of Bath, was from an early age noticable
for his quiet, shy nature. Having been educated at Eton and Oxford, he travelled
abroad for a period before becoming a Conservative MP, serving briefly as
Secretary of State for Ireland.
After declining the chance to marry Princess Mary of Teck (who instead married
the future King George V and became, in turn, Queen Mary) he became enamoured
with Violet Moncrieffe. Violet's own birth had been clouded in controversy
after her mother announced that her husband, Sir Charles Maudant, was not
the father and admitted to a series of affairs with, among others, the Prince
of Wales.
Thomas and Violet were married in 1890 and moved into the family home of Longleat
four years later on the death of his father. During the first world war Bath
opened Longleat as a hospital for those injured on the front, a service for
which he was later to be made a Knight of the Order of the Garter. After becoming
disillusioned with national politics, he became Chairman of Wiltshire County
Council, a post he held until his death in 1946.
JJ Fox & Robert Lewis, 19 St James's Street,
London, SW1A 1ES
Tel:+44 (0)20 7930 3787 Fax:+44 (0)20 7495 0097
