Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey
The Earl of Hopetoun | |
---|---|
Succeeded by | Sir George Clarke |
Personal details | |
Born | 11 February 1836 |
Died | 23 February 1918 | (aged 82)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Anna Allnutt (m. 1860–1887; her death) |
Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey
Background and education
Brassey was the eldest son of the railway magnate
Political career
Brassey was briefly
Governor of Victoria
From 1895[12] to 1900 he was Governor of Victoria, a colony in Australia, and lived in its capital, Melbourne, in Government House. He returned to the United Kingdom in March 1900, by way of Colombo.[13]
Brassey is remembered in Australia's national capital, Canberra, with Brassey House, now a hotel (originally a guest house) in the inner suburb of Barton, Australian Capital Territory, completed in 1927 to coincide with the relocation of the Federal Parliament from Melbourne to Canberra. Brassey House originally offered 45 rooms with shared bathing facilities, for the exclusive use of members of parliament and mid-level government officials relocating to Canberra. During the mid 1960s the government of the day expanded the capacity to 131 rooms and added conference and meeting rooms. It was sold in the mid-1980s to local businessmen and has been operated since as a residential hotel, now with 75 rooms including ensuites. It is said to have been built back-to-front, with the more ornate façade facing Belmore Gardens and its plainer face to Macquarie Street.35°18′41″S 149°08′06″E / 35.3115°S 149.1350°E[14]
Sailing activities
Brassey's first experience of sailing was whilst he was still at Rugby school. After a short spell in a hired yacht called Zillah he started to compete successfully in club events in a yacht called Cymba (1855). In 1859 he became the owner of an iron yacht of 120 tons called Albatross, designed by his friend St Clare John Byrne and built at his father's Canada Works. He was elected as a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron at this time. In 1866 he ventured into auxiliary steam with the yacht Meteor and in 1872 used the steam yacht Eothen to visit Canada - although the vessel proved not to be best suited for this type of work. Eothen had formerly been owned by the co-founder of P & O Company - Arthur Anderson.[15]
Between 6 July 1876 and 27 May 1877 Brassey circumnavigated the world in his steam-assisted three-masted topsail-yard schooner
At the age of 79 Brassey sailed his yacht Sunbeam to
-
Sunbeam under full sail
Honours and awards
Brassey was President of the Royal Statistical Society from 1879 to 1880. He was conferred with Honorary Membership of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland in 1891.[18] Following his return from Australia, he was President of the London Chamber of Commerce 1901–1902.[19] He served as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1908[20] to 1913.[21]
He was appointed a
He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the part-time 6th (Hastings) Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteer Corps on 1 June 1861, and was later the captain of the 9th (Pevensey) Cinque Ports AVC. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the successor unit, the 2nd Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers on 2 December 1891.[24]
King David Kalākaua of Hawaii bestowed on Brassey the honour "Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua".[25]
Freemasonry
Brassey was a
Family
Brassey married firstly, in 1860, Anna Allnutt, daughter of John Allnutt, of Clapham, Surrey. They had one son and four daughters. The third daughter, Lady Muriel Agnes, married Gilbert Sackville, 8th Earl De La Warr, and was the mother of Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, while the fourth daughter, Lady Marie Adelaide, married Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon.[27] Lady Brassey died in September 1887, aged 47.
Brassey married secondly Lady Sybil de Vere Capell, daughter of Arthur Capell, Viscount Malden, and sister of George Capell, 7th Earl of Essex, in 1890. They had one daughter. Brassey died in February 1918, aged 82, and was succeeded in the earldom by his only son, Thomas.
References
- ^ Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.168, Baron Brassey
- ^ ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ^ Craig, op. cit. page 147
- ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
- ^ "Congress Presidents 1869-2002" (PDF). February 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
- ^ "No. 24844". The London Gazette. 14 May 1880. p. 3019.
- ^ "No. 24976". The London Gazette. 24 May 1881. p. 2674.
- ^ "No. 25617". The London Gazette. 17 August 1886. p. 4007.
- ^ "No. 26413". The London Gazette. 16 June 1893. p. 3456.
- ^ "No. 26644". The London Gazette. 16 July 1895. p. 4023.
- ^ "No. 26443". The London Gazette. 22 September 1893. p. 5379.
- ^ "No. 26596". The London Gazette. 8 February 1895. p. 773.
- ^ "The War". The Times. No. 36083. London. 7 March 1900. p. 10.
- ^ an Elegant Reminder of the Brassey's History, Brassey House, accessed 9 March 2011
- ^ Brassey, Earl (1917). Sunbeam RYS voyages & Experiences in Many Waters. London: John Murray. p. Chapters I, II & III.
- ^ "The Bulldog Breed". Mirror of Australia (Sydney, NSW : 1915 - 1917). The Mirror of Australia. 5 September 1915. p. 1. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ "The 'Sunbeam' as Hospital Ship, July 30th 1915". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ The Institution of Engineers in Scotland website, iesis.org. Accessed 23 November 2022.
- ^ "London Chamber of Commerce". The Times. No. 36791. London. 11 June 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 28107". The London Gazette. 7 February 1908. p. 891.
- ^ "No. 28777". The London Gazette. 28 November 1913. p. 8799.
- ^ "No. 27926". The London Gazette. 26 June 1906. p. 4460.
- ^ "No. 28514". The London Gazette. 18 July 1911. p. 5350.
- ^ Army List.
- ^ The Royal Tourist—Kalakaua's Letters Home from Tokio to London. Editor: Richard A. Greer. 10 March 1881.
- ^ "KentHenderson". Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ISBN 9780951724798.
External links
- Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: London: Dean & son, limited. p. 136.
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Brassey
- Works by Lord Brassey at Project Gutenberg
- Works by Thomas Brassey at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Thomas Brassey at Internet Archive