The Yellow Earl: Almost an Emperor, Not Quite a Gentleman

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There was an agricultural estate of fifty thousand acres, and another fifty thousand acres of common land, over which he owned most of the sporting and mineral rights. There were the lakes of Windermere and Grasmere, and the ruggedly beautiful Hawes Water. For fifty or so years, the Yellow Earl remained in charge of both Lowther Castle and estates in Whitehaven and Rutland – but in 1936, his trustees lost patience. Most of the money had gone and the Castle was closed for good. During the 2nd World War, the castle was home to a number of tank regiments – and an experiment to create a new tank weapon, the Canal Defence Light, was conducted across the estate. Heeding her advice, in 1888, he went to the Arctic, on a gruelling polar expedition in which over 100 guides died. Lonsdale set out to reach the North Pole, nearly dying before reaching Kodiak, Alaska in 1889, and in 1890 he returned to England, a hero and a celebrity. High profile affairs with the actresses Lillie Langtree, and Violet Cameron led to him being advised by Queen Victoria to leave the country until the scandal died down.

In 1907, Lonsdale was part of the famous wager with John Pierpont Morgan over whether a man could circumnavigate the globe and remain unidentified. The Lowthers bought Seaton in 1837, then Dearham, Ribton, Distington, Kelton, Arlecdon, Weddicar, St Bees, Hensingham, Frizington, Ennerdale and Rottington. All were acquired because they had mineral reserves beneath them. The article makes much of Hugh’s love of the outdoors: “When he is at Lowther it is a frequent habit with him to saddle a pony soon after midnight and to ride alone into the surrounding hills to see the sun rise.” Hugh did so in spectacular style, with an expedition which reached Alaska. He later claimed to have made it to the North Pole.At the beginning of the eighteen nineties, the formidable figure of John J. Sullivan, dominated the boxing scene.

His Yellow Carriages, his colourful entourage and his feudal style of living made him one of the best known figures of his time; what the modern media would describe as a ‘celebrity’, but he was much more than that. His other thoughts included the belief that betting on horseracing should not be allowed. “Something will have to be done... or horse-racing will become an impossible sport for gentlemen.” There are two walking trails on the app : “Discover Whitehaven Harbour” and “In and Around Whitehaven.” They guide the user to “discover points” where you might “virtually” meet characters like Dr William Brownrigg, the doctor and scientist who practiced in Whitehaven in the 18th Century. Or you might bump into Hugh Lowther – The Yellow Earl – who had a penchant for the colour and enjoyed a rather colourful, free-spending life as the 5th Earl of Lonsdale.The newly discovered interview, originally published in 1905 in CB Fry’s Magazine Of Action and Outdoor Life, focuses heavily on hunting and the great outdoors. While some family estates were badly damaged by the Civil War of the 1640s, that of the Lowthers remained in tact. They had begun to expand rapidly in the reign of Charles II and steadily built on their land and property assets. They had, for instance, acquired half the manor of St Bees, the other half held by St Bees School. 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. 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.” Then problems arose – World War One shattered the structure of large estates. The agricultural workforce was slaughtered in the trenches and some estates were broken up, sold off piecemeal. That didn’t happen so much with the Lowthers, however, where the style of estate management was more about keeping things steady rather than innovation. But the Yellow Earl had no (official) children and died in 1944, aged 87, without an heir, to be succeeded by his younger brother, Lancelot, the 6th Earl, who then died in 1953.