Giles Stephen Holland Fox-Strangways, 6th Earl of Ilchester (31 May 1874 – 29 October 1959), styled Lord Stavordale until 1905, was a British

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 ne ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Background and education

Fox-Strangways was the eldest child of

Henry Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester Henry Edward Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester PC (13 February 1847 – 6 December 1905), known as Henry Fox-Strangways until 1865, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms ...

, by Lady Mary Eleanor Anne Dawson, daughter of

Richard Dawson, 1st Earl of Dartrey Richard Dawson, 1st Earl of Dartrey KP (7 September 1817 – 12 May 1897), styled the Hon. Richard Dawson until 1827 and the Lord Cremorne from 1827 to 1866, was an Anglo-Irish Liberal, and later Liberal Unionist, politician. Life Dartrey was ...

. He was educated at Eton and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniq ...

and was an officer in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, 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 ...

5 March 1902.

Career

For

Dorsetshire Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

Giles was justice of the peace and deputy lieutenant; he also received a

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

and

O.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1919. From 1922 to 1959, Lord Ilchester was a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery (and Chairman from 1941–59) and of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

from 1931–59. He was also a Member of the

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) was a government advisory body responsible for documenting buildings and monuments of archaeological, architectural and historical importance in England. It was established in 19 ...

from 1939–59 (and Chairman from 1943–59), President of the London Library from 1940–52, President of the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...

from 1941–51, President of the

Roxburghe Club The Roxburghe Club is a bibliophilic and publishing society based in the United Kingdom. Origins The spur to the Club's foundation was the sale of the enormous library of the Duke of Roxburghe (who had died in 1804), which took place over 46 da ...

in 1940 and a Steward of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, a ...

from 1937–40. Lord Ilchester was awarded for his work by being appointed a GBE in 1950.

Holland House

The family's London home, Holland House, was built in 1605 and burnt down during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. The building remained a burned-out ruin until 1952, when he sold the house and fifty-two acres to

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

for £250,000. The land and its gardens became

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...

, a substantial public green space in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...

. He wrote various works on the history of the house, including: *Fox-Strangways, Giles (6th Earl of Ilchester), ''The House of the Hollands 1605–1820'', London, 1937 *Fox-Strangways, Giles (6th Earl of Ilchester), ''Chronicles of Holland House'', 1820–1900, London, 1937 *Fox-Strangways, Giles (6th Earl of Ilchester), ''Catalogue of pictures belonging to the Earl of Ilchester at Holland House,'' London, 1904

Family

Lord Ilchester married Lady Helen Vane-Tempest-Stewart, daughter of the 6th Marquess of Londonderry. The society wedding took place at

St Peter's Church, Eaton Square St. Peter's Church, Eaton Square, is a Church of England parish church at the east end of Eaton Square, Belgravia, London. It is a neoclassical building designed by the architect Henry Hakewill with a hexastyle portico with Ionic columns and ...

, London, on 25 January 1902, and was conducted by the

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

(Primate of All Ireland). It was attended by the Duke of Connaught, his daughter

Princess Margaret of Connaught Princess Margaret of Connaught (Margaret Victoria Charlotte Augusta Norah; 15 January 1882 – 1 May 1920) was Crown Princess of Sweden as the first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf. She was the elder daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke ...

, and the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

. The couple had four children: *Lady Mary Theresa Fox-Strangways (1903–1948), married Sir John Herbert. *

Edward Henry Charles James Fox-Strangways, 7th Earl of Ilchester Edward Henry Charles James "Harry" Fox-Strangways, 7th Earl of Ilchester (1 October 1905 – 21 August 1964) was a British peer and philanthropist. He also held the subsidiary titles of Baron Strangways and Baron Ilchester and Stavordale. ...

(1905–1964). *John Denzil Fox-Strangways (1908–1961), *Lady (Mabel) Edith Fox-Strangways (1918-1995), married the 2nd Viscount Wimborne. The Countess of Ilchester died in January 1956, aged 79. Lord Ilchester survived her by three years and died in October 1959, aged 85. His eldest son Edward Henry (known as "Harry") succeeded in the earldom.

Arms

The arms of the head of the Fox-Strangways family are

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

ed ''Quarterly of four: 1st & 4th: Sable, two lions passant paly of six argent and gules'' (Strangways); ''2nd & 3rd: Ermine, on a chevron azure three foxes' heads and necks erased or on a canton of the second a fleur-de-lys of the third'' (Fox).

References

Work cited

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilchester, Giles Fox-Strangways, 6th Earl Of Earls of Ilchester English philanthropists Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire 1874 births 1959 deaths People educated at Eton College Giles Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Deputy Lieutenants of Dorset People of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England