Hugh Patrick Lygon (2 November 190419 August 1936) was the second son of

William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp (20 February 1872 – 14 November 1938), styled Viscount Elmley until 1891, was a British Liberal politician. He was Governor of New South Wales between 1899 and 1901, a member of the Liberal administrations of ...

, and, though often believed to be the inspiration for

Lord Sebastian Flyte ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, es ...

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

's ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, esp ...

'', Waugh told the

Lygon family Earl Beauchamp () was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The peerage was created in 1815 for William Lygon, 1st Baron Beauchamp, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Elmley, in the County of Worcester. He had already been crea ...

that this was not the case. Lygon was a close friend of the Waugh while at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

;

A. L. Rowse Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...

believed the two to be lovers. They were both members of the

Hypocrites' Club The Hypocrites' Club was one of the student clubs at Oxford University in England. Its motto in Ancient Greek, Greek, from an Olympian Ode by Pindar, was ''Water is best''. This led to the members being called ''Hypocrites'', because beer, wine ...

, along with their contemporaries Robert Byron, Murray Andrew McLean, and the Plunket Greene brothers, Richard and David, and of which Lygon was also president club, David Plunket Greene was a good friend of Hugh Lygon.

Education

He was educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Oxford. While at Oxford, Lygon was part of the Oxford Railway Club. After leaving Oxford he worked in a bank in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

before working in the City.

Death

Lygon died in Germany in 1936, during a road trip with his friend, the artist Henry Wynn (a son of Lady Newborough). Lygon was standing in the road asking for directions, and accidentally fell backwards, hitting his head. Lygon spent four days in a hospital in

Rothenburg ob der Tauber Rothenburg ob der Tauber () is a town located in the district of Ansbach (district), Ansbach of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. It is well known for its well-preserved Middle Ages, medieval old town, a d ...

, eventually dying from a skull fracture suffered during the fall. His body was returned to England. Archived fro
the original
on 2009-08-10.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lygon, Hugh Patrick 1904 births 1936 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford Younger sons of earls

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

20th-century English LGBTQ people