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Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey () (26 November 1961 – 26 January 1998) was a British
aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...
and
political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...
. He was the second son of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, but the only child by his second wife, the heiress Lady Juliet Wentworth-Fitzwilliam. As his elder half-brother was unmarried, he was
heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...
to the Marquessate. At
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, he founded the Rockingham Club, a society for aristocracy and royalty. He died in 1998.


Origins

Lord Nicholas's father was
Victor Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol Victor Frederick Cochrane Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol (6 October 1915 – 10 March 1985), was a British aristocrat, hereditary peer and businessman. He was a member of the House of Lords, Chancellor of the International Monarchist League, an ...
(1915–1985) of
Ickworth House Ickworth House is a English country house, country house at Ickworth, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. It is a Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building set in parkland. The house was the residence of the Marquess of Bristol, M ...
in Suffolk, a very wealthy aristocrat once described as "
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
's No. 1 Playboy," in a series of "life story" articles he wrote after serving a jail sentence for jewel robbery, a crime he claimed he had committed for a dare. Lord Nicholas's mother, his father's second wife whom he had married in 1960 being her first husband, was Lady Juliet Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, the only child and sole heiress of the very wealthy 8th Earl Fitzwilliam (d.1948), who died in a
small aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...
crash when she was aged 13. Also killed was his intended second wife, Kathleen, Marchioness of Hartington, a daughter-in-law of the
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
and a sister of US President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
. Lady Juliet thus inherited her father's estate of estimated value £45 million, and later managed the family
stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud (animal), stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, ...
. After his father's death in 1985, Lord Nicholas was thus the
heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...
to the title and any entailed estates of the
Marquess of Bristol Marquess of Bristol is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the Hervey family since 1826. The Marquess's subsidiary titles are Earl of Bristol (created 1714), Earl Jermyn, of Horningsheath in the County of Suffolk (1826), and ...
after his unmarried and childless elder half-brother, the 7th Marquess of Bristol (1954–1999), who inherited in 1985, the only child of his father's first marriage. Nicholas and the 7th Marquess were fond of one another. Nicholas was also the heir presumptive of the vast Fitzwilliam inheritance, through his mother. When Nicholas was eleven years old, his mother divorced his father and remarried to his 60-year-old friend,
Somerset de Chair Somerset Struben de Chair (22 August 1911 – 5 January 1995) was an English author, politician, and poet. He edited several volumes of the memoirs of Napoleon. Early and personal life De Chair was the younger son of Admiral Sir Dudley de Cha ...
(d. 1996) by whom five years later she had a daughter, Helena de Chair, who in 2007 married
Jacob Rees-Mogg Sir Jacob William Rees-Mogg ( ; born 24 May 1969) is a British politician, broadcaster and member of the Conservative Party who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset from 2010 to 2024. He served as Leader of the House o ...
. In 1996, his mother remarried for a third time and is now known as Lady Juliet Tadgell. Nicholas's father also remarried, to his private secretary, Yvonne Sutton, by whom he had three further children: the 8th Marquess of Bristol (born 1979), who inherited in 1999 and at whose Roman Catholic christening Nicholas had been a godfather; and two daughters,
Lady Victoria Hervey Lady Victoria Frederica Isabella Hervey (; born 6 October 1976) is an English model, socialite, and former "It girl". She is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, half-sister of the 7th Marquess, and sister of the 8th Marquess and La ...
and
Lady Isabella Hervey Lady Isabella Frederica Louisa de Pauw ( Hervey ; born 9 March 1982) is a British model, socialite, aristocrat, and reality TV personality. She is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, the sister of Lady Victoria Hervey and the incumben ...
.


Education and clubs

Nicholas was known as a keen traditionalist. He was educated at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...
,
Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
and the
Royal Agricultural College The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a public university in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world. ...
,
Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...
.


Eton

At Eton he was "an industrious boy with plenty of initiative" who took part in the House debate and during his last two-halves (terms) was in the House Library (i.e., a house
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...
), founded and was president of the Burlington Society, a
fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
society with an emphasis on
modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
and was a member of the Agricultural and Political Societies. He left Eton at Christmas 1979 with
A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
in French, Spanish and Economics.


Yale

At Yale he took a degree in
History of Art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetics ...
, requiring six years to graduate, which occurred in 1986. In 1981 whilst at Yale he founded the Rockingham Club,
social club A social club or social organization may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity with in an organizational association known as a Club (organization), club. Exampl ...
for descendants of royalty and aristocracy, which was later modified to allow membership to the children of the "super-wealthy". The Club and Nicholas Hervey were profiled in
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
's ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
'' magazine but the club was dissolved shortly thereafter in 1986. Nicholas' older half-brother John, a homosexual, was posthumously reported to be a special friend of Andy Warhol. Nicholas was a member, through his mother, of the Turf Club, a London
gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...
connected to horse racing.


Monarchist League and politics

He was a leading member of the
International Monarchist League The International Monarchist League (known until the mid-1990s as the Monarchist League) is an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Monarchy, monarchical system of government and Monarchism, the principle of monarchy ...
. He was elected President of its International Youth Association (under 21s) in February 1979 and recruited numerous new members. In 1985 he became a Vice-Chancellor of the League proper, and on 1 April 1986 made the formal toast to the guests
Armin, Prince of Lippe Armin, Prince of Lippe (''Armin Leopold Ernst Bruno Heinrich Willa August Fürst zur Lippe''; 18 August 1924 – 20 August 2015, also in Detmold) was the fourth son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe, from his second wife, Princess Anna of Ysenburg a ...
and his wife at the League's Annual Dinner in the Cholmondeley Room of the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. In later years he allowed his membership and vice-chancellorship to lapse. Through the League, which his father had subsidised for many years, he became friendly with Gregory Lauder-Frost, who introduced him to numerous right-wing conservative activities. One such event, on 25 September 1989, was the
Western Goals Institute Western Goals Institute (WGI) was a far-right pressure group and think-tank in Britain, formed in 1989 from Western Goals UK, which was founded in 1985 as an offshoot of the U.S. Western Goals Foundation.''Labour Research'', November 1988, p. 2. ...
dinner at
Simpson's-in-the-Strand Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in Strand, London, the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world's most famous hotels, the Savoy Hotel, Savoy. Th ...
, chaired by Lord Sudeley, for the
President of El Salvador President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
,
Alfredo Cristiani Alfredo Félix Cristiani Burkard (born 22 November 1947) is a Salvadoran politician who was President of El Salvador from 1989 to 1994. Life and career Born into a wealthy family in San Salvador, his father Felix Cristiani was an Italian im ...
, and his inner cabinet.


Illness, bankruptcy, and death

In 1983, Lord Nicholas was diagnosed with
schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
which was treated with medication. His mental health worsened when it was discovered that the principal heirs of the unentailed estate of his father, who had died in 1985, were not Nicholas and his elder brother, the latter who had, however, inherited Ickworth House and a large fortune, but rather his third wife and her young children. Nicholas and John launched a lawsuit to have the will overturned. In 1991, Nicholas voluntarily underwent treatment in a clinic and was forced to declare bankruptcy due to debts to his lawyers of £38,000 which his trustees refused to fund, His own mother, while on the ''
Sunday Times Rich List The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and has been published as a magazine supplement by British national ...
'' (in 2003 her wealth was estimated at £45,000,000), did not act to prevent the bankruptcy, which appears to have triggered his entry into the clinic. She subsequently declared that "he was never himself again" after the clinic stay. Nicholas had
severe depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introd ...
and became increasingly reclusive. His landlady said that he "drew no shred of comfort from the high rank and great riches to which he was born" and that "he was a
recluse A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion and solitude. The word is from the Latin , which means 'to open' or 'disclose'. Examples of recluses are Symeon of Trier, who lived within the great Roman gate Porta Nigra with permissio ...
, in the sense that he was heavily sedated and slept all day – a typical schizophrenic. He was very quiet, very
Old Etonian Eton College ( ) is a public school providing boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated prime ministers, world leaders, Nobel laureates, Academy Award and BAFTA ...
. He was a nice guy, but very 'out of it'. Nobody visited him here, except sometimes we would hear someone come and take him out to dinner." Lord Nicholas Hervey died on 26 January 1998 at the age of 36; the cause was suicide by hanging. He never married and had no children. His half-brother, the 7th Marquess of Bristol, died less than a year later,Hall, Sarah
Lord who blew £7m on heroin dies aged 44
''The Guardian'', 11 January 1999. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
also unmarried and childless, having been a habitual heroin addict for many years.


References

Notes Citations


Further reading

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage'' edited by Peter Townend, 105th edition, London, 1970. * De-la-Noy, Michael. ''The House of Hervey''. London, 2001. * Hervey, Lord Nicholas. ''The Monarchist League Today and its Role and Goals for the Future'', in ''The Monarchist'', July 1979, no. 55, UK * — — ''The onarchist LeagueYouth Association Spreading its Wings'', in ''The Monarchist'', July 1981, no. 59, UK * Iovine, Juli V. ''Lipsticks and Lords: Yale's New Look'', in ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', 4 August 1987, p. 1. * Ray, Jonathan, ''Rake's Progress'' in the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'', 30 October 2000, vol. 13, issue 629, p. 56. * Utley, Tom, article on Hervey in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', London, 29 January 1998, (see also news item the previous day).


External links


Bats in the family belfry
a review of ''The House of Hervey'' published in ''The Spectator'', 12 May 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hervey, Lord Nicholas 1961 births 1998 deaths British monarchists People educated at Eton College Suicides by hanging in England Younger sons of marquesses Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University
Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...
People with schizophrenia History of mental health in the United Kingdom British royalty and nobility with disabilities 1998 suicides British activists with disabilities De Chair family