Henry Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey

George Charles Henry Victor Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey DL, FSA, FRHistS, FRSL (8 October 1922 – 13 July 2013),[1] styled Earl of Uxbridge until 1947, was a British peer and a military historian.[2]

The Marquess of Anglesey
Henry Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey in 1961
Born
George Charles Henry Victor Paget

(1922-10-08)8 October 1922
London, England
Died13 July 2013(2013-07-13) (aged 90)
Alma materEton College
TitleMarquess of Anglesey
Term21 February 1947 – 13 July 2013
Spouse
(m. 1948)
Children5, including Charles Paget, 8th Marquess of Anglesey
Parents

Background

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Henry Paget was born in London, the son of Charles Paget, 6th Marquess of Anglesey and Lady Victoria Manners, the eldest daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland, and was baptised with George V and Mary of Teck as his godparents.[3] He was the brother of Lady Rose McLaren and the nephew of Lady Diana Cooper.[4] He had a twin sister, Katherine.[3]

He was educated at Wixenford School and Eton College.[2][5]

Along with his wife, he attended the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. At the time of his death in 2013 it was believed they were the only living married couple apart from Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to have attended the Coronation.[6]

He used the courtesy title of Earl of Uxbridge until he succeeded to the marquessate in 1947.[2][4]

Work

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He gained the rank of major in the Royal Horse Guards (Blues) and fought in the Second World War. Postwar he served as Lieutenant-Colonel and Commandant of the Anglesey and Carnarvonshire Army Cadet Force1948–50, and as a captain in 635th (Royal Welch) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, in the Territorial Army 1950–52. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant of Anglesey in 1960, Vice-Lieutenant of Anglesey between 1960 and 1983 and Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd between 1983 and 1989.[2][4]

Lord Anglesey wrote the books The Capel Letters 1814–1817 (1955), consisting of the edited correspondence between the first Marquess's sister in England and his nieces; One Leg: The Life and Letters of 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1961), a biography of his ancestor; Sergeant Pearman's Memoirs (1968); and A History of the British Cavalry 1816–1919, Volumes I–VIII, which began appearing in 1973, and has been described as "the definitive history" of this branch of the army.[2]

He was vice-president of the Society for Army Historical Research and a Member of the Council of the National Army Museum. He was Hon. President of the Crimean War Research Society. He was awarded an Honorary D.Litt by the University of Wales in 1984, and the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies awarded him the Chesney Gold Medal for his contribution to military history in 1996. He chaired the Historic Buildings Council for Wales (1977–1992) and was the founding President of the Friends of Friendless Churches (1966–1984). He served as a vice-chairman of the National Trust (1975–1985) and was a President of the National Museum of Wales (1962–1968). He was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission (1965–1971) and a Trustee both of the National Portrait Gallery (1979–1991) and of the National Heritage Memorial Fund (1980–1992).[2]

Family

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Lord Anglesey married Elizabeth Shirley Vaughan Morgan, daughter of the playwright and novelist Charles Langbridge Morgan, on 16 October 1948 and they had five children:[2][4]

He gave his Anglesey home, Plas Newydd, to the National Trust in 1976, although he and his wife continued to live in a suite on the upper floor; with 169 acres of the surrounding estate. The house has been open to the public since 1 July of that year.[2][7]

Lord Anglesey died at home, aged 90, on 13 July 2013.[3] His funeral was arranged as a private family cremation, followed by a private committal service at St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen. On 14 June 2014, a public memorial service was held for him in Bangor Cathedral.[2][7]

Style and titles

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Major The Most Honourable George Charles Henry Victor Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey, 8th Earl of Uxbridge, 16th Baron Paget, 10th Baron Burton, DL FSA FRHistS FRSL.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ "The 7th Marquis of Anglesey". The London Daily Telegraph. 15 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Paget, George Charles Henry Victor 7th Marquess of Anglesey (1922–2013), soldier, historian, conservationist". biography.wales. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Doughty, Simon (2013). "Paget, George Charles Henry Victor, seventh marquess of Anglesey (1922–2013), soldier, historian, and landowner". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/107048. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b c d Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 100th Edn, London, 1953.
  5. ^ Andrew Cox, Charles Roger Dod, Robert Phipps Dod, Dod's Parliamentary Companion (1999), p. 12
  6. ^ Brandreth, Gyles (2021). Philip: The Final Portrait. Coronet. pp. 443–444. ISBN 9781444769579.
  7. ^ a b "The 7th Marquess of Anglesey dies aged 90". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
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Honorary titles
Unknown Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd
1983–1989
Succeeded by
Meuric Rees
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Marquess of Anglesey
1947 – 2013
Succeeded by