Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath
Encyclopedia
Alexander George Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath (born 6 May 1932), styled Viscount Weymouth between 1946 and 1992, is an English
politician, artist and author. He was born with the surname Thynne but adopted the spelling Thynn in 1976.
Although born in London
, he grew up at his family's seat, Longleat
, a great Elizabethan house set in Wiltshire parkland landscaped in the 18th century by Capability Brown
. After attending Ludgrove School
and Eton College
he was commissioned into the Life Guards
as a lieutenant
in 1951. He was then educated at Christ Church, Oxford
, and travelled across Europe
. Realising the strength in diversity amongst people he grew to believe that Wessex
would be better off as a devolved region within the United Kingdom
and stood in the February 1974 General Election
as a Wessex Regionalist. Shortly after the election he was one of the founders of the Wessex Regionalist Party
. He stood for the party in the first ever elections to the European Parliament
in 1979.
He has written several novels and after inheriting the Marquessate of Bath
from his father in 1992 sat in the House of Lords
as a Liberal Democrat
. Amongst other things he spoke on the need for devolution for the regions of England, until he lost his place in the House of Lords after the Labour Government's reforms excluded most of the hereditary peers
.
Lord Bath is known for his polyamorous lifestyle with "wifelets". In 1969 he married Hungarian
born Anna Gael Gyarmathy
, by whom he has two children, Lady Lenka Thynn and Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth
who were sent to the local comprehensive school. After his father's death, he sacked Christopher, his brother, as estate comptroller and evicted him from his home.
He is known for his colourful style of dress which originated from a period as an art student in Paris during the 1950s, and is a prolific amateur painter who has decorated rooms of his home with erotic scenes from the Kama Sutra
among other sources of inspiration. In March 2009, he appeared in 'Heston
's Roman Feast'.
He is ranked 359th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2009
, with an estimated wealth of £157 million. The peer passed the management of the business to his son Viscount Weymouth early in 2010. By one account, the present Viscount intends to evict the wifelets from their estate cottages, and possibly even remove his Lordship's murals.
A book by Nesta Wyn Ellis on the Marquess, initially written with his co-operation, was published in the autumn of 2010.
Lord Bath's autobiography, collectively called 'Strictly Private to Public Exposure', was published as a series by Artnik Books and has been acquired by Top Spot Publishing.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
politician, artist and author. He was born with the surname Thynne but adopted the spelling Thynn in 1976.
Although born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he grew up at his family's seat, Longleat
Longleat
Longleat is an English stately home, currently the seat of the Marquesses of Bath, adjacent to the village of Horningsham and near the towns of Warminster in Wiltshire and Frome in Somerset. It is noted for its Elizabethan country house, maze, landscaped parkland and safari park. The house is set...
, a great Elizabethan house set in Wiltshire parkland landscaped in the 18th century by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
. After attending Ludgrove School
Ludgrove School
Ludgrove School is an independent preparatory boarding school for about 200 boys, aged from seven or eight years to thirteen. It is situated in the civil parish of Wokingham Without, adjoining the town of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
and Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
he was commissioned into the Life Guards
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1951. He was then educated at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, and travelled across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Realising the strength in diversity amongst people he grew to believe that Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
would be better off as a devolved region within the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and stood in the February 1974 General Election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
as a Wessex Regionalist. Shortly after the election he was one of the founders of the Wessex Regionalist Party
Wessex Regionalist Party
The Wessex Regionalist Party is a minor political party in the United Kingdom, that seeks a degree of legislative and administrative home rule for Wessex, an area in the south and south-west of England, loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of that name...
. He stood for the party in the first ever elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 1979.
He has written several novels and after inheriting the Marquessate of Bath
Marquess of Bath
Marquess of Bath is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for Thomas Thynne, 3rd Viscount Weymouth. The Thynne family descends from the soldier and courtier Sir John Thynne , who constructed Longleat House between 1567 and 1579...
from his father in 1992 sat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. Amongst other things he spoke on the need for devolution for the regions of England, until he lost his place in the House of Lords after the Labour Government's reforms excluded most of the hereditary peers
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Lord Bath is known for his polyamorous lifestyle with "wifelets". In 1969 he married Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
born Anna Gael Gyarmathy
Anna Thynn, Marchioness of Bath
Anna Thynn, Marchioness of Bath is an Hungarian-born aristocrat, actress and journalist.She was born in Budapest as Anna Abigail Gyarmarthy and she married Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath on 9 May 1969...
, by whom he has two children, Lady Lenka Thynn and Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth
Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth
Ceawlin Henry Laszlo Thynn, Viscount Weymouth is a British businessman and the second child of Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath and his wife, Anna Gael Gyarmathy...
who were sent to the local comprehensive school. After his father's death, he sacked Christopher, his brother, as estate comptroller and evicted him from his home.
He is known for his colourful style of dress which originated from a period as an art student in Paris during the 1950s, and is a prolific amateur painter who has decorated rooms of his home with erotic scenes from the Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses...
among other sources of inspiration. In March 2009, he appeared in 'Heston
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
's Roman Feast'.
He is ranked 359th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2009
Sunday Times Rich List 2009
The Sunday Times Rich List 2009 was published on 26 April 2009.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
, with an estimated wealth of £157 million. The peer passed the management of the business to his son Viscount Weymouth early in 2010. By one account, the present Viscount intends to evict the wifelets from their estate cottages, and possibly even remove his Lordship's murals.
A book by Nesta Wyn Ellis on the Marquess, initially written with his co-operation, was published in the autumn of 2010.
Lord Bath's autobiography, collectively called 'Strictly Private to Public Exposure', was published as a series by Artnik Books and has been acquired by Top Spot Publishing.
Titles
- The Hon. Alexander Thynne (1932–1946)
- Viscount Weymouth (1946–1992)
- The Most Hon. The Marquess of Bath (since 1992)