Lucy, Lady Houston
Encyclopedia
Lucy, Lady Houston, DBE (April 8, 1857 — December 29, 1936), born Fanny Lucy Radmall, was an English benefactor, philanthropist, adventuress and patriot.
with a member of one of the families that owned the Bass Brewery, Frederick Gretton. He was then aged 32 and left his wife. They had a tumultuous partnership and when he died in 1882, he left her £6,000 per year for life.
On 3 September 1883 she married Lt.-Col. Sir Theodore Francis Brinckman, 3rd Bt. (1862–1937), but they divorced in 1895, after a long separation. Her second marriage was to a bankrupt George Frederick William Byron, 9th Baron Byron of Rochdale
, in 1901. He died in 1917. During this time she was an active suffragette
. In 1917 Lucy, then Baroness Byron, was appointed Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire (D.B.E.)
for her support of a home for nurses who had served in the First World War.
, member of parliament for West Toxteth
, and a shipping magnate
. Robert Houston is described in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "a hard, ruthless, unpleasant bachelor". They lived as tax exile
s on the island of Jersey
.
When Sir Robert showed her his will, Lady Houston reportedly tore it up, telling him that ₤1,000,000 was insufficient. Sir Robert then suffered a series of mental disorders and reportedly employed a food-taster to ensure that he was not being poisoned. Sir Robert died on his yacht Liberty
, on 14 April 1926, leaving his widow roughly £5.5 million. Lady Houston left Jersey on the Liberty, where during passage to England she negotiated with the British Government the payment of £1.6 million in death duties.
Her political opinions were extreme (she supported Benito Mussolini
). According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "she paid for nine by-election
meetings by the British National Government to be disrupted".
, allowing them to win the Schneider Trophy
in that year.
The Royal Air Force
's entry for the 1931 race for the trophy was hindered by political opposition. On January 15, 1931, the Air Ministry
refused a last minute request by the Royal Aero Club
for funds for an entry. The Ministry also forbade the use of the aircraft that competed in the 1929 race; forbade RAF pilots of the High Speed Flight
who were trained to fly these seaplanes, to take part; and said that it would not police the race course in 1931 in the busy shipping lanes in the Solent
. The Royal Aero Club sent a statement to the Cabinet on January 22, 1931, offering to raise £100,000, if the Government would rescind the Air Ministry's decrees on planes, pilots and policing.
Many newspapers backing the opposition Conservative Party
wanted to put pressure on Ramsay MacDonald
's Labour
government. One newspaper sent a telegram to MacDonald stating that: "To prevent the socialist government from being spoilsports, Lady Houston will be responsible for all extra expenses beyond what Sir Philip Sassoon
(President of the Royal Aero Club) says can be found, so that Great Britain can take part in the race for the Schneider trophy."
The gift gave Lucy Houston an opportunity to attack the Labour government, with the declaration: "Every true Briton would rather sell his last shirt than admit that England could not afford to defend herself." There were only nine months to prepare and so Supermarine's designer Reginald Mitchell could only update the existing airframes. Rolls-Royce
increased the power of the R-Type
engine by 400 hp to 2,300 hp. The improved aircraft Supermarine S.6B
won the trophy, though the technical achievement is slightly tarnished by the fact two S6Bs and an S6 were the only participants. (One S6B later broke the air speed record.)
Lady Houston's gift provided a valuable impetus to the development of engine technology that would ultimately be vital in the Second World War in particular the Battle of Britain
. The lessons learned in building racing seaplanes also helped Reginald Mitchell to develop the Supermarine Spitfire
. As Arthur Sidgreaves, the managing director of Rolls Royce, commented at the time: “It is not too much to say that research for the Schneider Trophy contest over the past two years is what our aero-engine department would otherwise have taken six to 10 years to learn.”
She hung a huge electric sign, DOWN WITH MACDONALD THE TRAITOR, in the rigging of Liberty
, and sailed round the British Isles in her. She is memorably shown in this role in The First of the Few
though there the rigging more diplomatically reads: 'Down with the government. Wake up England!'
In a telegram to the Prime Minister she said:
In 1933 she financed the Houston-Mount Everest
Flight Expedition, in which aircraft flew over the summit of Everest for the first time. This was to show opposition to granting independence to India.
In October 1934 Lady Houston sent a cable to the winners of the MacRobertson England to Melbourne Air Race
, Tom Campbell Black
and C. W. A. Scott. The following is a transcript from The Daily Mirror newspaper, Wednesday, October 24, 1934, page 3. "Brave Men Of My Heart- Lady Houston, in a cable to Mr. C. W. A. Scott at Melbourne, said:- "Your achievement has thrilled me through, oh brave men of my heart." "If this does not make the Government sit up, nothing will." "Sleep well and feel proud of yourselves, as we all are." "Rule Britannia. God bless you both."
Her letters were usually written on coloured paper with violet ink. She was so upset by the Abdication Crisis in 1936 that she stopped eating and died of a heart attack on December 29, 1936, at the age of 79, at her home, Byron Cottage, Hampstead Heath. She had no children and had left no current will, so administration was granted to her only surviving sibling, Florence Wrey. The money, over 1.5 million pounds, was divided between her many nephews and nieces.
Early life
Fanny Lucy Radmall was the daughter of Thomas Radmall, a woollen warehouseman and draper, and Maria Isabella Clark.She was born at 13, Lower Kennington Green, Lambeth, the second youngest of ten children. As a young woman she was a professional dancer, a chorus girl known as "Poppy". She eloped in 1873 at the age of sixteen to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with a member of one of the families that owned the Bass Brewery, Frederick Gretton. He was then aged 32 and left his wife. They had a tumultuous partnership and when he died in 1882, he left her £6,000 per year for life.
On 3 September 1883 she married Lt.-Col. Sir Theodore Francis Brinckman, 3rd Bt. (1862–1937), but they divorced in 1895, after a long separation. Her second marriage was to a bankrupt George Frederick William Byron, 9th Baron Byron of Rochdale
Baron Byron
Baron Byron, of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1643, by letters patent, for Sir John Byron, a Cavalier general and former Member of Parliament...
, in 1901. He died in 1917. During this time she was an active suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
. In 1917 Lucy, then Baroness Byron, was appointed Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire (D.B.E.)
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
for her support of a home for nurses who had served in the First World War.
Marriage to Sir Robert Houston
Her third and final marriage, on December 12, 1924, was to Sir Robert Houston, 1st BaronetSir Robert Houston, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Paterson Houston, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician and shipowner. He was born to a maritime engineer from Renfrewshire, and after an apprenticeship in Liverpool Houston also became an engineer...
, member of parliament for West Toxteth
Liverpool West Toxteth (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool West Toxteth was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Members of Parliament :...
, and a shipping magnate
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
. Robert Houston is described in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "a hard, ruthless, unpleasant bachelor". They lived as tax exile
Tax exile
A tax exile is one who chooses to leave a country with a high tax burden and instead to reside in a foreign nation or jurisdiction which takes a lower portion of earnings. Going into tax exile is a means of tax mitigation or avoidance.-Legal status:...
s on the island of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
When Sir Robert showed her his will, Lady Houston reportedly tore it up, telling him that ₤1,000,000 was insufficient. Sir Robert then suffered a series of mental disorders and reportedly employed a food-taster to ensure that he was not being poisoned. Sir Robert died on his yacht Liberty
HMNS Liberty
HMNS Liberty was a private steam yacht and later Royal Navy hospital ship, which was one of the largest private yachts of its day.Built in 1908 for Joseph Pulitzer as TMY Liberty, she was sold on his death in 1912 to Scottish-Canadian businessman James Ross, and renamed TMY Glencairn. Having sailed...
, on 14 April 1926, leaving his widow roughly £5.5 million. Lady Houston left Jersey on the Liberty, where during passage to England she negotiated with the British Government the payment of £1.6 million in death duties.
Her political opinions were extreme (she supported Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
). According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "she paid for nine by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
meetings by the British National Government to be disrupted".
The Schneider Trophy
Today Lady Houston is perhaps best known for her gifts in support of British aviation. In 1931 she donated £100,000 to SupermarineSupermarine
Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. The name now belongs to an English motorboat manufacturer.-History:...
, allowing them to win the Schneider Trophy
Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...
in that year.
The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
's entry for the 1931 race for the trophy was hindered by political opposition. On January 15, 1931, the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
refused a last minute request by the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
for funds for an entry. The Ministry also forbade the use of the aircraft that competed in the 1929 race; forbade RAF pilots of the High Speed Flight
High Speed Flight RAF
The RAF High Speed Flight, sometimes known as 'The Flight' , was a small flight of the Royal Air Force formed for the purpose of competing in the Schneider Trophy contest for racing seaplanes during the 1920s....
who were trained to fly these seaplanes, to take part; and said that it would not police the race course in 1931 in the busy shipping lanes in the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
. The Royal Aero Club sent a statement to the Cabinet on January 22, 1931, offering to raise £100,000, if the Government would rescind the Air Ministry's decrees on planes, pilots and policing.
Many newspapers backing the opposition Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
wanted to put pressure on Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
government. One newspaper sent a telegram to MacDonald stating that: "To prevent the socialist government from being spoilsports, Lady Houston will be responsible for all extra expenses beyond what Sir Philip Sassoon
Philip Sassoon
Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE, CMG , was a British politician, art collector and social host, entertaining many celebrity guests at his homes, Port Lympne, Kent, and Trent Park, Hertfordshire, England.-Family:Sassoon was a member of the prominent Sassoon family and...
(President of the Royal Aero Club) says can be found, so that Great Britain can take part in the race for the Schneider trophy."
The gift gave Lucy Houston an opportunity to attack the Labour government, with the declaration: "Every true Briton would rather sell his last shirt than admit that England could not afford to defend herself." There were only nine months to prepare and so Supermarine's designer Reginald Mitchell could only update the existing airframes. Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
increased the power of the R-Type
Rolls-Royce R
The Rolls-Royce R was a British aero engine designed and built specifically for air racing purposes by Rolls-Royce Limited. Nineteen R engines were assembled in a limited production run between 1929 and 1931...
engine by 400 hp to 2,300 hp. The improved aircraft Supermarine S.6B
Supermarine S.6B
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914, 2nd edition. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3....
won the trophy, though the technical achievement is slightly tarnished by the fact two S6Bs and an S6 were the only participants. (One S6B later broke the air speed record.)
Lady Houston's gift provided a valuable impetus to the development of engine technology that would ultimately be vital in the Second World War in particular the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. The lessons learned in building racing seaplanes also helped Reginald Mitchell to develop the Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. As Arthur Sidgreaves, the managing director of Rolls Royce, commented at the time: “It is not too much to say that research for the Schneider Trophy contest over the past two years is what our aero-engine department would otherwise have taken six to 10 years to learn.”
Later events
In 1932 she offered to give £200,000 to strengthen the British army and navy. The National Government refused.She hung a huge electric sign, DOWN WITH MACDONALD THE TRAITOR, in the rigging of Liberty
HMNS Liberty
HMNS Liberty was a private steam yacht and later Royal Navy hospital ship, which was one of the largest private yachts of its day.Built in 1908 for Joseph Pulitzer as TMY Liberty, she was sold on his death in 1912 to Scottish-Canadian businessman James Ross, and renamed TMY Glencairn. Having sailed...
, and sailed round the British Isles in her. She is memorably shown in this role in The First of the Few
The First of the Few
The First of the Few, known as Spitfire in the United States, is a 1942 British film directed by and starring Leslie Howard as R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire, alongside co-star David Niven. The film's score was written by William Walton...
though there the rigging more diplomatically reads: 'Down with the government. Wake up England!'
In a telegram to the Prime Minister she said:
In 1933 she financed the Houston-Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
Flight Expedition, in which aircraft flew over the summit of Everest for the first time. This was to show opposition to granting independence to India.
In October 1934 Lady Houston sent a cable to the winners of the MacRobertson England to Melbourne Air Race
MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race took place October, 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The idea of the race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and a prize fund of $75,000 was put up by Sir Macpherson Robertson, a wealthy Australian confectionery manufacturer, on the...
, Tom Campbell Black
Tom Campbell Black
Tom Campbell Black, was a famous English aviator.He was the son of Alice Jean McCullough and Hugh Milner Black. He became a world famous aviator when he and C. W. A...
and C. W. A. Scott. The following is a transcript from The Daily Mirror newspaper, Wednesday, October 24, 1934, page 3. "Brave Men Of My Heart- Lady Houston, in a cable to Mr. C. W. A. Scott at Melbourne, said:- "Your achievement has thrilled me through, oh brave men of my heart." "If this does not make the Government sit up, nothing will." "Sleep well and feel proud of yourselves, as we all are." "Rule Britannia. God bless you both."
Her letters were usually written on coloured paper with violet ink. She was so upset by the Abdication Crisis in 1936 that she stopped eating and died of a heart attack on December 29, 1936, at the age of 79, at her home, Byron Cottage, Hampstead Heath. She had no children and had left no current will, so administration was granted to her only surviving sibling, Florence Wrey. The money, over 1.5 million pounds, was divided between her many nephews and nieces.
External links
- RJ Mitchell. A life in aviation - includes a photo of Lady Houston
- Cartoon history - Colonel Blimps' England - includes several quotations - Monday, Nov. 27, 1933
- Time Magazine - Monday, Jan. 25, 1937
- 1931 race - includes another photo of Lady Houston