Earl Beauchamp and his family by W.B.E. Ranken

Portrait of Henry Lygon, Lord Beauchamp, with his wife and children at the family home of Madresfield, Worcestershire, by the painter William Bruce Ellis Ranken (1881-1941). His wife, sister of the 2nd Duke of Westminster sits with his youngest son, Dickie, while his eldest son, Viscount Elmley is on his right, and his second son, Hugh Patrick to his left. His daughters Lettice, Sibell, Mary and Dorothy are all pictured. In 1931, rumours of Lord Beauchamp's homosexuality were given weight by accusations by his brother-in-law, the Duke of Westminster. Beauchamp was forced into exile and was divorced by his wife. His children, and particularly his daughters, stood by him and visited him regularly during his exile. He returned to England in 1937 on the accession of King George VI. Beauchamp and his family were the blueprint Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited

Aristocrats Beauchamp Ellis Elmley Homosexual Lettice Lygon Madresfield Nov23 Ranken Scandal Sibell

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