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George Charles Montagu, Ninth Earl
1874-1962
We have information about Hinchingbrooke in the 19th century from the
Victoria County History (a secondary source, printed 1920s) and from
the Census returns (a primary source). Life
in an Edwardian Country House was described in a re-enactment by Channel
Four TV and adapted extracts giving details of the life of servants
are featured here.
Formal
architectural description of the House written in the 1920s 
Colourful description in local paper of Hinchingbrooke
- 1921
The great characteristic of Hinchingbrooke, as it is now, is its brightness.
In all the principal rooms, immense windows let in floods of sunshine,
in the cosy library lighting up the woodwork, all of which is of oak black
with age, richly and elaborately carved by the hand of some great master.
Hinchingbrooke can rightly be called a memory haunted place, filled as
it is with recollections of battles and victories by sea and land; of
men and women who have attained the highest pinnacles of earthly glory,
and who long hundreds of years ago were filled with passionate human purpose,
and who had a prominent part in shaping the destinies of our Empire.
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The Ninth
Earl
More details
The Montagu
family in the 1930s.
The 9th Earl
holds the dog, Gillie, behind him is Lady Olga Montagu and to her
left the Hon Drogo Montagu and Lord Hinchingbrooke. The young girl
is Lady Elizabeth and looking from the window is the Countess of
Sandwich.
Hon William
Drogo Sturges Montagu was a flying officer (no. 91111) in the RAF
and died on Friday 26th Jan 1940 at the age of 31. He is buried
in Brampton St Mary's churchyard.
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Victor Montagu
who would have been the tenth Earl did not succeed, let alone
inhabit the house, for Lord Hinchingbrooke relinquished his title
and his seat in the House of Lords in order to continue his active
life in the Commons. Sadly, he lost his seat at the next election.
He was Assistant Private Secretary to Stanley Baldwin who was Prime
Minister on three occasions and is shown with him at Hinchingbrooke
in 1926.
The Countess
left the Dower House and the unique collection of pictures, built
up with such skill and such perceptiveness, was sold and scattered,
though some went to the Tate Gallery.
One of the
final indignities was a flood at Hinchingbrooke caused by the fire
safety features
The Ninth Earl
died in 1962. So, after nearly five hundred years as a home, did
Hinchingbrooke.
... By 1963
there was no alternative. The house would have to be sold...
from Houseful at Hinchingbrooke - Mary Stuart
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"The
tenth Earl would not succeed" means he refused the title.
What does this tell us about the role of a hereditary peerage in
the late 20th and early 21st century?
Why would someone not want to inherit a title, house and
land?
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