Henry Paget, 5th Marquis of Anglesey

Lord Paget became the Earl of Uxbridge between 1880 and 1898, and was called ‘the dancing marquess’, famed for his ‘butterfly dancing’ due to his theatrical robe, which looked like wings.

He was known to hold theatre performances that were very flamboyant and even created his own productions. After forming his own theatre company, he took it on tour around Europe and the UK. At one point, he also enlisted the support of Sherlock Holmes writer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to find jewellery, valued at £50000, that had been stolen from him.

Henry died at only 29 years old, having being declared bankrupt, a few months previously, when most of his effects were sold from the family estate. Sadly, all his personal papers were destroyed by the Paget family after his death.

Image kindly provided by National Portrait Gallery and licensed by Creative Commons.