Anthony Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian
Encyclopedia
Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian (4 March 1906 — 1991) was a British impresario
-restaurateur
who became a celebrity in 1954 when he was shot in the abdomen by Mavis Wheeler, the former wife of Sir Mortimer Wheeler
, and a former mistress of Augustus John
.
and Barbara Fanning.
They had three children:
of The Happy Marriage at the Duke of York's Theatre
, London
.
He was a member of the House of Lords
from 28 December 1940 until his death on 24 June 1991. His first recorded speech was on 13 March 1967 and his last on 4 April 1984. He made 90 speeches, according to Hansard.
and Horace de Vere Cole
, and the mistress of Augustus John
, was jailed for six months for shooting him in the abdomen.
At her trial, the prosecuting counsel
said that the love of Mrs Mary (sic) Wheeler for Lord Vivian, was overpowering and that she was jealous of any attention he showed to other women. This love, the prosecution claimed, had led her to shoot him, on 30 July 1954, at a range of three inches, with intent to murder
him at her country cottage at Potterne
, Wiltshire
.
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
-restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
who became a celebrity in 1954 when he was shot in the abdomen by Mavis Wheeler, the former wife of Sir Mortimer Wheeler
Mortimer Wheeler
Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH, CIE, MC, FBA, FSA , was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century.-Education and career:...
, and a former mistress of Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
.
Birth
Anthony Crespigny Claude Vivian, 5th Baron Vivian was born on 4 March 1906. He was the son of George Crespigny Brabazon Vivian, 4th Baron VivianGeorge Vivian, 4th Baron Vivian
George Crespigny Brabazon Vivian, 4th Lord Vivian, DSO TD was a British soldier who served with distinction in both the Second Anglo-Boer War and World War I.-Early life:...
and Barbara Fanning.
Family life
He married Victoria Ruth Mary Rosamund Oliphant (died 1985), daughter of Captain Henry Gerard Laurence Oliphant and Ruth Barry, on 8 March 1930.They had three children:
- Sally Anne Marie Gabrielle Vivian (b. 11 September 1930)
- Nicholas Crespigny Laurance Vivian, 6th Baron VivianNicholas Vivian, 6th Baron VivianBrigadier Nicholas Crespigny Lawrence Vivian, 6th Baron Vivian was a British peer and soldier. He was one of the 92 hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.The son of the 5th Baron Vivian and Victoria Ruth Mary Rosamund Oliphant, he...
(born 11 December 1935 - died 28 February 2004) - Victor Anthony Ralph Brabazon Vivian (b. 26 March 1940)
Public life
In 1952, he was the producer with John ClementsJohn Clements
Sir John Selby Clements, CBE was an English actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film.Clements attended St Paul's School and St John's College, Cambridge University then worked with Nigel Playfair and afterwards spent a few years in Ben Greet's Shakespearean Company. He made...
of The Happy Marriage at the Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
, 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 was a member of 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....
from 28 December 1940 until his death on 24 June 1991. His first recorded speech was on 13 March 1967 and his last on 4 April 1984. He made 90 speeches, according to Hansard.
Mavis Wheeler
Vivian commanded tabloid headlines in 1954, when his lover, Mavis Wheeler, the former wife of both Sir Mortimer WheelerMortimer Wheeler
Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH, CIE, MC, FBA, FSA , was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century.-Education and career:...
and Horace de Vere Cole
Horace de Vere Cole
William Horace de Vere Cole was a British eccentric prankster and poet...
, and the mistress of Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, was jailed for six months for shooting him in the abdomen.
At her trial, the prosecuting counsel
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
said that the love of Mrs Mary (sic) Wheeler for Lord Vivian, was overpowering and that she was jealous of any attention he showed to other women. This love, the prosecution claimed, had led her to shoot him, on 30 July 1954, at a range of three inches, with intent to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
him at her country cottage at Potterne
Potterne
Potterne is a village in the English county of Wiltshire. The civil parish of Potterne includes the hamlet of Potterne Wick. In the census of 2001, the village had a population of 1,570. It is located slightly to the south of Devizes and lies on the A360 which passes from Devizes to Salisbury...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.