Thomas Heron Jones, 7th Viscount Ranelagh
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Heron Jones, 7th Viscount Ranelagh KCB
(9 January 1812 - 13 November 1885) was a British aristocrat known for his involvement in the volunteer movement
to recruit amateur soldiers for the defence of Britain and for his links to glamorous women of the era, notably the Pre-Raphaelite model Annie Miller
and the actress Lillie Langtry
.
Heron Jones succeeded to the baronetcy becoming Viscount Ranelagh
and Baron Jones of Navan in 1820 on the death of his father.
was away in the middle east. He was described in the letters of Hunt and his friends as a "notorious rake" because of his womanising. When Hunt learned of the relationship he broke off the engagement, leading to a meeting between Annie and Ranelagh in which he suggested that she should sue Hunt for breach of promise
. In the end she married Ranelagh's cousin.
Ranelagh was also responsible for introducing Lillie Langtry
to London high society. According to Langtry herself "he completely changed the current of my life" She became the centre of attention at a party to which he invited her, and was asked by both John Everett Millais
and Frank Miles
to sit for a portrait.
With his wife, Ranelagh had two daughters, but no sons. The titles of Viscount Ranelagh and Baron Jones of Navan became extinct in 1885 upon the death of the 7th viscount.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(9 January 1812 - 13 November 1885) was a British aristocrat known for his involvement in the volunteer movement
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
to recruit amateur soldiers for the defence of Britain and for his links to glamorous women of the era, notably the Pre-Raphaelite model Annie Miller
Annie Miller
Annie Miller was an English artists' model who, among others, sat for the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais. Her on-off relationship with Holman Hunt has been dramatised several times.-Early life:Annie Miller was born in...
and the actress Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
.
Heron Jones succeeded to the baronetcy becoming Viscount Ranelagh
Viscount Ranelagh
The titles of Viscount Ranelagh and Baron Jones of Navan were created in the Peerage of Ireland by Charles I on 25 August 1628 to Sir Roger Jones, son of Thomas Jones Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Thomas Jones father was Henry Jones, Esq. of Middleton in Lancashire...
and Baron Jones of Navan in 1820 on the death of his father.
Volunteer movement
Ranelagh was an enthusiastic supporter of the movement to create a volunteer army, which had arisen from fears of a French invasion. He created and commanded the 2nd South Middlesex Rifle Volunteers in 1859, the nucleus of which was formed from members of the Ranelagh Yacht Club. Ranelagh became a de facto leader of the Volunteer movement and was introduced as such to the French emperor Napoleon III. In 1863 Ranelagh helped to organise a show of force in Brighton at which he gave a speech defending the movement from attempts by the government to take control of it. He insisted that an independent volunteer militia was both cheaper and more effective for the country than a centrally organised force. He asserted that the English character prefers independence and distrusts "organisation", claiming that "we trust to our own pluck, that indomitable pluck that all Englishmen possess". At this period Ranelagh was calling for a volunteer "people's army", an aspiration supported by a section of the press at the time. He continued to command the Volunteers until his death in 1885.Relationships
Ranelagh started a relationship with Annie Miller when her fiancé William Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
was away in the middle east. He was described in the letters of Hunt and his friends as a "notorious rake" because of his womanising. When Hunt learned of the relationship he broke off the engagement, leading to a meeting between Annie and Ranelagh in which he suggested that she should sue Hunt for breach of promise
Breach of promise
Breach of promise is a former common law tort.From at least medieval times until the early 20th century, a man's promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract...
. In the end she married Ranelagh's cousin.
Ranelagh was also responsible for introducing Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
to London high society. According to Langtry herself "he completely changed the current of my life" She became the centre of attention at a party to which he invited her, and was asked by both John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
and Frank Miles
Frank Miles
George Francis "Frank" Miles was a London artist who specialised in pastel portraits of society ladies, also an architect and a keen plantsman.-Life and career:...
to sit for a portrait.
With his wife, Ranelagh had two daughters, but no sons. The titles of Viscount Ranelagh and Baron Jones of Navan became extinct in 1885 upon the death of the 7th viscount.