Marquess of Bristol - Family Seat

Family Seat

The Herveys lived at the Ickworth Estate (Suffolk) from the mid 15th century to 1998. The present-day appearance of Ickworth House was created by the end of the 18th century under the 4th Earl of Bristol. The traditional burial place of the Hervey family is Ickworth Church, which is also located on the estate. The line of Herveys buried in the vault under the church and in the churchyard begins with Thomas Hervey (d. 1467, who was the first of this family to own Ickworth) and includes every Earl and Marquess of Bristol, as well as many of their daughters and wives. In 1956, on the death of the 4th Marquess (d. 1951), his widow gave the house and grounds, excluding the church, to the National Trust in lieu of death duties. The family, through whoever currently held the title of the Marquess of Bristol, was given a 99-year lease to occupy the East Wing of Ickworth, upon paying certain related yearly expenses.

In 1998, the 7th Marquess sold the remaining lease to the National Trust, partly for funds and partly to ward off an eviction action based on his behaviour as a tenant. He died in 1999, having spent virtually all of his inherited fortune. His heir, the current Marquess of Bristol, has spoken of his anger at not being allowed by the National Trust to repurchase the lease and assume residence in the ancestral home The National Trust converted the East Wing into a hotel, contravening the wishes of Ickworth's donor, who had stipulated that they should always make accommodation available for the head of the family.