Scandal
Bankes was eventually exiled from his home in England in 1841 due to homosexual indiscretions which led him to flee seeking refuge after being caught in compromising circumstances with a guardsman in Green Park in London. In that day and age, sodomy was considered a grave crime in England and carried with it the death penalty – the last executions in England for sodomy had occurred only six years earlier, in 1835.
Even though he was unable to return to Kingston Lacy, he continued to collect from abroad, sending his collections to be displayed in his beloved home. It is believed that he secretly visited Kingston Lacy to admire his home and collections before his death in Venice.
Read more about this topic: William John Bankes
Famous quotes containing the word scandal:
“There is no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty.”
—George Farquhar (1678–1707)
“Certain it is that scandal is good brisk talk, whereas praise of one’s neighbour is by no means lively hearing. An acquaintance grilled, scored, devilled, and served with mustard and cayenne pepper excites the appetite; whereas a slice of cold friend with currant jelly is but a sickly, unrelishing meat.”
—William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863)
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