Herbert Weld Blundell
Encyclopedia
Herbert Joseph Weld Blundell (1852–1935) was an English travel
ler in Africa
, archaeologist, philanthropist
and yachtsman. He shortened his surname from Weld Blundell
to Weld, in 1924.
. He travelled to Persia in 1891, then for a decade 1894 to 1905 in North Africa and East Africa. He was a correspondent for the Morning Post during the Second Boer War
. Expeditions included
In 1921-1922 he presented the Weld Blundell Collection to the University of Oxford
.
, and the Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition to Mesopotamia (Kish
).
In 1923 he married Theodora Mclaren-Morrison, who died in 1928. In the same year he inherited Lulworth Castle
, from a cousin, Reginald Joseph Weld Blundell. In 1928, on the death of Reginald's brother Humphrey, he inherited the rest of the Lulworth Estate
, of the Weld-Blundell family
.
In 1923 he started campaigning against Army use of Bindon Hill
as a firing range, the beginning of the long conflict that centred on the fate of Tyneham
and other parts of the Lulworth Estate. From 1924 he owned a large yacht
, S/Y Lulworth
. It was a prominent racing craft of its time, competing 28 times in 1925 and always placing in the first three.
In 1929, Weld's intention to sell two family heirlooms, the Luttrell Psalter
and the Bedford Book of Hours
at Sotheby's
came up against a legal issue, when just three days before these famous illuminated manuscripts were due to go under the hammer, it was discovered by British Museum
lawyers that they and all the heirlooms and 'chattels' in Lulworth Castle were apparently the property of Mrs Mary Angela Noyes, née Mayne, wife of the poet Alfred Noyes
, earlier married to Richard Shireburn Weld-Blundell, the Weld-Blundell heir who had been killed in 1916. Weld went to court, but his appeal was rejected only a few hours before the sale. The British Museum then purchased both manuscripts from Mrs Noyes with a loan from John Pierpont Morgan. Later in 1929 Lulworth Castle was badly damaged by fire, and some of the disputed heirlooms were burned.
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
ler in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, archaeologist, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and yachtsman. He shortened his surname from Weld Blundell
Weld-Blundell family
The Weld family, which became in its main branch the Weld-Blundell family, is an old English family that claims descent from Eadric the Wild and has branches in several parts of England and America. The main branch are descended from Humphrey Weld, Lord Mayor of London, whose grandson of the same...
to Weld, in 1924.
Life to 1922
He was educated at Stonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
. He travelled to Persia in 1891, then for a decade 1894 to 1905 in North Africa and East Africa. He was a correspondent for the Morning Post during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. Expeditions included
- 1891-2 PersepolisPersepolisPerspolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire . Persepolis is situated northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran. In contemporary Persian, the site is known as Takht-e Jamshid...
, with Lorenzo GiuntiniLorenzo GiuntiniAndrew Lawrence Giuntini was born ca. 1843 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. His father, Andrea Giuntini, was born ca. 1808 in Italy and, having immigrated to England, married Mary Woulds on May 12, 1839 in Lincoln. Lorenzo Giuntini married Susannah Louisa Barnett on September 11, 1866 in...
, making casts of the reliefReliefRelief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s - 1894-5 LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and CyrenaicaCyrenaicaCyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
, creating a photographic record - 1898 Abyssinia Expedition with Lord Lovat and Reginald KoettlitzReginald KoettlitzReginald Koettlitz was a British physician and polar explorer. He participated in the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition to Franz Josef Land and in the Discovery Expedition to Antarctica....
- 1904-5 Around Addis AbabaAddis AbabaAddis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
- 1922 Weld Blundell Expedition, found the Weld-Blundell PrismWeld-Blundell PrismThe Weld-Blundell Prism is a clay, cuneiform inscribed vertical prism housed in the Ashmolean Museum. The four sides, about 10cm tall are inscribed in the Sumerian language with lists of Sumerian kings; each side contains the text in two columns....
, now in the Ashmolean MuseumAshmolean MuseumThe Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
In 1921-1922 he presented the Weld Blundell Collection to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
From 1923
He backed a 1923 expedition to the YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and the Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition to Mesopotamia (Kish
Kish (Sumer)
Kish is modern Tell al-Uhaymir , and was an ancient city of Sumer. Kish is located some 12 km east of Babylon, and 80 km south of Baghdad ....
).
In 1923 he married Theodora Mclaren-Morrison, who died in 1928. In the same year he inherited Lulworth Castle
Lulworth Castle
Lulworth Castle, in East Lulworth, Dorset, situated south of Wool, is an early 17th century mock castle. The stone building has now been re-built as a museum....
, from a cousin, Reginald Joseph Weld Blundell. In 1928, on the death of Reginald's brother Humphrey, he inherited the rest of the Lulworth Estate
Lulworth Estate
The Lulworth Estate is located in central south Dorset, England. Its most notable landscape feature include a five mile stretch of coastline on the Jurassic coast...
, of the Weld-Blundell family
Weld-Blundell family
The Weld family, which became in its main branch the Weld-Blundell family, is an old English family that claims descent from Eadric the Wild and has branches in several parts of England and America. The main branch are descended from Humphrey Weld, Lord Mayor of London, whose grandson of the same...
.
In 1923 he started campaigning against Army use of Bindon Hill
Bindon Hill
Bindon Hill is an extensive Iron Age earthwork enclosing a coastal hill area near Lulworth Cove in Dorset, England.- Location :The Hill is located about 19 kilometres west of Swanage, about six kilometres south west of Wareham and about 17 kilometres south east of Dorchester.Bindon Hill is only...
as a firing range, the beginning of the long conflict that centred on the fate of Tyneham
Tyneham
Tyneham is a ghost village in south Dorset, England, near Lulworth on the Isle of Purbeck. It remains a civil parish.-Location:The village is situated northeast of Worbarrow Bay on the Jurassic Coast, about south of Wareham and about west of Swanage. It is part of the Lulworth Estate. Tyneham is...
and other parts of the Lulworth Estate. From 1924 he owned a large yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, S/Y Lulworth
Lulworth (yacht)
Lulworth is a gaff-rigged cutter that was built in Southampton, England in 1920.-The Big Class:The boat's name comes from Lulworth Castle, which belonged to her second owner, Herbert Weld, whose grandfather was a charter-member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. S/Y Lulworth was built by the White...
. It was a prominent racing craft of its time, competing 28 times in 1925 and always placing in the first three.
In 1929, Weld's intention to sell two family heirlooms, the Luttrell Psalter
Luttrell Psalter
The Luttrell Psalter is an illuminated manuscript written and illustrated circa 1320 – 1340 by anonymous scribes and artists...
and the Bedford Book of Hours
Bedford Master
The Bedford Master was an manuscript illuminator active in Paris during the fifteenth century. He is named for the work he did on two books illustrated for John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford between 1415 and 1435. One is the Bedford Hours, a Book of Hours, in the British Library; the other, a...
at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
came up against a legal issue, when just three days before these famous illuminated manuscripts were due to go under the hammer, it was discovered by British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
lawyers that they and all the heirlooms and 'chattels' in Lulworth Castle were apparently the property of Mrs Mary Angela Noyes, née Mayne, wife of the poet Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes was an English poet, best known for his ballads, "The Highwayman" and "The Barrel-Organ".-Early years:...
, earlier married to Richard Shireburn Weld-Blundell, the Weld-Blundell heir who had been killed in 1916. Weld went to court, but his appeal was rejected only a few hours before the sale. The British Museum then purchased both manuscripts from Mrs Noyes with a loan from John Pierpont Morgan. Later in 1929 Lulworth Castle was badly damaged by fire, and some of the disputed heirlooms were burned.