Henry Cyril Paget: The Dancing Marquess

Henry Cyril Paget, often referred to as "Toppy," remains relatively unknown to many, largely due to deliberate efforts by his descendants to erase him from the family's history. The Fifth Marquess of Anglesey, Toppy, was seen as a disgrace to the family name. His penchant for dressing as Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, his performances in German music halls, and his extravagant spending on diamonds earned him notoriety during his time.

Vicary Gibbs, writing in The Complete Peerage in 1910, commented that he "seems only to have existed for the purpose of giving a melancholy and unneeded illustration of the truth that a man with the finest prospects, may, by the wildest folly and extravagance, as Sir Thomas Browne says, 'foully miscarry in the advantage of humanity, play away an uniterable life, and have lived in vain

After attending Eton College, Toppy attained a commission as a Lieutenant in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. His marriage with his cousin Lilian Florence Maud Chetwynd took place on January 20, 1898.

Following the death of his father at the family seat of Plas Newydd on October 13, 1898, Toppy inherited the title of the Marquess of Anglesey along with the vast family estates, spanning approximately 30,000 acres across Staffordshire, Dorset, Anglesey, and Derbyshire. This bequest bestowed upon him an annual income of £110,000, which equates to £13 million per year in 2024.

Paget quickly gained notoriety for his extravagant and profligate way of life. He indulged in purchasing jewelry, fur, and hosting lavish parties and theatrical spectacles. Renaming the family's rural residence Plas Newydd to "Anglesey Castle," he transformed its chapel into a 150-seat theater known as the Gaiety Theatre. Here, bedecked in luxurious attire, Paget starred in various productions, ranging from pantomimes and comedies to Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband and Shakespeare's Henry V. Initially, the theater hosted variety performances for select local dignitaries, but by 1901, it was revamped with electric stage lighting to serve as a public venue.

For three years, Paget toured his theatrical troupe across Britain and Europe. His wife disapproved of his lifestyle, leading to their divorce, later annulled due to nonconsummation. With the breakdown of his marriage, Paget found himself with greater freedom to indulge in his extravagant habits. Consequently, he began mortgaging his estates to sustain his lifestyle.

The Fifth Marquess was described by Clough Williams-Ellis as “a sort of apparition – a tall, elegant and bejewelled creature, with wavering elegant gestures, reminding one rather of an Aubrey Beardsley illustration come to life.” The Omaha Daily Bee described him more bluntly: “He is a thoroughly effeminate looking young fellow and he may be seen when in Paris walking around with a toy terrier under his arm, the pet being heavily scented and bedizened with bangles and bows. The fingers of the marquess fairly blaze with rings. He presents the characteristics of the Gypsy type.”

"The exhaust pipe on the Marquess’s car was modified to spray scent: sometimes violet, sometimes patchouli, sometimes l’eau d’Espagne"

On September 10, 1901, Paget attended the London debut of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adaptation at the Lyceum Theatre. Meanwhile, residing at the Walsingham House Hotel, his French valet, Julian Gault, seized the opportunity to pilfer jewelry worth £50,000. Devastated by the theft, Paget sought Conan Doyle's assistance in recovering the stolen gems. Gault, apprehended at Dover, claimed in court that he was instructed by a French acquaintance named Mathilde to commit the theft. Despite his testimony being deemed credible, Gault pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on October 22 and received a five-year prison sentence.

During this period, Henry Paget’s lifestyle was still as lavish as ever; one newspaper reported that his bedroom was “draped in mauve velvet, with hanging figures of solid silver. Its ornaments were of filigree and gold, and its tables crowded with bottles of the most costly perfumes. His ‘boudoir’ was of green and gold. He had three valets and a ‘coiffer,’ all of whom earned their high salaries, for it was no unusual thing for this modern Beau Brummell to spend a whole morning ‘working out’ some special scheme of colour by dint of combining the effects of neckties, trousers, waistcoats and ‘spats,’ discarding, one by one, such as failed to ‘harmonise.’”

In 1901, he engaged a troupe of professional actors at exorbitant salaries for a grand European tour, complete with their own orchestra and requiring five trucks to transport their elaborate sets and equipment.

The costumes for his pantomime performances, wherein he invariably assumed the lead role, were bedecked with jewels and exceedingly lavish. For instance, a single costume for Henry V cost a staggering £40,000, while one for Aladdin may have amounted to as much as £100,000.

Paget journeyed in style in a custom automobile fashioned after a luxurious Pullman railcar, boasting leather upholstery, ornate wooden accents, and a intricately carved ceiling. To add to the opulence, the exhaust emitted fragrances ranging from violet to patchouli to l’eau d’Espagne.

Paget's extravagant lifestyle, penchant for cross-dressing, and the dissolution of his marriage have sparked speculation about his sexual orientation. In a 1970 publication, the homosexual advocate H. Montgomery Hyde portrayed him as "the most notorious aristocratic homosexual at this period". One journalist wrote, "I am driven to the conclusion from much that I have seen that there are men who ought to have been born women, and women who ought to have been born men … Bearing the form of a man, he yet had all the tastes, something even of the appearance, of not only a woman, but, if the phrase be permissible, a very effeminate woman". Norena Shopland wrote that "there is little doubt that Henry must be included in the history of gender identity."

There is scant evidence either confirming or refuting his involvement with partners of any gender. Performance historian Viv Gardner suggests that he embodied classic narcissism, unable to form intimate connections due to perceived unlovability. The destruction of pertinent documents by his family has left this issue open to speculation.

According to Christopher Sykes, his marriage remained unconsummated, with his wife departing after a mere six weeks. Sykes recounts that the closest they came to intimacy was when he insisted she pose naked adorned in jewels, even during sleep.

By 1904, despite his considerable inheritance and income, Paget found himself burdened with debts amounting to £544,000 (£60 million in 2024). Consequently, he was declared bankrupt on 11 June.

He moved to Monte Carlo, convinced he’d figured out a surefire system to beat the bank at the casinos.

His opulent wardrobe, including exquisite dressing gowns from Charvet, and valuable jewels were auctioned off to settle his debts, yielding £80,000 from the jewels alone.

The auction spanned 17 days, featuring an array of extravagant items from Paget's wardrobe. Among these were 260 pairs of gray kidskin gloves, 200 gold scarf pins, and a collection of over 200 walking sticks, many adorned with jewels. Paget's possessions included 30 pairs of silk pyjamas described as "dreams of oriental splendour" and 240 waistcoats, some adorned with spangles and vibrant colors. Notable among his 100 dressing gowns were one made of purple silk lined with grey squirrel and another of gold brocade. His extensive collection of overcoats included varieties lined with mink, Persian lamb, and sable, embellished with intricate details like raccoon collars and tails. Paget's footwear collection was equally impressive, ranging from leather and crocodile boots to 200 pairs of slippers, earning him the title of owning "a complete collection of everything that could be strapped, buckled or laced upon the foot of man."

A reporter from the Daily Mail visited him and said that he “lives a retired life amid perfumes, hair tonics and cheap jewellery.” The Marquess was aware of his reputation and it seemed that he wanted to play it down. He said to the reporter, “I must apologise for not appearing before you in peacock-blue plush, wearing a diamond and sapphire tiara, a turquoise dog-collar, ropes of pearls and slippers studded with Burma rubies; but I prefer, and always have preferred, Scotch tweed.” It wasn’t a very convincing defence. He continued: “I never received anyone in my life attired in a purple dressing gown and sipping a liqueur. I may have a hobby for collecting pins and rings, but I never wore more than one of the former and four of the latter at the same time. And if I do use “scent,” I am not the only living person who does, am I?”

In 1905, Paget passed away in Monte Carlo after a prolonged illness, with his former wife at his side. His remains were interred at St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen, located on his Anglesey estate. Despite his notorious reputation, the people of Bangor expressed sorrow upon learning of his demise, as reported by The Times. In 1909, Lilian, now Marchioness of Anglesey, remarried John Francis Grey Gilliat, a banker, with whom she had three children.

The title subsequently passed to his cousin Charles Henry Alexander Paget, who opted to destroy all documents pertaining to the Fifth Marquess and converted the Gaiety Theatre back into a chapel. The debts left behind by the Fifth Marquess forced the family to sell off their principal English estate at Beaudesert, Staffordshire, during the 1930s. Consequently, the Paget family made Plas Newydd their permanent residence.

---