British Stockbroker and Land Agent
Born 1937 Died 2008
Anthony David Brand was born on the 7th May 1937, being the eldest son of David Francis Brand, and Imogen Alice Rhys, daughter of the 7th Baron Dynevor; his father was later to succeeded as the 5th Viscount Hampden following the death of his elder brother in 1965.
Educated at Eton College, Anthony then went to work for the merchant bank Lazard Brothers in 1956 where his uncle Thomas, the 4th Viscount was the managing director. He remained there until 1969 when he spent some months in South Africa before returning to Britain and joining the stockbrokers Hoare Govett where he worked from 1970 until 1982, during which time he succeeded as the 6th Viscount following his father's death on the 4th September 1975. Having also inherited the old family home of Glynde Place, following the death of his cousin's widow, Anthony later decided to attend Plumpton Agricultural College where he studied land agency, so that when the estate manager of Glynde Estates retired in 1984, he could take on the job himself, which he did until 2002.
During this time he also served as the Chairman of the Sussex Branch of the Country Landowners' Association in 1985-1987 and was again appointed President of the organisation in 2003, and also served as Chairman of the South-east Region of the Historic Houses Association between 2001 and 2005, and Deputy Lord-Lieutenant for East Sussex from 1986 until 2000. He was also a Governor of Emanuel School from 1965 to 2005, no doubt in recognition of the family connection, given that the school had been founded back in 1594 by one of his distant relations the then Lady Dacre, Ann Sackville. Anthony also found the time to produce what were described as "two charming volumes", the first being Henry and Eliza (1980), an edition of letters between the 1st Viscount Hampden and his wife, and A Glimpse of Glynde (1997), both of which appeared under the name of Anthony Hampden.
The 6th Viscount first came to public attention in 1985 when he lost £39,000 courtesy of the conman Derry Mainwaring Knight, who made a habit of fleecing wealthy Christians by claiming that the money was required to counteract the activities of a nearby Satanic ring (Knight actually spent the money on buying himself a Rolls-Royce). He also received some unwelcome publicity in 2002 when he was sued by his plumber for £1 million, relating to a dispute regarding the installation of central heating in some of the estate's cottages. There was also the notable occasion when a local opportunist broke into his home at Glynde Park and stole four silver candlesticks, two silver sauceboats and a silver sugar canister. Although the miscreant in question was soon aprehended by the police, they failed to find the missing silver, and so in emulation of his favourite fictional detective Albert Campion, the Viscount set out to investigate the case himself. After interviewing the locals he was able to trace the thief's movements between the time of the burglary and the time of his arrest, and therefore concluded that must have stashed the loot somewhere along the way. His painstaking detective work duly led to the discovery of a holdall containing the missing silver hidden under some leaves only five hundred yards from his house.
Anthony was twice married. His first wife was Cara or Caroline Proby whom he married in 1969, and who bore him two sons and a daughter. They were later divorced and he remarried Mrs Sally Snow (nee Hambro) in 1988. He died on the 4th January 2008 after what was described as a "short illness", and his funeral service was held on the 22nd January at the local church of St. Mary the Virgin in Glynde where he became the first member of the family to be buried there for one hundred and forty-six years. He was succeeded as the 7th Viscount Hampden by his eldest son Francis Anthony Brand.
As it turned out the 6th Viscount's death precipitated something of a crisis in the art world as he had been the owner of The Apotheosis of King James I by Peter Paul Rubens, although the painting had been on loan to the National Gallery since 1981. Apparently the Viscount had been negotiations to sell the work prior to his death, mainly (it was said) in order to fund £400,000 worth of repairs due on his ancestral mansion. However, since no deal had been struck, there were concerns that the painting might now be sold to an overseas buyer. According to Hugh Leggatt (former Museums and Galleries Commissioner) the work in question was "the most important painting in the land" which "must never leave these shores under any circumstances", and he therefore called on the Prime Minister to save it for the nation.
SOURCES
- Obituary of the Viscount Hampden Daily Telegraph 14/02/2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2008/02/14/db1404.xml
- Dalya Alberge, Britain in fight to keep Rubens masterpiece out of foreign hands, The Times, January 17, 2008
entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article3200720.ece
- ‘HAMPDEN’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 (http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U18839, accessed 15 Feb 2008)
- Plumber sues viscount for £1m 21st Aug 2002.
http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2002/8/21/151776.html
- The entry for HAMPDEN OF GLYNDE from Burke's Peerage and Baronetage 107th Edition
- Glynde Estates at http://www.glynde.co.uk/glyndeplace
- Emmanuel School at www.emanuel.org.uk/