The 8th Lord Howard de Walden
Thomas Evelyn Ellis was born in 1880, the only child of
Frederick and Blanche, Frederick being the 7th Lord Howard de
Walden. Due to a family row, Tommy, as he was known, was brought up
with none of the family's wealth, his father was practically
disinherited. Tommy was a shy, intelligent boy, who was sent to
Cheam Preparatory School before Eton and was then accepted for
Sandhurst to enable him to carry out a career in the army. He was
on active service during both the Boer War and World War 1,
and during the Second World War he was confined to the
Home Guard in Wales.
His father died in 1899 and Tommy inherited the title 8th Lord
Howard de Walden, along with the wealth and estates,
including Dean Castle in Kilmarnock, from his
grandmother who had died earlier in 1899. The 8th Lord Howard de
Walden was a man of many talents. He took a great interest in
literary matters, writing books and plays, using his own money on
many occasions to stage large scale productions. He had a keen
interest in music and art and supported many orchestras and
artists. Other interests included horse racing, as owner and
breeder, and fencing which he pursued to international level and
was a reserve for the Olympic team in 1908. It isn't surprising
then that this led to him collecting one of the country's finest
collections of swords, weapons and armour which are now housed
within Dean Castle.
Married to Margarita van Raalte, the daughter of a Jewish Dutch
immigrant (Charles van Raalte, who is responsible for one of the
finest collections of historical musical instruments anywhere in
Europe, also housed at Dean Castle), the De Waldens were an
eccentric couple, often spending several months pursuing their own
interests.
Lord Howard de Walden was the person responsible for restoring
Dean Castle, the Keep in 1908 and the Palace in the 1930s. The
couple spent a lot of time at their Scottish retreat and chose to
be buried there. Thomas Evelyn Scott Ellis (the Scott had been
added as it had been his grandmother's name), died in
1946.
He was succeeded by his son, the Right Honourable John Osmael Scott Ellis as the 9th Baron Howard de Walden and Seaford. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge and had served as a major in the Second World War. The 9th Lord had spent most of his youth at the Dean and from that time onwards he took a great interest in Kilmarnock. In 1974 he gifted to the town, Dean Castle and its contents (including most of his father's internationally acclaimed collections of armour, weapons, tapestries and musical instruments) together with 40 acres of ground. Few people realise that his generosity has also included the site for the Technical College in Holehouse Road and the Scott Ellis playing fields and was Chairman of Kilmarnock Estates Ltd., owners of several farms around Kilmarnock in which he took a special interest and in the welfare of the tenants. He died in 1999 and is probably best remembered as one of the nation's best known racehorse owners.
