1st Baron Glanusk

THE BAILEY BARONETS WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN BRECKNOCKSHIRE, WITH 21,979 ACRES

JOHN or JOSEPH BAILEY (1747-1813), of Wakefield, Yorkshire (son of John Bailey, of Great Wenham, Suffolk), married, in 1774, Susannah, sister of Richard Crawshay, and had issue,

JOSEPH, his heir;

Crawshay.

The elder son,

JOSEPH BAILEY (1783-1858), MP, High Sheriff of Monmouthshire, 1826, wedded firstly, in 1810, Maria, daughter of Joseph Latham, and had issue,

JOSEPH, his heir;

Richard;

John Crawshay;

William Latham;

Henry;

Maria Susan; Margaret; Jane.

He espoused secondly, in 1830, Mary Ann, daughter of John Thomas Hendry Hopper, and had a daughter,

Mary Anne Bertha.

Mr Bailey was created a baronet in 1852, designated of Glanusk Park, Brecknockshire.

Sir Joseph's eldest son,

JOSEPH BAILEY (1812-50), of Easton Court, Herefordshire, MP for Herefordshire, 1841-50, married, in 1839, Elizabeth Mary, daughter of William Congreve Russell, and had issue,

JOSEPH RUSSELL, of whom hereafter;

Henry James;

John Franklen;

Richard Crawshay;

Marian.

Mr Bailey predeceased his father, and the baronetcy devolved upon his eldest son,

SIR JOSEPH RUSSELL BAILEY, 2nd Baronet (1840-1906), VD JP MP, of Glanusk Park, High Sheriff of Brecknockshire, 1864, who espoused, in 1861, Mary Ann, daughter of Henry Lucas, and had issue,

William Russell, died in infancy;

JOSEPH HENRY RUSSELL, his successor;

William;

Arthur;

Herbert Crawshay, father of the 4th Baron;

John Lancelot;

Elizabeth Mabel; Edith; Cecile Mary; Margaret Elinor; Gwladys Mary.

Sir Joseph was elevated to the peerage, in 1899, in the dignity of BARON GLANUSK, of Glanusk Park, Brecknockshire.

1st Baron Glanusk (Image: Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery)

JOSEPH HENRY RUSSELL, 2nd Baron (1864-1928), CB CBE DSO, Lord-Lieutenant of Brecknockshire, 1905, who married, in 1890, Editha Elma, daughter of Major Warden Sergison, and had issue,

WILFRED RUSSELL, his successor;

Gerald Sergison;

Bernard Michael;

Dulcie Editha.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILFRED RUSSELL, 3rd Baron (1891-1948), DSO, Lieutenant-Colonel, Welsh Guards, who wedded firstly, in 1919, Victoria Mary Enid Ann, daughter of Colonel Frank Dugdale; and secondly, in 1942, Margaret Eldrydd, daughter of Major-General Thomas Herbert Shoubridge, by whom he had issue,

Elizabeth Shân Josephine (The Hon Dame Elizabeth Shân Josephine Legge-Bourke DCVO) .

His lordship died without male issue, when the titles devolved upon his cousin,

DAVID RUSSELL, 4th Baron (1917-97), son of the Hon Herbert Crawshay, who wedded, in 1941, Lorna Dorothy, daughter of Captain Ernest Courtenay Harold Norman Andrews, and had issue,

CHRISTOPHER RUSSELL, his successor;

Susan Mary.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

CHRISTOPHER RUSSELL, 5th Baron (1942-), who married, in 1974, Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Charles Lowe GCB DFC AFC, and has issue,

CHARLES HENRY;

Rosemary Elizabeth.

Glanusk Park House (Image: The Glanusk Estate Website)

GLANUSK PARK HOUSE was built for the ironmaster Sir Joseph Bailey, 1st Baronet, on land he bought in 1825.

Glanusk became one of the most important houses of south Wales, entertaining royalty and society.

The mansion house faced north-east, towards the river Usk, and stood on an elevated terrace above a particularly ornamental parterre garden.

It was an extensive, foursquare, three-storey house in Tudor-Gothic style with four octagonal ogee turrets, one in each corner.

Glanusk's skyline was characterised by many pinnacles and small towers.

A porte-cochere stood on the east of the south front, and a billiards-room was added in the 1840s.

It is believed that this was the second house to be built on the site.

Glanusk Park was recorded by Henri Gastineau as having been the seat of Sir David Wilkins prior to its purchase by the Baileys.

However, no other details of this earlier house have been found, there is no known record of its appearance or that of the grounds immediately surrounding it.

The Baileys' house was designed and built by Robert Lugar between 1825-30.

Construction was suspended in 1827 following the death of Joseph Bailey's first wife.

Lugar also designed most of the buildings in the park, creating a set piece.

The house was set at the top of a sloping lawn which was replaced from about 1860 by formal terraced gardens designed by Markham Nesfield.

In 1939 Glanusk Park House was requisitioned by the army and was subsequently badly damaged.

The 3rd Baron Glanusk died in 1948, and his widow later married the Viscount De L'Isle.

Lady De L'Isle took the decision in 1952 to demolish the house as the cost of repair and upkeep was thought to be prohibitive.

Demolition (by explosives) was complete by 1954.

The Glanusk estate was inherited by the 3rd Baron's daughter, the Hon Dame Shân Legge-Bourke DCVO, whose family continues to live there today.

First published in January, 2021.