Persecution
Developing Kingston Lacy was a life-long passion for Bankes. Sadly, he could never fully be himself; he was gay yet had to keep his homosexuality a secret. Homosexual acts between men were deemed a criminal offence, punishable by death.
In 1833, Bankes narrowly escaped punishment, having been charged with 'an unnatural offence', meaning physical relations with another man. It was only thanks to the influence of his powerful family and friends that he was not charged.
Exile
In 1841, Bankes was again charged for taking part in an 'indecent act', and this time he moved abroad to escape the charges. Leaving Kingston Lacy, the home he loved, was heart-wrenching. But we know from surviving letters that he continued to oversee the transformation of Kingston Lacy into a Venetian-style palazzo while exiled in France, and later Italy, until his death in Venice in 1855.