The 5th Marquess and Plas Newydd

Becoming the 5th Marquess

Born Henry Cyril Paget in London in 1875, Henry was the only son of the 4th Marquess and Blanche Mary Boyd. Henry’s mother died when he was two. He first came to Ynys Môn when he was eight years old. Following the death of his father in November 1898, he became the 5th Marquess, inheriting the family estates at Beaudesert in Staffordshire and at Plas Newydd. He had an annual income of £110,000, which would be around £18 million today.

Henry grew up accustomed to great monetary wealth and during his short life he spent his income on lavish social events and a vast collection of items. He surrounded himself with luxurious clothing, costumes and jewellery and indulged in new technologies such as motor cars, photography equipment and electric lighting for his theatre.

Defying expectations

Henry Cyril Paget didn’t fit with society’s expectations for an aristocrat during his time. Unlike his father who enjoyed hunting and horse racing, Henry Cyril surrounded himself with vibrant colour and enjoyed his passion for theatre and jewellery. He loved to dance, most famously during his Butterfly Dance when multicoloured lights would project onto his white silk costume. 

The Gaiety Theatre at Plas Newydd

Henry Cyril loved to perform and created the 150-seat Gaiety Theatre at Plas Newydd. To begin with, he performed with amateurs including friends, servants and local people. However, in 1901, he persuaded a professional theatre manager and his company to establish a company in the Gaiety Theatre at Plas Newydd. 

From there, they performed to audiences of local neighbours, tradesmen, servants, university students and visitors to the local area, for free. They also took their productions to some local venues, donating the box office to local charities. The 5th Marquess would sometimes hand out postcards of himself in costume to the audience.

Speculation and sensationalism

Henry travelled to different theatres across the United Kingdom and Europe, performing in plays by Oscar Wilde. In 1895, Wilde was charged with ‘Gross Indecency’ and was jailed. Many others were not performing Wilde’s plays following Wilde’s conviction. Speculation suggests that Henry’s decision to perform Wilde’s plays after this could have been a demonstration of not wanting to conform to society’s expectations, but it could equally have been because the part in the play was perfect for Henry. New evidence suggests that the role in Wilde’s ‘An Ideal Husband’ was just such a role.

His private life has been subject to speculation over the years. There is no evidence of Henry having had same-sex relationships. He was briefly married to his cousin Lilian Chetwynd in 1898, and although she applied for an annulment in 1900 on the grounds of nonconsummation (which was granted), they chose not to go through with the annulment. In 1901, the couple agreed to stay married but to lead separate lives. 

The Great Anglesey Sales (1904-05) 

Henry Cyril’s lifestyle was unsustainable. He ignored warnings and was declared insolvent in 1904. Everything he owned was sold in order pay off his debts. By June 1904, Anglesey Castle was taken over by the auctioneers, William Dew and Son. The Great Anglesey Sales began on 29 July 1904, with Plas Newydd no longer a home but a shop floor.  

People came from across the country to either buy or just to look around. Everything was sold - from the Marquess’s collection of clothing, his five cars and much-loved pet toy dogs to the pots and pans, mop heads and buckets. Between 17,000 and 18,000 lots were up for sale.

Many of the servants lost their homes along with their jobs, but they still came to try and buy back some of the belongings they'd had in their rooms. Even some of the Marquess's creditors, to whom he owed a lot of money, came to the sales to bid on items to support him. Affection and loyalty to the Marquess remained seemingly strong locally.

The 5th Marquess left Plas Newydd before the sales began and never returned. His excessive spending was over, and his once theatrical life became increasingly solitary. After his death in March 1905 at the age of 29, ‘Anglesey Castle’ became Plas Newydd once again and his presence began to fade. Building works and changes to the house followed for many years, making the house almost unrecognisable as the 5th Marquess’s ‘Anglesey Castle’.

Photographs of the 5th Marquess

Photographs of Henry Cyril Paget have survived, but only a small amount is in the collection at Plas Newydd. Those that remain in the collection show his love of costume and performance and remind us of his vivacious spirit. In 2018, photographs of the 5th Marquess were unearthed while searching through archives, and these are thought to be the only known images of the Marquess at one of his fancy dress balls in the garden at Plas Newydd.  

The 5th Marquess on stage and screen

The spirit of Henry Cyril returned in 2017 for a highly acclaimed musical drama written by Ynys Môn born writer and performer, Seiriol Davies, titled ‘How to win against history’. It was performed to audiences throughout the UK.

During filming at Plas Newydd in September 2024, the spirit of the 5th Marquess returned to Plas Newydd in the form of Welsh actor Callum Scott Howells for the film, Madfabulous. Directed by Celyn Jones from Ynys Môn, the film is released nationally in cinemas on 5 June 2026 and while the film draws inspiration from the life the 5th Marquess, it offers its own artistic take on the Marquess’s story. An exhibition featuring five of the costumes from the film, Gwisgo’n Ffansi | All Dressed Up, can be seen inside the house at Plas Newydd from 15 May 2026.