Local historian David Winpenny will be telling the fascinating story of Gladys, the Marchioness of Ripon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at the next meeting of the village Local History Group. The talk, entitled 'NIJINSKY’S CAMEL' is on Wednesday 15th January 2025 at 7pm at the Village Hall.

Gladys Herbert, granddaughter of the 11th Earl of Pembroke, married the Earl de Grey in 1885, heir to the Marquess of Ripon, whose seat was at Studley Royal near Ripon. Already widowed after a short marriage to the dissolute 4th Earl of Lonsdale, she had a reputation for her number of aristocratic lovers.

While De Grey ‘the greatest shot in England’ pursued game at home and abroad, she was responsible for reviving the fortunes of Covent Garden by marshalling her aristocratic friends to take boxes to ensure the finances of the company. She was a friend of the great soprano Nellie Melba, and probably the lover of the Polish tenor Jean de Reszke.

By 1911, by which time she was Marchioness of Ripon, she invited Diaghilev and the Ballet Rousse to London, where they were a huge success. On the outbreak of the Great War, she devoted herself to the welfare of servicemen.

Venue – Bishop Monkton Village Hall

Tickets Free for History Group Members £10 cash Non Members

To book places contact Annabel Alton

Email [email protected]

There will be a cash bar selling wine/soft drinks – open from 6.30pm