Who was William Holburne?
Sir Thomas William Holburne, 5th Baronet of Menstrie (1793-1874)
At the heart of the Holburne Museum is the collection of Sir Thomas William Holburne (1793-1874), known as William.
William was the younger son of Sir Francis Holburne. He joined the navy in 1805 aged 11 and served at the Battle of Trafalgar aboard the Orion. He also served on the Tonnant in the West Indies in 1808 and on the Foudroyant in Brazil. Made a Lieutenant in 1813, he was probably pensioned off from the navy after 1815 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Following the death of his elder brother Francis, William inherited the family title and a modest fortune. He embarked on an eighteen-month Grand Tour of Europe, visiting Italy, the Alps and the Netherlands. This was formative in terms of developing and defining his taste as a collector, and sparked a life-long interest in art.
Very little remains as evidence of his collecting – no letters, bills or accounts – so very little knowledge of where his acquisitions came from. We can deduce from the the objects that he collected that, in very general terms, Sir William’s taste was for the small, the finely wrought and often the colourful. He particularly loved bronze sculptures, silver, porcelain and Dutch landscapes.
Part of the reason for the small and delicate nature of much of the art that Sir William collected could have been due to the intended setting for his purchases. Following the death of his mother in 1829, William and his three sisters moved to 10 Cavendish Crescent in 1830, a new terrace with the house arranged across three floors with an attic above.
We know from the inventory of the contents of the house taken on Sir William’s death in 1874 how the collection was arranged throughout the house. The small size of many of the works suited the compact nature of the house and would have been a practical choice.
Sir William never married. It was his wish that his collection be left to the City of Bath for everyone to enjoy.
Family lineage and the Legacy of Slavery
Some of Sir William Holburne’s inherited wealth derived from plantations in the West Indies, the business of which involved trading in people as well as produce and materials.
You can read more about the Holburne family’s links to the Caribbean slave trade in this online resource, and our dedicated display in the Fletcher Gallery on the Mezzanine.
Read more about the family tree and the legacy of slavery in the links below:
Other Information
The Holburne Family Tree
Visit The Holburne Family Tree
The Legacy of Slavery
Visit The Legacy of Slavery