Catalogue description Diaries and sporting journal of Henry Hervey Molyneux (1842 - 1915)

Henry Hervey Molyneux' interests were largely sporting - riding, fishing and especially shooting and gun dogs. He also appears to have been quite a keen card player. His diaries describe his sporting activities and reflect his interests and enthusiasms (an entry for Boxing Day 1883 reads "... Bingham and I shot the coverts and killed 80 odd head - Alice was with us and "Little Ben" behaved well - John came out for a bit and then retired home to read a book!!") He also usually records the day's weather conditions, letters written and received and events concerning his own or his wife's family. Besides the fairly full daily entries, the diaries include other details, listed at the beginning or end of the volume and varying in content over the years. Such details list or relate to

Personal accounts

Horses ("My horses have ... given me falls as follows ...", 920 SEF/1/1)

Clubs

Tailors

Books read, with brief critical comments

Bridge and whist scores

Bridge problems

Wine and cellar lists

Lists of newspapers and periodicals received addresses

Recipes

"List of things to go to Norway", "List of clothes for Norway", "List of things in Norway now"

Cures for ailments, especially of dogs

Occasional newscuttings enfolded, also parts of opera programmes

Advertisements (the "Coxon Aerial Reel", 920 SEF/1/27

Notes relating to house or farm ("arrangements [painting, cesspool etc.] for Sanham", 920 SEF/1/10; "sold fat Pig £6.17s", 920 SEF/1/26)

Dogs

Henry Hervey Molyneux was born on 18th April 1842, the third son of Charles William, 3rd Earl of Sefton. He entered the Royal Navy as a Sub-Lieutenant in October 1861. He was promoted Lieutenant in November 1863 and Commander in September 1868. He last appears in the "Active" list in January 1874. In April 1874 he is listed under the "Alphabetical List of Retired Officers of the Royal Navy". He became Captain in September 1883.

On 23rd October 1873 he married Alice Catherine, daughter of Humphrey St. John - Mildmay, M.P. and his second wife. The Molyneux had homes at Hay Hill, Berkeley Square, London and at Sanham House, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. They also spent much time at Shoreham Place, Kent, a home of Alice Molyneux' half-brother Henry Bingham Mildmay, later of her nephew Francis. For many years the Molyneux spent part of each year in Norway, see the sporting diary and journal at 920 SEF/1/37 and 920 SEF/1/48.

Henry Hervey Molyneux died on 23rd September 1915 at Shoreham Place and according to the notice of his death in the Times, was buried there. Alice, his wife, survived him by nineteen years, a 1934 diary recording on 12th September of that year that "Aunt Alice Molyneux died at 11.30 today" (see 920 SEF/4/36 below).

Sources: Burke's Peerage, 1863 - 1915 (for Sefton and Mildmay families)

Navy List, 1860's - 1890's

Times, 25 Sep. 1915, p. 9, col. 2