Ralph Bankes (landowner)

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Ralph Bankes
Born
Henry John Ralph Bankes

27 August 1902
Died9 August 1981 (aged 78)
EducationEton
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
FamilyBankes family

Henry John Ralph Bankes (27 August 1902 - 9 August 1981), known simply as Ralph Bankes, was a British landowner and Lord High Admiral of Purbeck.

Early life and education[]

Bankes was born to Walter Ralph Bankes, a member of the Bankes family, and Henriette Jenny Fraser in 1902. He was the 7-times-great-grandson of Sir John Bankes and the great-great-grandson of Henry Bankes. He was sent to board at Eton College in Eton, Berkshire and Magdalen College, Oxford.[1] At Eton, Bankes befriended Robert Strickland-Constable, (later Sir Robert Frederick Strickland-Constable, 11th Bt.), the brother of his future wife, Hilary Margaret Strickland-Constable.[2]

Legacy[]

Bankes inherited Kingston Lacy from his father in 1904.[1] He was the last private owner of Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy and the largest private landowner in Dorset.[3] Bankes donated his estates and his art and antiques collection to the National Trust.[4] His donation is the single largest donation in the organisation's history.[5]

He held the office of High Sheriff of Dorset in 1939 and was a Justice of the Peace (J.P.) from 1936.

Family[]

In 1935, Bankes married Hilary Margaret (née Strickland-Constable), daughter of Lt.-Col. Frederick Charles Strickland-Constable and Margaret Elizabeth Pakenham.[6] Hilary Margaret was the great-granddaughter of Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford and Sir George Strickland, 7th Baronet.

Bankes and Hilary Margaret Bankes had three children:

  • Ralph M. Bankes (b. 1937)
  • John Ralph Bankes (1937), educated at Eton and Oxford, an officer in the Coldstream Guards.
  • Mary Bankes (1940)

References[]

  1. ^ a b Kingsley, Nick (2018-12-29). "Landed families of Britain and Ireland: (356) Bankes of Kingston Lacy". Landed families of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  2. ^ Trust, National. "Christening of John Ralph Bankes, from left to right: his father Henry John Ralph Bankes (1902-1981), his grandmother, Henrietta Jenny Fraser, Mrs Walter Ralph Bankes (1871-1953), unknown, unknown, his mother Hilary Margaret Strickland-Constable, Mrs Henry John Ralph Bankes (1908-1966), unknown holding John Ralph Bankes (1936-1996), Sir Robert Frederick Strickland-Constable, 11th Bart (1903-1994), Margaret Elizaberth Packenham, Mrs Frederick Charles Strickland-Constable (d.1961) and Sir Henry Marmaduke Strickland-Constable, 10th Bart (1900-1975) 1254180.102". www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  3. ^ "A magnificent present | Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine". Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  4. ^ "A generous bequest". National Trust. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  5. ^ "Unlocking the Bankes archive". National Trust. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  6. ^ "The Bankes Family". Wimborne Cemetery. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
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