Arthur Butler, 4th Marquess of Ormonde

James Arthur Wellington Foley Butler, 4th Marquess of Ormonde (23 September 1849 – 4 July 1943) was the son of John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde and Frances Jane Paget. At the time of his birth, he was the third son of Lord and Lady Ormonde, and was christened James Arthur Wellington Foley Butler. He was a godson of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.^[1]

Lord Arthur was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He later joined the army as a Lieutenant in the 1st Life Guards and served as a State Stewart to Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon while the latter was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

He was a Justice of the Peace in the county of Kent and a Deputy Lieutenant in the County Kilkenny. He was the 28th Hereditary Chief Butler of Ireland. Unlike previous generations, he did not live in the family seat of Kilkenny Castle as his son inherited it directly from his uncle. The contents of the castle were sold in 1935, and the castle was left neglected.^[2]

He married the American heiress Ellen Stager (daughter of Gen. Anson Stager, of Chicago, Illinois, co-founder of Western Union) on 8 March 1887 and had four children.^[3] Following their marriage, the couple were known as Lord and Lady Arthur Butler.

In 1891, the couple were recorded as living at 21 Park Lane, City of Westminster, London,^[4] and at Sandleford Priory, near Newbury, from at least 1895 to September 1898.^[5][6] They took a temporary residence in Cadogan Square in 1898.^[7] Their London residence was No. 7 Portman Square from 1899 until 1924,^[8][9] and from late 1925, they leased a larger London Townhouse at No. 11 Bryanston Square in London.^[10] 11 Bryanston Square remained their London home until at least 1938.^[11] The leasehold interest was sold by Ellen's executors in the mid 1950's.

In 1901, Lord and Lady Arthur purchased Gennings Park in Kent.^[12][13] The purchase of country estate after fourteen years of marriage was reportedly made following the death of Lord Arthur's cousin George O'Callaghan, 2nd Viscount Lismore in 1899; Lord Lismore had reportedly informed his family that, following the deaths of his two sons, Lord Arthur Butler would be the heir to his estates (a large estate in Ireland centred on Shanbally Castle). Following Lismore's death, his Will revealed that he had instead named Lord Arthur's nieces Lady Beatrice and Lady Constance Butler as the beneficiaries of his estate.^[14] Gennings Park remained the home of Ellen, Lady Arthur Butler (later Marchioness of Ormonde) until her death in 1951. In 1921, the UK Census recorded their household as including a Butler, Footman, Cook, Lady's Maid, three Housemaids, two Kitchen Maids, a Scullery Maid, and Pantry Boy.

After Lord Arthur's older brother, the 3rd Marquess of Ormonde, died in 1919, and Arthur inherited the title, Lord Ormonde's son George Butler, 5th Marquess of Ormonde inherited the bulk of the family estates to avoid double taxation.^[15] Lord Arthur seems to have requested that his older brother alter his will in favor of his son George; records survive of a letter written by Lord Ormonde to George Butler dated 27 June 1916 outlining changes to his will which "your father has asked me to alter" which postponed Lord Arthur's use of the Ormonde Estate in favor of George, George's sons (at the time George's wife Sybil was pregnant with their only son, Anthony Butler) and George's brother Arthur and his male issue. Lord Ormonde requested that:

(1) George not make any alteration of the family seat, Kilkenny Castle, and shooting lodge, Ballyknockane Lodge, Tipperary without consulting Lord Arthur and obtaining his approval;

(2) That Lord Arthur would have use of Plate and other articles "as he shall desire"; and,

(3) That Lady Arthur, during the lifetime of Lord Arthur, would have use of any Family Jewels which Lord Ormonde had the power to dispose of.^[16]

Arthur's wife Ellen was widely rumoured to possess a personal fortune amounting to US$1,000,000 (£200,000) at the time of their marriage in 1887; however her third-share of her father's estate was likely closer to $300,000 (£60,000).^[17] Her father, General Anson Stager, was an early pioneer of the use of the telegraph and was the chief of U.S. Military Telegraph during the Civil War.^[18]

In the 1920s, the sister of Ellen, Marchioness of Ormonde, Mrs Annie Stager Hickox (of Cleveland, Ohio), died in Monte Carlo. She left a total estate of $847,207, much of which was left to Lady Ormonde. Ellen retained control over her American wealth during the couples marriage; following her sisters' deaths in 1922 and 1923, her Trusts, based in the State of Ohio, were structured so that the net income was paid to Ellen and her husband Arthur in equal shares (after the deduction of small annuities to several American cousins and the income agreed in their children's respective marriage settlements). This income was approximately $30,000 (£6,200) each in 1925,^[19][20] which would equate to approximately £6,200 in 1925.^[21] and the Trusts were later restructured in 1929 so that life annuities of £6,000 each were payable to Arthur and Ellen. This arrangement lead to tax litigation in the early 1930's, as the British Commissioners for Taxation attempted to levy tax on the higher gross income of the Ohio Trust, rather than the £12,000 combined American income of Lord and Lady Ormonde. The Ormondes were ultimately successful in an appeal of this decision in 1932.^[22]

Arthur also received a bequest of £5,000 and the residuary estate (valued at approximately £3,000) under the terms of his mother's Will following her death in 1903, and was the beneficiary of a £3,000 annual charge on the Ormonde Settled Estates Trust following the death of his older brother James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde in 1919;^[23] this amount was reduced to £2,200 per year in the late 1920's.

Ormonde died in 1943 and was succeeded by his son George Butler as Marquess of Ormonde. His ashes lie in Ulcombe, Kent.^[24] His son inherited the title from him.

Lord and Lady Ormonde had four children:

• Lady Evelyn Frances Butler (20 December 1887 - 15 April 1978), married to Vice-Adm. Hon. Edmund Rupert Drummond, CB MVO RN (ret.), son of 10th Viscount Strathallan and brother of 15th Earl of Perth and has issue.
  • Anne Drummond (b. 30 June 1911)
  • Jean Constance Drummond (b. 20 August 1914)
  • James Ralph Drummond (b. 28 March 1918)
• James George Anson Butler, 5th Marquess of Ormonde (1890–1949)
  • James Anthony Butler, Viscount Thurles (b. 18 August 1916)
  • Lady Moyra Rosamund Butler (b. 2 December 1920)
• James Arthur Norman Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde (1893–1971)
  • Lady Jane Butler (b. 9 January 1925)
  • Lady Martha Butler (b. 14 January 1926)
• Lady Eleanor Rachel Butler (b. 24 April 1894), married firstly Captain Edward Brassey Egerton and secondly William Henry Prior (known latterly as Lady Rachel Prior).

• Butler dynasty

• "Ormonde, Marquess of" . Thom's Irish Who's Who . Dublin: Alexander Thom and Son Ltd. 1923. p. 195  – via Wikisource.