McEvers Bayard Brown (1852-1926)
M. Bayard Brown, of Valfreyia, "Millionaire Hermit of the Essex Coast"
He was born in New York City and is often incorrectly assumed to have been the son of Alexander Brown of Baltimore. He was a great-grandson of William Bayard and the only one of his parents' two children to reach adulthood. He was reputed to enjoy an annual income of $1 million, but at the age of 37-years old (1889) was unlucky in love and from that moment on became an eccentric recluse.
Having sold his first yacht (Lady Torfrida) to Grand Duke Michael of Russia, he then outbid Tsar Nicholas II to buy the 234-foot Valfreyia for $210,000 which had been built with Edward VII in mind. The unlucky-in-love multi-millionaire then sailed to the English coast, docking off Brightlingsea in Essex. There he stayed for the remainder of his life (another 37-years), becoming a figure of much curiosity and earning himself the sobriquet, "the millionaire hermit of the Essex coast". His yacht was always fully staffed with a 35-man crew and provided for, but overnight guests were not permitted.
He was popular among the locals as he frequently gave them generous gifts, often for little or no reason. In an elaborately drawn up will written when his father was still alive - complete with swirling letters and bound by ribbons - he left his entire and considerable fortune to his Cutting cousins. Included among those named was William Bayard Cutting Jr., Secretary to the U.S. Ambassador in London and husband of Edith Wharton's eccentric nemesis, Lady Sybil Cuffe. After Brown died, the Valfreyia was purchased by "Ranji" the Maharajah of Nawanagar who renamed her the Star of India.
Having sold his first yacht (Lady Torfrida) to Grand Duke Michael of Russia, he then outbid Tsar Nicholas II to buy the 234-foot Valfreyia for $210,000 which had been built with Edward VII in mind. The unlucky-in-love multi-millionaire then sailed to the English coast, docking off Brightlingsea in Essex. There he stayed for the remainder of his life (another 37-years), becoming a figure of much curiosity and earning himself the sobriquet, "the millionaire hermit of the Essex coast". His yacht was always fully staffed with a 35-man crew and provided for, but overnight guests were not permitted.
He was popular among the locals as he frequently gave them generous gifts, often for little or no reason. In an elaborately drawn up will written when his father was still alive - complete with swirling letters and bound by ribbons - he left his entire and considerable fortune to his Cutting cousins. Included among those named was William Bayard Cutting Jr., Secretary to the U.S. Ambassador in London and husband of Edith Wharton's eccentric nemesis, Lady Sybil Cuffe. After Brown died, the Valfreyia was purchased by "Ranji" the Maharajah of Nawanagar who renamed her the Star of India.
Categories
Share
Contributed by Mark Meredith on 27/04/2020 and last updated on 20/10/2021.