Hugh Lygon

The Honourable
Hugh Lygon
Portrait of The Hon. Hugh Lygon, by Ranken (1927).
Born
Hugh Patrick Lygon

(1904-11-02)2 November 1904
Died19 August 1936(1936-08-19) (aged 31)
Rothenburg, Bavaria
Parents

Hugh Patrick Lygon (2 November 1904 – 19 August 1936) was the second son of William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp. He was initially believed to be the inspiration for Lord Sebastian Flyte in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, though Waugh told the Lygon family that this was not the case. Waugh later revealed that the character was mostly influenced by Alastair Hugh Graham.

Along with their contemporaries Robert Byron, Murray Andrew McLean, and the Plunket Greene brothers, Richard and David, they were both members of the Hypocrites' Club, of which Lygon was also president. David Plunket Greene was a good friend of Hugh Lygon.

Education

Railway Club at Oxford, conceived by John Sutro, dominated by Harold Acton. Left to right, back: Henry Yorke, Roy Harrod, Henry Weymouth, David Plunket Greene, Harry Stavordale, Brian Howard. Middle row: Michael Rosse, John Sutro, Hugh Lygon, Harold Acton, Bryan Guinness, Patrick Balfour, Mark Ogilvie-Grant, Johnny Drury-Lowe; front: porters.

He was educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Oxford. While at Oxford, Lygon was part of the Oxford Railway Club.

After leaving Oxford he worked in a bank in Paris before working in the City.

Death

Lygon died in Germany in 1936, during a road trip with his friend, the artist Henry Wynn (a son of Lady Newborough). Lygon was standing in the road asking for directions, and accidentally fell backwards, hitting his head. Lygon spent four days in a hospital in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, eventually dying from a skull fracture suffered during the fall. His body was returned to England.

References

  1. ↑ Lebedoff, David (2008). The Same Man: George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh in Love and War. Random House Publishing Group. p. 30. ISBN 9781588367082. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. ↑ Byrne, Paula. Mad World. p. 12. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Mr. Hugh Lygon Times Archive". The Times. London. 20 August 1936.[dead link]
  4. ↑ Byrne, Paula. "Sex scandal behind Brideshead Revisited". The Times. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2012. Archived from the original[link removed] on 2009-08-10.