The 5th Marquess Of Downshire

A low-key Northern Ireland landowner, Downshire was born in London in 1844. After serving in the Life Guards, he succeeded his father to the title in 1868. But he did not live long to enjoy his huge inheritance.

John Bateman's book, 'Great Landowners of Great Britain', published in 1884, put the Downshire total acreage at 120,000 acres, with about 65% being in Co. Down. Bateman's calculations for land value are based on 1882 figures, which are conveniently near to Downshire's death in 1874 at the age of twenty-nine. His £2.9m wealth would have represented about 0.26% of the £1.07 Sbn net national income of the time. Today's equivalent would be over £2.8bn.