Cecil Chubb
A barrister who bought a mysterious stone circle on a whim and, three years later, gave it to the nation as a gift for the ages.
1876–1934 (age 58)·Last private owner of the prehistoric monument Stonehenge·Birthday: April 14·The Gilded Age
Biography
Cecil Chubb's name is forever tied to one of the world's most enigmatic monuments, yet his ownership was brief and utterly accidental. A successful lawyer from Shrewsbury, he attended an auction in Salisbury in 1915, reportedly instructed by his wife to buy some dining chairs. Instead, he spent £6,600 on Lot 15: Stonehenge and 30 acres of land. He later claimed he bought it on a whim to prevent it from going to a foreign bidder. For three years, he was the private owner of a prehistoric treasure, a peculiar distinction he seemed to treat with a sense of duty rather than privilege. In 1918, motivated by a mixture of patriotism and the practical difficulties of managing a tourist site, he signed a deed of gift, donating Stonehenge to the British government. His only condition was that local residents should be allowed in for free.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Cecil was born in 1876, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cecil Was Born
The biggest hits of 1876
Cecil's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1876Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Started school
President: Chester A. Arthur
1889Became a teenager
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Could drive
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Could vote
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Turned 21
President: William McKinley
1906Turned 30
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1916Turned 40
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 50
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1934Died at 58
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
Key Achievements
- Purchased Stonehenge at auction in 1915 for £6,600, becoming its last private owner.
- Donated Stonehenge and its surrounding land to the British nation in 1918 via a deed of gift.
- Was created a Baronet in 1919, partly in recognition of his donation of Stonehenge.
- Served as a Justice of the Peace and was a prominent figure in Wiltshire civic life.
Did You Know?
Legend holds he bought Stonehenge as a surprise gift for his wife, Mary, who was reportedly not pleased with the unconventional present.
The auction was held by the Antrobus family to settle estate duties after the heir was killed in World War I.
He stipulated in the deed of gift that the public should pay 'a sum not exceeding one shilling' for admission, but people from the local area should be let in free.
He is buried in the churchyard of St. Mary's in Shrewsbury, not near the monument he once owned.
“I bought it on a whim, but the nation should have it.”
