The 10 Weirdest People In History, From The Toxic Lady To The Hopeless Romantic Gravedigger

Published December 8, 2018
Updated March 12, 2024

Henry Cyril Paget, A Jewel Among Aristocrats

Henry Paget

Wikimedia CommonsPortrait of Henry Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, circa 1900.

Henry Cyril Paget lived from 1875 to 1905 — less than 30 years. During his short life, however, he definitely made his mark. At age 27, Henry inherited the title of the 5th Marquess of Anglesey (and Plas Newydd) Wales. Along with it, the bulk of his family’s 30,000-acre estate and a yearly stipend that was the equivalent of $14 million USD today.

Free from responsibilities and loaded like a prince, Paget immediately set out to make his wildest dreams a reality. These dreams happened to be oddly lavish for a male of this time. He commissioned and wore great swirling robes encrusted with diamonds and sapphires; his contemporaries likened him to “a sort of apparition … a tall, elegant and bejeweled creature”.

His cars were modified with gems, precious metals, and to emit perfume instead of exhaust. Often he carried his dyed-pink poodle around and was obsessed with photography — mainly photos of himself.

Paget married his cousin Lilian Florence Maud Chetwynd in 1898, but Lillian swore the marriage was never consummated and it was annulled two years later. Paget allegedly treated her like a doll; purchasing for her a vast assortment of expensive gems that he requested she model on her naked body for him. But he only looked — never touched.

The Marquess also converted his estate’s chapel into a gigantic and opulent theater. He named it The Gaiety, and with its elaborate lighting rig and multiple changing stations he put on the entire works of Shakespeare and other plays. He employed professional actors at up to 10 times the going rate, while he himself commanded lead roles.

Paget performed seductive, hypnotic dances at every opportunity — earning him the nickname The Dancing Marquess. He and his rotating theater cast even went on a three-year European tour.

Lifestyles like these are rarely financed forever. In 1904, just two years after inheriting (and mortgaging) the estate, Henry was broke. In fact, he’d managed to run up another $700,000 in unpaid debts. Nearly everything he owned was liquidated to pay off the debt, including his collection of walking sticks — the world’s largest.

One year later, Paget died of tuberculosis at age 29. Paget’s cousin Charles inherited the title, subsequently tore down the theater, and eventually sold portions of the estate in the 1930s to pay down the lingering debt. He also burned every scrap of paper with Paget’s name on it, insisting he himself was the 5th Marquess of Anglesey — not the 6th. Charles did a pretty good job of almost erasing his cousin, one of the world’s weirdest people, from the family records.

author
Erin Kelly
author
An All That's Interesting writer since 2013, Erin Kelly focuses on historic places, natural wonders, environmental issues, and the world of science. Her work has also been featured in Smithsonian and she's designed several book covers in her career as a graphic artist.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.