The Sir Richard Wallace Exhibition – May 2018
Born in London in 1818, Sir Richard Wallace (d.1890) was the illegitimate son of the 4th Marquees of Hertford, Richard Seymour-Conway (1800-1870), and Agnes Jackson (nee Wallace). Brought up by his grandmother, known as Mie Mie, in Paris, Richard Jackson (as he was known until 1842) served as his father’s secretary and agent, often purchasing works of arts and objects for the 4th Marquess of Hertford’s growing collection. On his father’s death in 1870, Richard Wallace became heir to his extensive collection and vast wealth. Much of life from then on was spent growing the collection, and tending to his business in England and Ireland, including his vast estate in south Antrim and north Down, centred on the historic town of Lisburn. As well as representing the borough in Parliament, from 1873-1885, Sir Richard was a benevolent landlord, and left a vast legacy of buildings, memorials and endowments in the town. He died in Paris in 1890.
In May 2018, to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Sir Richard Wallace, the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum unveiled its new major exhibition on Sir Richard.