Ambrose Lisle Phillipps

A carte-de-visite portrait of Ambrose Lisle Phillipps (1809-1878), from 1863 Ambrose Lisle Phillipps de Lisle.

Born on 17 March 1809, he was the son of Charles March Phillipps of Garendon Park in Leicestershire, and his wife Harriett née Ducarel. He assumed the name of de Lisle in 1863 when on the death of his father he inherited the estates of the ancient family of de Lisle. Brought up as a member of the Church of England, he converted to Roman Catholicism when he was fifteen years old. He later founded the Mount St Bernard Abbey - a Trappist abbey in Leicestershire – and worked for the reconversion and reconciliation of Britain to Catholicism.

On 25 July 1833 he married Laura Maria Clifford, daughter of the Honourable Thomas Edward Clifford, son of Hugh, fourth Baron Clifford of Chudleigh. They had 16 children.

Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps de Lisle died on 5 March 1878 at Garendon, survived by his wife and eleven of his sixteen children.

Photographed on 14 June 1861 by Camille Silvy of London.

[From an album compiled by Margaret Randalina Barnewall, Lady Trimleston.]