LORD LUCAN

The Binghams had lost most of their estates in Ireland.

Richard Bingham 7^th Earl of Lucan s father had a military career and then became a Labour peer in the House of Lords. He would probably have been appointed to the first Wilson government had he not died shortly before the 1964 generation election.

Lucky had been given a progressive education. He resented both this and his father s Socialism. He reacted to his parent s frugality and kindness. He took to spouting reactionary views. At Eton College, he embraced gambling. He took a job as a merchant banker. He took to attending illegal gambling parties that were hosted by John Aspinall.

Lucan had a huge win at chemin de fer. As a result, he gave up his City job and became a full-time gambler. Daily he would go to The Clermont Aspinall s club in Berkeley Square. He was placed on the free list for food and drink.

Lucan married Veronica Duncan (1937-2017). She had had an unhappy childhood. She had thought that a titled marriage would prove to be solace for it. The countess spent long hours in The Clermont in an alcove that was known as the widow s bench . The marriage failed. Lucan lived in a flat in Elizabeth Street. He and his wife fell into a bitter custody dispute over their three children.

In 1972 The Clermont was bought by Victor Lownes who was not as charitably inclined to Lucan as Aspinall had been and therefore did not continue to bankroll him.

Lucan started to lose heavily at The Clermont. He chased his losses, thereby compounding them. He started drinking too much

The custody case went against the peer. The legal fees of 20,000 were awarded against him. This cost undermined his finances. His gambling became heavier. His relationship with his wife had become poisonous. He asked his daughter on which day did the family nanny, Sandra Rivett, have off.

A fortnight before the murder Lucan borrowed a Ford Corsair from Michael Stoop (1922-2010).

On 7 November 1974 the family nanny Sandra Rivett was bludgeoned to death in the basement of the family home in Belgravia. Ms Rivett had been the nanny of the Bingham children. The countess fled to The Plumbers Arms. The last time he was seen was by his friend Susan Maxwell-Scott at her home in Uckfield Sussex. A murder warrant was issued for the Irish peer.

The Corsair was retrieved from Norman Road, Newhaven, a Channel port. Neither he nor his body have been found since. Socially, the earl mixed with a group who shared his interest in gambling. The Lucan set were uncooperative with the police s investigation of the murder.

The painter Dominick Elwes was a member of the set. He spoke openly about the matter. He was ostracised and committed suicide in 1975.

The police bungled their investigation of the murder. They managed to lose the murder weapon. Some police officers became too close to the journalists who were covering the story.

The Sun journalist Harry Arnold (1941-2014) was to claim that he and a group of rival journalists agreed to report sightings of the missing peer. As a result, their newspapers paid for them to go to the likes the Amalfi Coast, Cape Town, and St Tropez. Eventually, the editors noticed that the earl seemed to be always spotted in congenial destinations. The trips were ended.

The countess became a recluse.

In 2016 the High Court granted a certificate that declared Lucan to be legally dead. This allowed his son to legally assume the title. Subsequently, The Times newspaper printed an obituary of the 7^th earl.

Location: 5 Eaton Row, SW1W 0JA. The countess s final home. (red, yellow)

72a Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PD. Lucan s basement home after he separated from his wife. (blue, yellow)

46 Lower Belgrave Street, SW1W 0LN (red, purple)

David Backhouse 2024