Cecil Chubb was born on 14 April 1876 in a village about four miles from Stonehenge. His father, like his father’s father, was the village saddler and harness maker.
Chubb made it Cambridge, took a double first in Science and Law, and made his fortune as a barrister.
Meanwhile, the Antrobus family, whose land included Stonehenge, took a hit typical of the Great War. The heir was killed in Belgium in late 1914 and the owner died in early 1915. The brother and now heir put the site on the block.
Chubb had interests around Stonehenge and went on a whim. One legend is that he wanted to lock out American buyers who might ship the place over the Atlantic. Another is that his wife sent him out to get chairs – or curtains, depending on the version – but that he though this might be a good birthday present for her.
Whichever, he gifted the site to the nation within three years on condition that locals had a nominal entry fee, and took the title 1st Baronet of Stonehenge with the motto “saxis condita”, or “Founded on the stones”.
Chubb was the last private owner of Stonehenge.
