Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava

Sheridan Frederick Terence Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava
Sheridan Frederick Terence Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava
Born	July 9, 1938 (age 88); Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland
Died	May 29, 1988 (aged 49)
Occupation(s)	Arts benefactor, art dealer, trustee of art institutions
Years active	1963–1988
Known for	Co-founder of Kasmin Gallery; trustee of the Wallace Collection and National Gallery, London; patronage of contemporary British art

Sheridan Frederick Terence Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (9 July 1938 – 29 May 1988), widely recognized as Sheridan Dufferin, was a distinguished British arts benefactor.

Early life and succession

Hailing from an Anglo-Irish aristocratic lineage rooted in Ulster, he was the youngest offspring and sole male heir of Basil Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 4th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, and Maureen Guinness, the daughter of The Honourable Arthur Ernest Guinness. His sister was the novelist Lady Caroline Blackwood.

At just six years old in 1945, he succeeded to the marquessate. When he reached twelve, trustees arranged the sale of his family’s ancestral home, Clandeboye Estate, transferring it to his estate company for £120,000 to ensure the preservation of his social standing. His education included Garth House in Bangor, Eton College, and Christ Church at Oxford University. While a sports enthusiast, it was during his university years that his enthusiasm for the arts flourished.

Arts patronage

Following his studies at Oxford, he collaborated with John Kasmin to establish the Kasmin Gallery on New Bond Street in 1963. This gallery played a groundbreaking role in presenting British and American abstract as well as pop art. Created by architects Ahrends, Burton and Koralek, it showcased monumental works by artists including Frank Stella, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Anthony Caro, and prominently David Hockney. The gallery ceased operations in 1972; Kasmin continued his involvement with other London art dealers through the 1990s.

Lord Dufferin held trustee positions at both the Wallace Collection beginning in 1973 and the National Gallery in London. He championed emerging contemporary British artists and financed films such as those about Liberace and Hugh Hefner, alongside supporting Derek Jarman’s provocative 1976 film Sebastiane. Moreover, he served on the board of directors for the Guinness company, reflecting his familial business connections.

Personal details

Despite being homosexual, in 1964 Lord Dufferin wed his fourth cousin Lindy Guinness. Their nuptials at Westminster Abbey were attended by approximately 1,800 guests including Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon. Sharing a mutual appreciation for art, the couple became prominent figures within London’s dynamic late-1960s art community. Their celebrated gatherings in Holland Park attracted notable personalities such as Princess Margaret, Francis Bacon, and Stephen Spender.

Enduring impact

Lord Dufferin passed away on 29 May 1988 at age 49 due to an AIDS-related illness. With no direct male descendants from the first Marquess, the marquessate along with other UK peerages lapsed into extinction. However, the older Irish title of Barony of Dufferin and Clandeboye was inherited by a distant kinsman, Sir Francis Blackwood, 7th Baronet, who became the 10th Baron.

His sister wed Robert Lowell in 1972; their son Sheridan was named in honour of Lord Dufferin.

After his death, Lady Dufferin advanced environmental initiatives at Clandeboye, partnering with conservation organizations. The estate supports Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland through biodiversity programs, a training center, and a tree nursery. In 1998, the Northern Ireland branch of the Woodland Trust was founded in collaboration with the Dufferin Foundation. Since 2003, Clandeboye has engaged in joint projects with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Lady Dufferin also resumed her artistic pursuits under the name Lindy Guinness and inspired the establishment of the Ava Gallery at Clandeboye in 2004 to exhibit contemporary Northern Irish artists alongside significant annual shows.

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