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BRITISH LAWYER BUYS STONEHENGE

KEN CARRIERE

For thousands of years Stonehenge has stood majestically on the plains of Salisbury, its circle of stones testifying to the ingenuity of early local tribes. With its original purpose long since lost in the shadows of antiquity, the monument transcends ordinary mortal concerns, which is why it’s surprising that only a century ago anyone could have bought it, and for really not that much. In 1915, the stones and 30 acres of surrounding land came up for auction as part of a soldier’s estate. A wealthy lawyer, Cecil Chubb, whose boyhood had been spent nearby, purchased the lot for £6,600 – roughly $1-million today. His motivation remains as mysterious as the stones themselves: Some say he wanted to block an overseas bidder from dismantling the structure and shipping it away, while others believe the purchase to have been a birthday present for his wife. Whatever the truth, Chubb didn’t own it for long. In 1918, he gave Stonehenge to the British government, who hold it in trust to this day. In return, Chubb was given the enviable title of First Baronet of Stonehenge. Today, the stones persist as they have for millenniums, while few have heard of Cecil Chubb: the last man ever to call Stonehenge his personal property.

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2021-09-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://globe2go.pressreader.com/article/281517934260619

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