Who was the real Edward Guinness of House of Guinness?
Described as a 19th-century Succession, a period drama by the creator of Peaky Blinders follows four siblings who are part of the world’s most famous brewing family. Before you get a pint of the black stuff and settle in for the series, find out what’s known about the real Edward Guinness, one of the historical figures who was thrust into running the business
When Edward Guinness took joint control of his family’s brewery in 1868, it was already a global giant. Yet business would only keep booming as he ran things, initially with his brother before taking sole ownership and making the company public. The move netted Edward millions, and there seemed to be no limit to how high the Guinness brand, built on their world-famous stout, could go.
This is the setting of House of Guinness, a historical drama from Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders and SAS Rogue Heroes. The eight-part series is streaming on Netflix and stars Louis Partridge (of Enola Holmes fame) as Edward, an ambitious, savvy businessman and philanthropist, looking to navigate the political and familial obstacles of Victorian Dublin.
Who was the real Edward Guinness?
Edward Cecil Guinness, known as the Earl of Iveagh (he was first bestowed the title of Iveagh in 1891), headed up the Guinness Brewery in the second half of the 19th century and remained an important figure in its management into the 20th. As the richest man in Ireland, he used his wealth to sponsor a lifetime’s worth of philanthropic causes.
Born 10 November 1847 in Dublin, he was the youngest child of Elizabeth and Benjamin Lee Guinness, who had established the family brewery on the world stage. Despite having two older brothers, Arthur and Benjamin, and a sister, Anne, young Edward emerged as the heir-apparent to the company.
Privately tutored, he spent much of his teen years working as his father’s secretary, which gave him early hands-on experience and the opportunity to demonstrate his sound head for business. He studied at Trinity College Dublin, but by the time he graduated, Benjamin Lee had died and Edward, at 22 years old, was in charge, running Guinness in partnership with his eldest brother Arthur Guinness (played by Anthony Boyle, who starred as John Wilkes Booth in Manhunt and appeared in Masters of the Air).
Edward Guinness and the Guinness Brewery
According to the will of Benjamin Lee, who died in 1868, his eldest and youngest sons would manage the brewery together. Operations expanded quickly, but the partnership would not last. In 1876, a 29-year-old Edward bought Arthur’s shares for more than £600,000 (around £60 million in today’s money), making him sole proprietor.
Under his management, the brewery continued to grow. The number of hogsheads (a type of cask) being brewed went from 565,000 in 1879 to over 900,000 just seven years later, and manufacture kept increasing. Guinness had become the largest brewery in the world.
In 1886, Edward made his boldest and ultimately most successful business decision yet by floating two-thirds of the Guinness Brewery on the London Stock Exchange. With demand for shares so high, he made £6 million (around £680 million today), which firmly established him as the richest man in Ireland.
By the age of 40, he had stepped back from the Guinness brewery, although he remained its largest shareholder and still held the position of chairman.
Did Edward Guinness have a political career?
Edward’s father Benjamin Lee was elected as both Lord Mayor of Dublin and an MP, and his brother Arthur followed their father into the House of Commons (though not without some complications when Arthur was accused of election fraud). Edward, however, would be unsuccessful in his own run for Parliament.
Instead, he served in the municipal positions of High Sheriff of Dublin City, and then High Sheriff of County Dublin. A collection of titles started coming Edward’s way too, starting with the baronetcy of Castleknock in 1885. Later in life, he became a Knight of St Patrick, a national order of chivalry.
Edward made no secret of his political leanings. Throughout his life, and like all the other Guinnesses, he was a Unionist, a supporter of Ireland remaining a part of the United Kingdom, and a Protestant. At the time, the divide between Unionists and nationalists, who wanted independence, was widening, marked by the emergence of a republican secret society, the Fenians, in the 1860s. Religion similarly was a source of constant division.
Who did Edward Guinness marry?
Edward married his third cousin, Adelaide Maria Guinness, affectionately known as ‘Dodo’. Together, they had three sons: Rupert, Ernest and Walter.
In recognition of his achievements as a businessman and philanthropist, he was made Baron Iveagh in 1891, followed by Viscount Iveagh in 1905. Befitting his titles, he bought Elveden Hall in Suffolk, which remains the family seat. Finally, in 1919, he became Earl of Iveagh.
Particularly given his staunch support for the Union, there is no historical evidence that he had any personal or romantic relationships with any involved in the Fenian cause, as in the show.
Edward’s ‘retirement’ from the Guinness Brewery
After making the company public, Edward maintained a presence in the running of the business, appointing his brother-in-law Claude as a senior manager. He hoped to spend more of his time grouse shooting in Scotland or sailing with the Prince of Wales (the future George V).
When Claude had a mental breakdown, however, reportedly being removed from the brewery in a straitjacket and dying shortly afterwards, Edward returned to a more formal role. There he remained until his death.
A key development came in 1902, when Edward commissioned the Guinness Storehouse, a section of St James’s Gate that is now a major tourist attraction. More than 1.5 million people visit every day, enticed by the claim that this is the best place in the world to have a pint of Guinness.
Edward Guinness as a philanthropist
Following the family tradition for philanthropy, Edward gave huge sums of money to humanitarian causes, particularly urban renewal and slum clearance. The Guinness Trust and Iveagh Trust were created to provide affordable housing in London and Dublin respectively, and still operate, today known as The Guinness Partnership.
In Dublin, his contributions helped in the upkeep of St Patrick’s Cathedral and a number of hospitals, and built the Iveagh Markets for street traders, the Iveagh Play Centre as a recreational hall to serve as an after-school club, and swimming baths.
Small fortunes went to medical and scientific research, such as co-founding the Radium Institute in London, and he sponsored new buildings at Trinity College Dublin, where he served as chancellor for nearly 20 years. Edward also helped finance Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition of 1907–9, and in recognition a mountain in Antarctica was named after him.
When did Edward Guinness die?
Edward Guinness died in London on 7 October 1927, at the age of 79. He would be buried near his Suffolk estate. Another of his houses, Kenwood was gifted to the nation along with the so-called Iveagh Bequest, his magnificent collection of paintings, furniture and textiles.
Following his death, Edward’s son Rupert oversaw the Guinness brewery business for the next 35 years, bringing the brand into the 20th century.
Authors
Jonny Wilkes is a former staff writer for BBC History Revealed, and he continues to write for both the magazine and HistoryExtra. He has BA in History from the University of York.