William North, the 11th Baron North
Lord North was a rather peculiar fellow. He married in September
and spent his honeymoon in the Caribbean. When he returned with his
new American wife to Burgholt House in England in October, he
announced to his wife that he was going to bed. His wife was very
surprised when he remained in bed for the rest of that week and was
shocked to be told by a manservant that Lord North always stayed in
bed from October 9th until March 22nd.
A large 25 foot dining table was brought into Lord North’s bedchamber
so that he could entertain people to dinner during these months. Lord
North’s explanation for this bizarre behaviour was that no Lord North had
got out of bed from October to March since his ancestor had lost the
American Colonies!