Henry Vaughan

Who was Henry Vaughan?

Sir Henry Vaughan (1721–1754) was a Radnorshire landowner. In March 1754 a warrant was issued for his arrest for committing 'unnatural and repugnant acts'. The mob reached him first and he was bludgeoned and dismembered in the grounds of his home, now known as the Radnorshire Arms, where his remains are buried beneath a cherry tree.

Vaughan left behind a large body of poems and plays dealing with Sadism, much of which has been lost or destroyed. However, several vivid fragments survive on display in the Presteigne Museum and he can be seen, as a British precursor, albeit obscure, to the Marquis de Sade.