Count de Lucovich

Most people know about the Booker family and their connection to Melingriffith, but how many, I wonder know about Count de Lucovich, Antonio Leonardo Trifone and his family who also lived in Whitchurch about the same time.

Antonio had been born into a very distinguished family who lived on the Adriatic coast of what is today Montenegro, and inherited the title Count de Lucovich from his grandfather. Knighted by King Francis Joseph 1^st of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Antonio became a Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown, a knight of the Order of Franz Joseph the First and an Admiral of the Noble Corps of the Bacchese Marines.

Antonio was born about 1832 but decided to leave his country in 1848 to pursue a commercial profession in the UK and moved to Cardiff. He established a coal and metal exporting business in partnership with his brother who remained in Dalmatia.

Antonio, Count de Lucovich married Isabella Maude Dawkin in Cardiff in 1876 and they lived first in Llandaff and then later at Ty’n-y-Parc in Whitchurch where they had a family of 4 children. Ty’n-y-Parc, now demolished, was an ancient farm (just along from the Tesco petrol station and opposite Upper Ty’n-y-Parc Terrace) but in the nineteenth century was obviously a very elegant place indeed and considered to be a fine ‘Gentleman’s Residence’.

Ernest Broad in his well-loved article ‘Whitchurch from End to End’ describes Ty’n-y-Parc as ‘there was a very large stone archway. From this archway ran a high wall as far as Pantmawr Road. The archway led to a very large farmhouse and stable. The tenant was a Russian (sic) noble, Count Lucovitch. I saw the count and his sister ride to hounds many times and they made a magnificent pair’. Perhaps the count was one of the gentlemen on their horses with the hunt outside the Fox and Hounds on the well-known local photograph!

The count clearly had done well, and moved in grand circles. In an article of the South Wales Daily News of 8^thJanuary 1893 it describes how he had a marble bust of himself carved by a well-known Genoese sculptor and how it was on display in a swanky shop in the centre of Cardiff.

There are no photographs of Ty’n-y-Parc, but we do have a fantastic photograph of the count himself, sporting a wonderful beard.

Antonio retired in 1909 and left his business to his son. Sadly, Antonio died only 2 years later and he is buried in Cathays Cemetery. He has a very imposing memorial there complete with a huge stone cross and a plinth embossed with his family coat of arms. His son Oscar inherited the title.

Does anyone know any more of this flamboyant character, his family or about Ty’n-y-Parc?

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