He inherited the estate of his grandmother, Anne Adele Hope (widow of Henry Thomas Hope) in 1884, upon condition that he assume the name and arms of Hope upon reaching his majority; he did so in 1887 and became known as Lord Francis Hope. This bequest included the well-known Hope Diamond. Lord Francis held a commission as Lieutenant of the Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Rangers) Yeomanry until he resigned in April 1894.[2] He was Sheriff of Monaghan for 1897 and 1917.
He married American actress May Yohé in November 1894. She had gained fame on the London stage in 1893 and 1894, especially in the burlesqueLittle Christopher Columbus. He led an extravagant lifestyle, which the two continued together, and was discharged in bankruptcy in 1896. One journal wrote: "Pecuniary troubles, however, embarrassed the two but slightly. A future Duke and Duchess can always beg or borrow, and they did. In 1900 they made a tour of the world, and on their way home fell in with Captain [Putnam] Bradlee Strong,[3] at that time one of the handsomest and most popular men in the United States Army, and a special favourite with President McKinley. The actress fell head over ears in love with him. She refused to return to England with Lord Francis".[4] During the marriage, Yohé continued to perform on stage in London.[5]
Hope divorced Yohé in 1902; at this time, he obtained court permission to sell off the Hope Diamond to pay some of his debts. After lengthy litigation in the Court of Chancery, he was able to break the entail on most of his grandmother's trusts, and sold 'Deepdene', Dorking, Surrey and Castleblayney in County Monaghan, Ireland.
Lord Francis married Olive Muriel Owen, née Thompson, in 1904. They had 3 children:
1st (central), a broken terrestrial globe charged with a laurel leaf slipped and surmounted by a rainbow in arch all proper, the whole debruised by a bendlet sinister wavy ermine (Hope); 2nd (dexter), out of a ducal coronet gules, a plume of five ostrich feathers argent, banded with a line laid chevronways azure (Clinton); 3rd (sinister), a peacock in pride proper (Pelham).
Escutcheon
Quarterly: 1st and 4th azure, on a chevron or between three bezants as many laurel leaves slipped vert, all within a bordure wavy argent (Hope); 2nd argent, six cross- crosslets fitchee sable, three, two, and one, on a chief azure, two mullets or, pierced gules (Clinton); 3rd quarterly, 1st and 4th azure three pelicans argent, vulning them- selves proper; 2nd and 3rd gules, two demi- belts with buckles argent erect, the buckles in chief as an honorary augmentation (in memory of Sir John Pelham taking John, King of France, prisoner), (Pelham).
