Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, 4th Baron Bliss, commonly known as Baron Bliss (16 February 1869

– 9 March 1926), was a British-born traveller who willed nearly two million Belize dollars to a trust
fund for the benefit of the citizens of what was then the colony of British Honduras, now Belize.

Biography

He was born Henry Edward Ernest Victor de Barreto and lived in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England,
as a youth.[1] His father was Henry Aldridge, who inherited the estate of his uncle Edward Bliss of
Brandon, Suffolk, a manufacturer of flintlock mechanisms for guns,[2] and changed his surname to
Bliss under the terms of his uncle's will.[3] In 1855, Henry Bliss inherited the estate and title of his
cousin the Baron de Alreyo of the Kingdom of Portugal, although he was styled the Baron de Bliss
due to the conditions stated in his uncle's will.[4] In June 1869, he was granted another bequest
from Colonel Carlo Antonio Barreto of the Kingdom of Spain, with the stipulation that he change his
name to Barreto, and he did so in spite of the earlier limitation from his uncle.[3]

Henry Edward Ernest Victor de Barreto was an engineer by trade and on the death of his father in
1890, became the 4th Baron de Barreto.[5] However during the First World War he reverted to his
family name of Bliss, and was known afterwards as Baron Bliss. He was apparently successful in his
career, but it is not known how he obtained his fortune, whether due to business acumen or
inheritance, or a combination thereof.[6]

Bliss became paralysed from the waist down in 1911 at the age of 42, likely due to polio, and was
confined to a wheelchair. Despite this, he remained active. He was apparently an avid sailor, but had
his yacht confiscated for war purposes during the First World War.[7] When the war ended, he was
wealthy enough to retire to a lifetime of fishing and leisure, so to that end he ordered a new 120 ft
twin screw yacht from the famous Scottish yacht designer Alfred Mylne, which he christened Sea
King II.[8] In 1920, he sailed the yacht to the Bahamas, where he stayed for five years. Meanwhile,
his wife Baroness Ethel Alice Bliss stayed in England, living off a portion of his fortune. The couple
had no children.[8]

Although he had some property there, he eventually grew tired of Bahamanian society and decided
to move on. Leaving the Bahamas behind, he sailed to Trinidad and was there for a short while when
he came down with a serious bout of food poisoning.[1] Deciding to accept a previous invitation
from his friend Willoughby Bullock, who was then Attorney General of British Honduras, he sailed
westward, stopping briefly in Jamaica likely for medical attention, and arriving in the Belize City
harbour on 14 January 1926.[8]

Bliss's health appeared to improve over the next few weeks, and he spent much of this time sailing
around the area in his launch, exploring the coastline and fishing. However, just days before his 57th
birthday, his health took a turn for the worse, and doctors advised him that he was terminally ill. It
was at this time that he decided he would leave the bulk of his fortune to the country, and signed a
new draft of his will, dated 17 February. Several weeks later, he died on his yacht, never having
landed on the Belize mainland. He was buried in the former site of a Spanish fortress which was
extremely damaged after the Battle of St. George's Caye in September 1798 in Belize City, what is
now known as Bliss Park. This was a temporary arrangement, and he was later interred in a granite
tomb near the sea, with a lighthouse nearby, built with funds from his estate.[1] The burial
instructions were explicitly stated in the will.[8]

The Bliss bequest

At the time of his death, Bliss's fortune was worth nearly £1 million (about BZ$1.8 million). About
$480,000 was claimed by the United Kingdom in inheritance taxes. His will gave specific instructions
on how the money was to be used to the benefit of the citizens of British Honduras. Aside from small
lifetime annuities to his wife and relatives in England and to his personal staff, the remainder of the
funds was placed in a trust, executed by the Governor, the Colonial Secretary, and the Attorney
General.[1]

The original money was to be invested in British stocks and securities,[1] and only the interest
earned could be spent, and even that could not be spent on churches, dance halls or schools, except
agricultural and vocational ones.[8] One-hundred pounds sterling was to be set aside annually for a
regatta, which has since been held every year on Baron Bliss Day.[6] A peculiar condition attached to
the money was that no American may be a trustee or an employee of a trustee. No explanation was
given.[8]

Over the years, the trust has provided more than $2 million to fund projects, including the Bliss
Institute, Bliss School of Nursing,[1] and other capital projects across the country.[8] As of 2011, the
fund was still worth roughly $1.5 million.[9]