Colonel Arthur Vaughan Hanning Vaughan-Lee stands as one of the notable figures connected to Dillington Park, Ilminster, Somerset. Born into a family with strong military traditions, he was the son of Major Vaughan Hanning Vaughan-Lee and Clara Elizabeth Moore. His marriage in 1915 to Ursula Pickering, daughter of Henry Dawnay Umfreville Pickering, further tied him to families of standing and influence in the county. Together they had two daughters: Susan Vaughan-Lee, who died in 2008, and Mary Elizabeth Vaughan-Lee, born in 1915 and passing in 2008.
Arthur Vaughan-Lee’s career reflected both service and honour. He gained the rank of Colonel in the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), one of the most prestigious regiments in the British Army, and was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.), a distinction awarded for personal service to the monarchy. His civic duties were equally significant: he held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) and served as a Justice of the Peace (J.P.), roles that underscored his commitment to public life in Somerset.
Vaughan Hanning Vaughan-Lee’s eldest son, Arthur Vaughan Hanning Vaughan-Lee, fought in the Boer War and kept a diary. His account of the amazing feat of endurance displayed by the British Army in the strategic relief of Ladysmith is very matter-of-fact, but clearly at the time harrowing for both men and horses. He subsequently went down with typhoid and was hospitalised for the rest of the war. He ended up as Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards, retiring in 1911. In 1915, aged 53, he married Ursula Pickering and had two daughters —Mary Elizabeth Vaughan‑Lee and Susan Vaughan‑Lee - both of whom died in 2008.
Dillington Park, where he lived, provides a striking backdrop to his story. The estate, long associated with the Speke and Hanning families, became a centre of local history and heritage. Under Vaughan-Lee’s tenure, it continued to embody the blend of military tradition, landed responsibility, and civic duty that characterised so many of Somerset’s leading families. His presence there connects the estate’s earlier narratives of rebellion and exploration with the quieter but no less important service of the twentieth century.
