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Mead Manor first came into the possession of the Mead family when it was gifted to Percival Mead, a local doctor by King George III as payment for his services to the King. The present occupant, Sir Gerald of Mead, has restored the Manor extensively and plans to open the extensive cabbage gardens to the public once landscaping is completed in 2005. The Mead family gained much of its wealth and influence from the marriage of Lady Geraldine Mead’s marriage to Count Juancarlo Xavier Julio Janaberra Smith II. The Count was a cousin of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and possessed a number of titles and large estates in Castile. The family was stripped of its land and titles when Count Juancarlo Xavier Julio Janaberra Smith IV was found to have played a pivotal role in an assassination attempt on his uncle, Count Juancarlo Xavier Julio Janaberra Smith III. Sir Gerald still holds the title of the Marquis of Gibraltar but only uses it whilst carrying out his official duties as the Department of Trade and Industry’s representative in Spain. Sir Gerald’s diplomatic skills have been criticised on numerous occasions culminating in a public chastisment from the Prime Minister following the infamous incident when Sir Gerald told the King of Spain that “the Mediteranean would freeze over before he got his grubby hands on Gibraltar”. The Spanish government petitioned for Sir Gerald’s resignation but the personal intervention of the Queen, who happens to be Sir Gerald’s second cousin, saved his career.
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