Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, 12th Baronet was an artist, also remembered for his eccentricity.
Background
He was the third son of Sir Nathaniel Staples, 11th Baronet of Lissan House near Cookstown in Company Tyrone. Staples was born in Dundee and began the study of architecture at the Catholic University of Leuven at the age of 12 followed by spells in Dresden, Paris and London where he trained as an artist.
Career
He became one of Ulster"s best known artists. Known as the "barefoot baronet", he refused to wear shoes as he believed that leather soles would block out natural electricity from the earth and thus impair the health. He would travel to Belfast solely to walk on the tramlines as he believed this extra boost of electricity would be especially beneficial.
Staples lived in Edwardian London and was in the Café Royal set that included Sir William Orpen, Lily Langtry, Sophie Guilbert and King Edward VII. He made sketches on his travels.
By the time of his death in 1943, his family were financially very strained.