A Swan Song: Charles Lord and Orlando’s Swans

In 1910, Englishman Charles Lord brought four swans to Lake Lucerne, including one infamous swan named Billy. After Billy caused a scuffle, a pair of the swans were moved to Lake Eola where they became beloved members of the local community. The past and present are still united today; visitors can find five species of swans at Lake Eola. 

 Born in West Yorkshire, England, in 1855, Charles Lord and his wife Alice moved to the City of Orlando after a brief residence in northeast Florida. Lord quickly became a local powerhouse; upon his arrival in Orlando, he began working in the citrus industry, followed by a grocery business and later real estate.¹ Although he immersed himself in the culture of his new home, he often missed the majestic swans of the River Thames in England. In 1910, Lord bought four swans and shipped them to his residence at Lake Lucerne in Orlando.² The most famous of the first four swans, Billy, ruled Lake Lucerne.³ Known for being extremely territorial, Billy quickly became an Orlando icon with a multitude of nicknames such as ‘The King of Lake Lucerne’ and ‘Billy Bluebeard,’ the latter taken from French folklore.⁴ Written by Charles Perrault in 1697, the character Blue Beard had a habit of murdering his wives —Billy had drowned his mate, Sally.⁵ Throughout his “reign” on Lake Lucerne, Billy was notorious for chasing cars, nipping at children on their way to Delaney Elementary School, and even causing a scuffle with a different breed of swans, who were later moved to Lake Eola.⁶ Billy was also known for his relative intelligence and could distinguish between people with ease — he even allowed Lord to pat him on the head.⁷ 

Lord’s wife, Alice, died on March 6, 1927, and he married her widowed sister, Marion Taylor Holt, on October 4th of the same year.⁸ In December of 1932, Lord passed away suddenly from a heart attack.⁹ Lord and both his wives were buried in Section A of Greenwood Cemetery. The Orlando community mourned his loss greatly. Known for his “generosity and philanthropy,” Lord helped improve his community throughout his time in Orlando.¹⁰ One such act of philanthropy included ensuring satisfactory hospital services for the residents of the City of Orlando.¹¹ While Charles Lord’s death saddened the Orlando community, the legacy of his swans persevered. 

When Billy the Swan passed in 1933, it was a monumental occasion. Throughout his life, Billy had become a “visual symbol” of the beauty and uniqueness of Orlando.¹² The Orlando Sentinel claimed that “no other swan in the nation was as famous as Billy.”¹³ Orlando could not forget their favorite swan, and the community had Billy stuffed and placed in a prominent location in Swan & Co.’s Dry Goods Store.¹⁴ Today, the ‘Tyrant of Lake Lucerne’ is in the collection of the Orange County Regional History Center, and his descendants continue his rule of Orlando’s lakes.  

The swans who inhabited Lake Eola after their conflict with Billy in the 1920s have grown greatly in number and variety. Lake Eola now hosts five different species of swans, such as Black Neck and Royal Mute Swans.¹⁵ One such species, the Australian Black Swans, are native to Australia and were introduced in New Zealand to replace the New Zealand Swan, which had been hunted to extinction.¹⁶ They are taken care of by swan veterinarians and fed by feeders on the shore of Lake Eola. Visitors can feed the swans lettuce, spinach, or duck pellets found throughout the park. Living swans aren’t the only attraction at Lake Eola. For many years, visitors have rented swan boats to join the swans on the scenic lake. In 2022, the iconic swan boats underwent a month-long renovation in which two boats were painted to showcase each breed of swan in the lake.¹⁷ 

Visitors can enjoy Lake Eola and its surrounding park daily. One can photograph the majestic swans and immerse themselves in the century-long history and fanfare these graceful birds have brought to the City of Orlando. Lake Eola’s swans link Charles Lord’s history of philanthropy and his legacy of creating a symbol of the City of Orlando. 

1. William Fremont Blackman, History of Orange County, Florida: Narrative and Biographical, 107, accessed August 25, 2023, https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cfm-texts/110/ 

2. James C. Clark, Orlando Florida: A Brief History (Charleston: The History Press, 2013), 48. 

3. “Billy Swan, The Lake Ruler, Dies,” Orlando Evening Star, January 27, 1933, 10.

4. “An Orlando Legend: Billy the Swan,” November 13, 2018, Orange County Regional History Center, accessed August 15, 2023, https://www.thehistorycenter.org/billy/

5. “Perrault: Blue Beard,” in Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book (London: Longmans, Green, and Company, ca. 1889), 290-295, accessed August 29, 2023, https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault03.html

6. “Legend,” Orange County Regional History Center.

7. “Legend,” Orange County Regional History Center.

8. Carey Hand Funeral Home, “Lord, Alice Mary” (1927), Carey Hand Undertaker's Memoranda 1927, 138, accessed August 25, 2023, https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cfm-ch-memoranda-1927/ 

9. Carey Hand Funeral Home, “Lord, Charles” (1932). Carey Hand Undertaker's Memoranda 1932. 598, accessed August 25, 2023, https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cfm-ch-memoranda-1932/598 

10. “Charles Lord is Dead at 77,” Sentinel Reporter-Star, December 11, 1932, 2.

11. “Dead at 77,” Sentinel Reporter-Star.

12. “Billy Swan, The Lake Ruler, Dies,” Orlando Evening Star, January 27, 1933, 10.

13. “Lucerne’s King Is Dead After Long Reign,” The Orlando Sentinel, January 27, 1933, 1.

14. “Dead Ruler of Lucerne to Live On,” Orlando Morning Sentinel, January 28, 1933, 1.

15. “The Swans of Lake Eola,” City of Orlando, accessed August 15, 2023, https://www.orlando.gov/Parks-the-Environment/Directory/Lake-Eola-Park/Swans-of-Lake-Eola

16. “Black Swan, Kakīānau, Cygnus Atratus,” New Zealand Birds, accessed August 29. 2023, https://www.nzbirds.com/birds/blackswan.html

Mark Lehman, “Orlando Swan Boats Return to Lake Eola with Changes to Boats, Dock.” WKMG, April 15, 2022, accessed August 29, 2023, https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/04/15/orlando-swan-boats-return-to-lake-eola-with-changes-to-boats-dock/