ornamental hermit

== English == === Etymology === From ornamental +‎ hermit === Noun === ornamental hermit (plural ornamental hermits) A person hired to live in a specially built, rustic hermitage on an estate; hired in the 18th and early 19th centuries by wealthy landowners with strict conditions often requiring them to live in solitude, not groom themselves, and dress in a wild, often druidic, fashion; regularly cared for, consulted for advice, or viewed for entertainment. Synonym: garden hermit === Further reading === "What is an Ornamental Hermit?" Guild of Ornamental Hermits. (Archived with Wayback Machine.) 2023. Parks, Shoshi. "Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England’s Must-Have Garden Accessory". Smithsonian Magazine.