Darbishire was born in London, the son of Colonel C. H. Darbishire of Plas Mawr, Penmaenmawr in North Wales.
After his retirement, Picton built Caerlyr Hall at Penmaenmawr, North Wales in about 1896 (the name Caerlyr means City of Leicester in Welsh).
It contains the major settlements of Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Llanrwst, Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, Colwyn Bay, Abergele, Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan, and has a total population of 115,000, the vast majority of which lives along the coast.
This area of woodland is said to contain many different spirits including fairies, hence its name, which dates from the Victorian era and is a common name from that period (e.g. the "Fairy Glen" in Penmaenmawr).
For the next fourteen years little work was done in the cotton sector, A. Henthorn Stott who had built a house, Plas Dolydd on the Pensychnant Estate showed and interest in convervation issues such as quarrying at Penmaenmawr and the preservation of Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge.
The school is the predominant Welsh language school in the area, and it serves pupils from a wide area including Abergele, Colwyn Bay, Betws yn Rhos, Conwy, Llandudno, Llanfairfechan, Llansannan, Penmaenmawr and Eglwysbach.