Thomas Assheton Smith (1776–1858)
Thomas Assheton Smith | |
---|---|
Thomas Assheton Smith I Sir John Pollen, 2nd Baronet | |
Succeeded by | Henry Arthur Wallop Fellowes Ralph Etwall |
Personal details | |
Born | Vaynol Park , Bangor | 2 August 1776
Spouse |
Matilda Webber
(m. 1827) |
Parent(s) | Thomas Assheton Smith I Elizabeth Wynn |
Residence | Tedworth House |
Education | Eton College |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Thomas Assheton Smith (the younger) (2 August 1776 – 9 September 1858) was an English landowner and all-round sportsman who was notable for being one of the outstanding amateur
Early life
Smith was born in Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square,
Smith was educated at Eton between 1783 and 1794, eventually playing for the school's cricket team. He went on to Christ Church, Oxford where he joined the Bullingdon Club and was a prominent member of its team in 1796.[2]
Career
Smith was elected Member of Parliament representing Andover in 1821 and held the seat until 1831; at the 1832 general election he was elected MP for Caernarvonshire and held the seat until 1837.[2] He was High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1838.[3]
Cricket career
Smith was a hard hitting right-handed batsman and made 45 known appearances in
Smith played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural and second Gentlemen v Players matches in 1806.[4][5]
According to Scores & Biographies (S&B), Smith "being a good hard hitter was pretty successful". He was also, says S&B, a "crack" shot and a "mighty hunter" who acquired the name of the "British Nimrod". In the contemporary scorecards, he is generally shown as "T A Smith, Esq." whereas his father was usually recorded as "A Smith, Esq."
Foxhunting
From 1806 to 1816, Smith was Master of the Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire, then from 1816 to 1824 of the Burton hounds in Lincolnshire. He established his pack at Penton, near Andover, Hampshire, in 1826. In 1834 he bought many of Sir Thomas Burghley's hounds and in 1842 the whole pack of the Duke of Grafton. He hunted his hounds four days a week and sometimes had two packs out on the same day. In 1830, after the death of his father, he moved his stable and kennels to Tedworth House, also in Hampshire.[6]
Yachting
Assheton Smith spent summers at his
Personal life
On 29 October 1827, Smith married Matilda Webber (d. 1859) of Berkshire. They had no children. During his ownership of the Tedworth estate, the house was rebuilt in ornate classical style.[9][10]
Smith died at
References
- ^ a b Eardley-Wilmot, Sir John E (1893) [1859]. A Famous Fox Hunter. Reminiscences of the late Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq., or The Pursuits of an English Country Gentleman (5th and cheaper ed.). London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. p. 4. Retrieved 1 June 2020 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c "ASSHETON SMITH, Thomas II (1776-1858), of Faenol, Caern. and Tidworth, Hants". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "No. 19586". The London Gazette. 1 February 1838. p. 232.
- ^ CricketArchive – scorecard of inaugural Gentlemen v Players match
- ^ CricketArchive – scorecard of second Gentlemen v Players match
- ^ William Charles Arlington Blew, The Quorn hunt and its masters (London: John C. Nimmo, 1899)
- ^ Boase, George (1885). Wikisource. . Vol. 53. Smith, Elder & Co – via
- S2CID 220330699.
- ^ Page, William, ed. (1911). "Victoria County History: Hampshire: Vol 4 pp391-394 – Parishes: Tidworth, South". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Historic England. "South Tidworth House (1339397)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
Bibliography
- Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826), Lillywhite, 1862.
- Eardley-Wilmot, Sir John E (1893) [1859]. A Famous Fox Hunter. Reminiscences of the late Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq., or The Pursuits of an English Country Gentleman (5th and cheaper ed.). London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Retrieved 1 June 2020 – via Internet Archive.