![Comte Eliot Zborowski sur Mercedes circuit des Ardennes 1902](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Comte_Eliot_Zborowski_sur_Mercedes_circuit_des_Ardennes_1902.jpg)
William Elliott Morris Zborowski (1858 – April 1, 1903) was a
racing driver. Born in
Elizabethtown, New Jersey Elizabeth Township, also called Elizabethtown, was a township that existed in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, from 1664 until 1855.
The area was initially part of the Elizabethtown Tract, purchased from the Lenape on October 28, 16 ...
, USA, he was the son of Martin Zborowski (or Zabriskie) and Emma Morris.
In 1892 he married a wealthy American
heiress, born Margaret Laura Astor Carey (1853–1911), a granddaughter of
William Backhouse Astor, Sr. of the prominent
Astor family
The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps region of Italy by way of Germany,
the Astors settled ...
. She had been Madame de Stuers before her divorce from (1841–1919). They were the parents of the racing driver
Louis Zborowski.
Early life and a change of name
Martin Zabriskie, Elliott's father, left the United States for the first time in his life in 1873, when he crossed the Atlantic to Paris with his family to be at The aristocratic world he saw in France made a deep impression and he thought back to stories passed down in the family; the first result of which was, he changed the spelling of his name to Zborowski. Martin's brother, Christopher, did not follow suit.
Following his father’s death in 1878, William Elliott returned from Europe to take possession of his inherited fortune. He also adopted his second name, and discarded William. Part of his inheritance was extensive estates near
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
and along the banks of the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
. He was indescribably rich. Around this time, when Elliott recrossed to Europe, he called himself ''Count'' Elliott Zborowski. An unattributed back-story also began of being descended from the marriage of an American girl to a Polish count. Elliott was reported to have said that he adopted the title ''Count'' on his father's death in deference to the wishes of his grandfather (Andrew Christian Zabriskie). All that can be said now about the origin of the title is that in the contents of Martin Zborowski’s will in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' there was no mention of it.
Inherited wealth brings marriage and a broader horizon
Horses were a passion for Elliott, and since his childhood he had a fine stable. He was an excellent rider and enjoyed the challenge of lengthy rides across rough country. Occasionally his daring left him injured, but it was all part of living life to the fullest. In 1885, having heard about hunting in England, he visited, was welcomed with enthusiasm, and was soon riding with the
Quorn
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products, or the company that makes them. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin.
Quorn is sold as b ...
. His title seems to have been accepted from the first. Elliott quickly learnt the rules as he hunted and soon became known as someone well to the fore when a tall fence or broad ditch needed clearing. It also became accepted that his riding employed superb hand control. Something attributed to the Count was the tradition of tying a red ribbon at the base of a horse's tail, to distinguish it as a ''kicker''.
Many kept hunting boxes in
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
, and Zborowski looked around for somewhere suitable. With a hunting box nearby one could be fully immersed in this society. His attention was drawn to Coventry Lodge, which had good stabling and was owned by Sir Fredric Johnstone, a close friend of the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. Put on the market in 1881, Johnstone must have been relieved when in 1886, the Count became its new owner. Being very close to the station it was extremely convenient for someone always restlessly on the move.
Still regularly crossing the Atlantic, Elliott did so in the Spring of 1888 for part holiday, part business. After resolving the demands of business, he played polo, and found himself in a game reported as rough and bad-tempered. His injuries kept him off a horse for the rest of the summer. Holidaying in Newport, he met Margaret de Stuers (née Margaret Laura Astor Carey), aged 35 and who was already married, but unhappily. At first the friendship was platonic, and in September, Elliott returned to Britain. The New Year of 1890 found him back in America, where he again met Margaret. From this meeting, things became more serious and the end result was a very messy divorce in 1892.
Their New England friends disapproved of their behaviour, which ultimately meant they spent even more time in Britain, where few in their hunting set were troubled by the Countess being a divorcee. They resided in
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
and he became a naturalised British citizen. Such was the popularity of the couple, the Prince of Wales often stayed at Coventry House. Their first child was born in 1893, but regrettably died soon after and was buried at
Burton Lazars
Burton Lazars is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Burton and Dalby, in the Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is south-east of Melton Mowbray, having a population of c.450 in 2015. It is the s ...
. In February 1895 a second son was born, Louis, and this time the child was more healthy. Elliott had by now altered his business life such that he would not need to return to America very much, and he rented and bought property in London for after the hunting season ended.
The midnight steeplechase
Monday 10 March 1890 was the 32nd birthday of Lady Augusta Fane, eldest daughter of
John Rous, 2nd Earl of Stradbroke, and she was dining at the Old Club in Melton Mowbray with 25 people, the men in red coats and white breeches, the hunting set. Latecomers stood around the walls. She was attractive, and all were drawn by an exciting and different evening ahead. A few days before, Augusta had chosen a novel and fun way of celebrating the event. There was to be a full moon on Monday, so she suggested a Moonlight Steeplechase, and the idea was immediately seized upon and what was needed was decided.
[David Bowles and Gillian Lane]
The Midnight Steeplechase Part 1
The Midnight Steeplechase Part 2
local-history.org.uk
At about 9.30 pm, a message came into the room that the sky had become overcast, with clouds obscuring the moon. This was a setback, but there was no thought of cancelling the event. Colonel Baldock slipped down to the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
’s
station at the bottom of the street, calling for the stationmaster on the way. Here they borrowed a horse-drawn van, and with the help of a porter, a number of the station’s lamps were loaded inside. Off they went to the course and hung a lamp at each end of every fence. A further lamp was hung high in the tree at the homeward turn.
[
Eleven riders prepared for the race, and it may have been for visibility that caused them to ride wearing nightshirts. For those who were wintering at the Bell Hotel, Colonel Wilson, Algy Burnaby of Baggrave, and Colonel Hill Trevor, and those who lived locally, this was simple, but those who lived further out had had to borrow something. One rider struggled into a pink gossamer item donated by Lady Augusta.][
It had been planned for the race to be run in secret, but this was a vain hope. The lanes all around were alive with people, carts, and carriages. A hum of excited chatter got stronger as the time approached. At 11.30, a horn was blown and the riders gathered at the start, and away they went, the riders’ nightshirts helping the spectators to pick out where they were. After the turn, the riders rode hard for the finish. Zborowski was neck and neck with Burnaby. A stumble by Zborowski’s horse let Burnaby through, and the Count finished second.][
]
After the excitement, all the riders and their friends joined Augusta at Coventry House, the Zborowski home in Melton Mowbray, for a ‘splendid supper party’. Algy Burnaby was presented with a silver mounted ivory cup donated by the Count, and although Zborowski must have half hoped he would win it himself, there were no hard feelings – it had been an exceptional night that would be remembered for decades.[
The following Sunday, the Vicar of Melton chose as his text Ephesians 5:11 ‘Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them’. It was decided not to take him to task over this, as it was thought he had made enough of a fool of himself already.][
]
A Change of direction, cars
In 1898, following a friend’s motorised visit, Elliott bought a de Dion Tricycle and learnt how to drive and maintain it. Driving became a new passion and he covered 5,000 miles in 4 months.
His wife Margaret, thought he should have a real car and not just a single-seater tricycle and Elliott agreed. Most cars and all innovation seemed to be coming from Germany, so that was where he looked. Daimler’s were at Canstatt, where the Zborowskis visited the works, choosing a Phoenix model. This was delivered to them at their London home, in January 1900. The Count immediately decided that he would drive to Coventry House, which he did, garaging his vehicle in an empty stable.
A few weeks later there was a dinner-party at his house in which all the men had something in common: they owned a motor car. After dinner, the Count surprised the party when he announced that all his horses were to go as he had lost interest in them.
He was an all round sportsman but particularly liked Mercedes racing cars.
Elliott Zborowski was killed when his car crashed during the La Turbie
La Turbie (; oc, A Torbia; in Italian "Turbia" from ''tropea'', Latin for trophy) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
History
La Turbie was famous in Roman times for the large monument, the Trophy of Augus ...
hill climb
Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...
in 1903; his riding mechanic, the Marquis of Pollange, was thrown clear and survived. His son Louis Zborowski was also killed at the Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
in 1924.
References
Book: Chit-Chat; Lady Augusta Fane, 1926
Book: The Zborowski Inheritance; David Paine, 2008.[Book: The Zborowski Inheritance; David Paine, 2008. ]
External links
* http://www.historicracing.com/drivers.cfm?driverID=3156&AlphaIndex=Z
Eyewitness account of the fatal crash at La Turbie
(''Sport und Salon'', 11 April 1903, in German)
* David Paine's "The Zborowski Inheritance"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zborowski, Eliot
1858 births
1903 deaths
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey
American emigrants to England
Racing drivers from New Jersey
British racing drivers
Sport deaths in France