Sir George Bullough, 1st Baronet (28 February 1870 – 26 July 1939) was a late Victorian playboy and was an owner and breeder of

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

Biography

Early life

Born in

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

, Lancashire, George Bullough was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

. In 1891, the 21-year-old George Bullough and half-brother Ian each inherited a half interest in

Howard & Bullough Howard & Bullough was a firm of textile machine manufacturers in Accrington, Lancashire. The company was the world's major manufacturer of power looms in the 1860s. History The firm of Howard and Bleakley was founded in 1851 with four workers ...

, their father's successful textile machinery manufacturing company. George also inherited the island of

Rùm Rùm (), a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum (), is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir ...

, the family's sporting estate in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...

where he had

Kinloch Castle Kinloch Castle ( gd, Caisteal Cheann Locha) is an Edwardian mansion located on Kinloch, on the island of Rùm, one of the Small Isles off the west coast of Scotland. It was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough, a textile tycoon ...

built between 1898 and 1901. In 1903, George Bullough married Monique Lilly de la Pasture whose family had an estate at

Montreuil-sur-Mer Montreuil (; also nl, Monsterole), also known as Montreuil-sur-Mer (; pcd, Montreu-su-Mér or , literally ''Montreuil on Sea''), is a sub-prefecture in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It is located on the Canche river, not far fro ...

in northern France. Known as Lady Monica, she obtained a divorce in order to marry Bullough. She was the eldest daughter of the 4th Marquis de la Pasture whose aristocrat ancestors had fled the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and Leontine Standish (1843–1869), daughter of Lord Charles Strickland Standish (1790–1863). They had one daughter, Hermione (born 5 November 1906 - died 27 October 1990), who married

John Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham John Frederick Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham (7 October 1884 – 4 February 1970), briefly styled Viscount Lambton between 1928 and 1929, was a British peer. Through his sister Lilian, he was an uncle of future Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home, Sir A ...

. Other than the income it provided, George Bullough had little interest in the family business. With his wealth, he chose to pursue an interest in

yachting Yachting is the use of recreational boats and ships called ''yachts'' for racing or cruising. Yachts are distinguished from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. "Yacht" derives from the Dutch word '' jacht'' ("hunt"). With sailboats, t ...

and

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

as well as hunting, serving as Master of the Ledbury Foxhounds from 1908 through 1921. He acquired an ocean-going

steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tra ...

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, ''Rhouma'', in which he travelled extensively. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, Bullough converted his yacht to a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...

and sailed it to South Africa for service. he Graphic 8 December 1900 p864 has picturesAs a result of his support of the war effort, in December 1901 he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. He also donated the

Bullough Cup The Bullough Cup is a knock-out competition in the sport of shinty. It is played for by reserve-level teams from the South District of Shinty, which includes all of Scotland South of Ballachulish as well as England. All teams playing in South Di ...

for competition in

shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...

in Argyll and Lorn; this trophy is still played for toda

In 1909, Sir George Bullough purchased the Down House,

Redmarley Redmarley D'Abitot is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in the Forest of Dean (district), Forest of Dean non-metropolitan district, district, Gloucestershire, South West England. In addition to the village of Redmarley, the c ...

, where he moved his stud, breeding horses which became well known, such as Ethnarch, Grand Vitesse, Valois and Ellanvale. In 1913, he purchased a 1902 steel yacht, which he also named ''Rhouma''; it was hired by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

for use as an auxiliary patrol yacht during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She was later used as a Royal Patrol Yacht during World War II. Bullough served as a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer with the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

from 1908 to 1911 and because of his horsemanship, during World War I he was appointed a superintendent with the Remount Department with the rank of major. For his services to his country, George Bullough was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

"of the island of Rùm and of Down House in the parish of Redmarley in the

County of Worcester Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

" on 21 January 1916.

Thoroughbred horse racing

An avid sportsman, Sir George Bullough had a lifelong interest in horses. Interested in

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racing, he eventually became a member of the National Hunt Committee and a member of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

. He developed a significant racing stable that had its first major success in

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

with Ballymacad which won the 1917 War National, ran at Gatwick racecourse in place of the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

. Investing in

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Thoroughbreds, his Irish-bred colt Golden Myth won several important English races including the 1922

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

and

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

. When Golden Myth retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

, Bullough teamed up with prominent trainer John L. Jarvis to establish Longholes Stud near Newmarket. In 1934, they won an

English Classic The English Classic was a professional golf tournament which was played annually from 1979 to 1983. It was a fixture on the European Tour schedule, and hosted at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England. Two of the five winners were major ch ...

when

Campanula ''Campanula'' () is one of several genera of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae commonly known as bellflowers. They take both their common and scientific names from the bell-shaped flowers — ''campanula'' is Latin for "little bell" ...

captured the

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

Death

Sir George Bullough died in 1939 while playing golf in France. He was buried alongside his father John Bullough in the family

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

at Harris on the west coast of

References

External links