''For other articles titled George Payne, see

George Payne (disambiguation) George Payne may refer to: *George David Payne (1853–1916), Australian architect *George Payne (Freemason) (1685–1757) *George Payne (racehorse owner) (1804–1878), English breeder of thoroughbred horses *George Payne (baseball) (1889–1959), ...

.'' George Payne (3 April 1803 Sulby – 2 September 1878

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

), was an English breeder of thoroughbred horses, an inveterate gambler, a patron of the

Turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

and a Master of the Hunt.

Biography

Payne was orphaned while still a young boy when his father was shot dead in a duel. Being the eldest son he inherited Sulby Hall. Sulby Hall was located southwest of

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the admi ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, was constructed in 1792 for his grandfather, Rene Payne, a partner in the banking firm of ''Smith, Payne and Lepper'', and was designed by

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professo ...

. It was bought by the Hon. Frederick William Child Villiers, son of

George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, GCH, PC (19 August 1773 – 3 October 1859), previously George Villiers and styled Viscount Villiers until 1805, was a British courtier and Conservative politician from the Villiers family. He added ...

, in 1849, having been hired between 1847 & 1849 by the Duke of Montrose, and was demolished in 1949. In addition to Sulby Hall, Payne was left £300 000 in cash and securities and was appointed

Sheriff of Northamptonshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the respon ...

for 1826. Being rendered financially independent, he pursued a life of gambling on horses and at the card-table. A year before coming of age he wagered and lost £33 000 by

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

's 1824 victory in the

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

. He failed to win £60 000 when

Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

beat Savernake by a short head in the 1866

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, and lost a further £40 000 when Cremorne beat Pell Mell by a head in 1872. His own horses brought him no greater luck. His training of horses at Sulby Hall continued without interruption from the age of twenty until his death. Here he bred Pauline, the dam of Gladiator, an exceptional sire of the nineteenth century. A notable win was that of Clementina in the 1847

1000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...

, a filly he had acquired against his better judgement. He inherited

Musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

from Lord Glasgow, and always ran him in Lord Glasgow's colours. Payne shared the horses left him by Lord Glasgow with his lifelong friend and companion, Colonel Peel and jointly they bred the 1878 Derby winner Sefton. This was to be Payne's last winner before his death, netting him £20 000. Payne was missed for his amiable disposition, his colourful personality and his sparkling wit. Racing historian ''"Thormanby"'', the actor William Willmott Dixon, remembered him as "a true English gentleman, large-hearted, high-spirited, the pink of chivalry and the soul of honour – a man of a most lovable nature". George Payne15

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, George 1804 births 1878 deaths British racehorse owners and breeders High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire