Sir Henry St John Halford, 3rd Baronet (9 August 1828 – 4 January 1897) was an English landowner and expert rifleman.

Life

He was born the son of

Sir Henry Halford, 2nd Baronet Sir Henry Halford, 2nd Baronet (1797 – 22 May 1868) was an English Tory and later Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1857. Halford was the son of Sir Henry Halford, 1st Baronet and his wife Hon. Elizabeth Barbar ...

, MP for Leicestershire South, whom he succeeded in 1868. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1849. On his father's death he inherited

Wistow Hall Wistow Hall is a 17th-century country house in Wistow, Leicestershire, England which has been converted into an apartment building. It is Grade II* listed. The Hall was built to an H-plan of rendered brick with a Swithland slate hipped roof. I ...

in Leicestershire, where he thereafter lived. In 1860 he took command of a company of the Leicestershire volunteers, becoming colonel of the battalion in 1862. He held the office, with a 10-year break, until 1891, when he was made honorary colonel. In 1886, he was awarded C.B. He was picked

High Sheriff of Leicestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Leicestershire, United Kingdom. The 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 ...

for 1872, and in 1889 was appointed the first Chairman of

Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire County Council is the county council for the English non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888. The county is divided into 52 electoral divisions, which return a to ...

, a post he held until 1893. Halford's main interest was rifle shooting and the development of rifle technology. In its obituary, The Times of London dubbed Halford “the father of rifle-shooting”, noting: He was an excellent shot and won several tournaments. In 1877 and 1882 he was captain of a team of eight who shot against an American team at

Creedmoor Rifle Range Creedmoor Rifle Range was sited on Long Island in what is now Queens Village, Queens, New York. History The range was established after the New York Legislature and the newly formed National Rifle Association (NRA) combined in 1872 to acquire 7 ...

in New York. Halford also took part in the Creedmoor match in 1883. He was for many years Chairman of the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

. He was also a member of the government Small Arms Committee which recommended the adoption in the Army of the Lee-Metford rifle. Sir Henry had worked closely with engineer

William Ellis Metford William Ellis Metford (4 October 1824 – 14 October 1899) was a British engineer best known for designing the Metford rifling used in the .303 calibre Lee–Metford and Martini–Metford service rifles in the late 19th century. Life He was b ...

, inventor of the rifle, establishing a workshop and firing range at Wistow Hall to help with the experimental work. Another collaborator on the project was his friend

Thomas Fremantle, 3rd Baron Cottesloe Thomas Francis Fremantle, 3rd Baron Cottesloe, 4th Baron Fremantle (5 February 1862 – 9 July 1956) was a British peer and sportsman who competed in the shooting event at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Biography Early life Thomas Francis Fremantl ...

, who was also an expert shot. The team made significant improvements in rifling and bullet design.

Family

Halford married Elizabeth Ursula, daughter of William John Bagshawe but had no children. The baronetcy thereby passed briefly to his brother John Frederick, who died later the same year. Sir Henry left Wistow Hall in his will to Baron Cottesloe, whose descendants still own the property.

Life

Family

References

Further reading