Sir Humphrey Edmund de Trafford, 4th Baronet (30 November 1891 – 6 October 1971) was a prominent English racehorse owner, and the grandfather of Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles. He was the son of

Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet Sir Humphrey Francis de Trafford (3 July 1862 – 10 January 1929) was an English landowner and racehorse breeder. He was the son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet and Lady Annette Mary Talbot. On the death of his father on 4 May 1886, Hu ...

, and Violet Alice Maud Franklin.

Early life

Trafford was educated at

The Oratory School The Oratory School () is an HMC Co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Roman Catholic day and boarding school for pupils aged 11–18 located in Woodcote, north-west of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. Founded in 1859 by S ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

. After training he was commissioned into the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

as an officer. He fought with distinction in 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 ...

and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

in 1917.

Personal life

He married the Hon. Cynthia Hilda Evelyn Cadogan, daughter of

Henry Arthur Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea Henry Arthur Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, (born Henry Arthur Cadogan; 13 June 1868 – 2 July 1908) was a British Army officer, civil servant and politician. This Viscount Chelsea (the title is a courtesy title) was a Conservative Member of the Ho ...

and the Hon. Mildred Cecilia Harriet Sturt, on 2 October 1917. They had four daughters: *

Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

(14 July 1918 – 1987), who married Derek Henry Parker Bowles. * Mary (23 February 1920 – 28 October 2007), who married Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon * Violet (born 17 June 1926), who married

Sir Max Aitken, 2nd Baronet Sir John William Maxwell Aitken, 2nd Baronet, (15 February 1910 – 30 April 1985), briefly 2nd Baron Beaverbrook in 1964, was a Canadian-British fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War, a Conservative politician, and press baron. ...

* Catherine (5 November 1928 – 21 January 2023), who married

Fulke Walwyn Fulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn CVO (8 November 1910 – 18 February 1991) was a British jockey and a celebrated racehorse trainer, who was particularly successful in National Hunt racing. Life Walwyn was born in Wrexham. His twin sister, Helen Jo ...

Racehorse ownership

Trafford was an amateur rider and racehorse owner and a member of the Jockey Club and its National Hunt Committee. In 1926, he purchased the Newsells Park Estate,

Barkway Barkway is a long-established village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about five miles south-east of Royston, 35 miles from London and 15 miles from the centre of Cambridge. The Prime Meridian pa ...

near

Royston, Hertfordshire Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the town's eastern boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the count ...

as a home for his family and established a stud farm there, from which he bred most of his famous racehorses including Alcide who won the 1958

St. Leger Stakes 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 ...

and the 1959

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

and

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

, who won the 1959 Epsom Derby. Other notable horses included Papillio who won the 1953 Goodwood Stakes and Approval who won the Observer Gold Cup at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

in 1969 and the

Dante Stakes The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in 1970. Trafford also served as Steward of The Jockey Club from 1934 to 1937 and then again in 1944 and 1951.Newsells Park
The Times, 8 October 1971

Baronet

On the death of his father, on 10 January 1929, Trafford became the fourth

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 14t ...

. In 1940, he was one of four godparents at the christening of his grandson Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, Ann's son. Trafford served as a justice of the peace and a deputy lieutenant of Hertfordshire and in 1945 as

High Sheriff of Hertfordshire The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the foundation of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisio ...

. Sir Humphrey Edmund de Trafford died on 6 October 1971 at the age of 79.

References

Notes

Bibliography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trafford, Humphrey, 4th Baronet 1891 births 1971 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Epsom Derby winners High Sheriffs of Hertfordshire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Recipients of the Military Cross Coldstream Guards officers British Army personnel of World War I Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire English justices of the peace English Roman Catholics People educated at Stubbington House School H

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of P ...

People from Barkway