John Eden Savill (c. 1847 – 1920), generally known as J. E. Savill or J. Eden Savill, was an Englishman who had a short but successful career in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
as a racehorse owner and trainer, culminating in his horse winning the 1882
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melb ...
.
History
Savill was born in the parish of Tinwell, Rutland, the only son of George Savill of Ingthorpe House.
He arrived in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
sometime before 1871, when he was, as "Cerberus", drawing political cartoons for ''
The Portonian
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'', a weekly satirical newspaper, and was also exhibiting his artwork. He married and had a home at a property at Campbelltown.
He was a member of the Adelaide Racing Club and acted as starter in 1874. He joined the rival
South Australian Jockey Club
South Australian Jockey Club is the principal race club in South Australia.
First racing events
The first horse racing events in South Australia took place at a well-attended picnic meeting held over 1 and 2 January 1838. In August 1838, ridin ...
after its re-formation in 1875. His horse The Buck raced in the Selling Hurdles of New Years Day 1877
With no other qualifications apart from long experience with horses he set himself up as a trainer of thoroughbreds, with considerable success:
Wild Irishman, a brown gelding jumper he purchased from Hutchinson, performed credibly without placing and was sold to H. E. Downer.
He trained A. R. Malcom's jumper Unknown, grey gelding Sheet Anchor for J. L. Stirling and flat-racer Nelly for George Church.
Around 1878 he took over Gabriel Bennett's lease of
Charles Brown Fisher
Charles Brown Fisher (25 September 1817 – 6 May 1908), generally referred to as C. B. Fisher, was an Australian pioneer pastoralist and livestock breeder.
History
Born in London, he was the eldest son of (later Sir) James Hurtle Fisher and h ...
's (1818-1908) Lockleys training stable, just off the
Henley Beach Road
Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map of the
William Pile's stable, but lost that valuable business early in 1880 after the Newmarket incident and Savill's legal tussle with the S.A.J.C. committee, (see below) of which Pile was a member. In May 1881 Pile sold up and Savill purchased his The Assyrian (previously Rothschild). He also trained horses for W. B. Rounsevell, M. C. Jacobs, C. Leslie Macdonald, J. Crozier and Tom Barnfield.
Among his successes were:
:Device, won the 1878 S.A.J.C. St. Leger Stakes ridden by McMahon; and the S.A.J.C. Accession Winter Handicap followed by the Queen's Guineas (both wins with Tom Hales in the saddle), and subsequently sold to Seth Ferry.
:St. Barb won the 1880 A.R.C. New Years Gift and the Newmarket Handicap at Morphettville (held over from Christmas due to bad weather)
:The Wandering Jew in 1879 won the SAJC Flying Handicap and Spring Handicap, and later sold to W. A. Long of Sydney
:Pawnbroker won the 1879 Newmarket Guineas and S.A.J.C. Spring Derby
:Banter won the Adelaide Cup of 1879 and the (Queen's) Birthday Cup of 1880
:First Water won the 1880 Adelaide Cup
:Sir Charles won the Flying Handicap at the 1880 Christmas meeting
:The Israelite won the 1881 South Australian Stakes
:Henrietta, her daughter, won the 1881 A.R.C. Trial Handicap
:Footstep won the 1882 A.R.C. City Handicap
:The Assyrian was bought by Savill from William Pile in May 1881 for £236. Two months later, with 8 st. 6 lb. and 9 st. 1 lb., he won the principal handicaps at the A.R.C. Winter Meeting. He was entered for the 1882 Melbourne Cup with little chance of success, but last-minute rain turned the track to a quagmire, which suited the heavyweight horse admirably and he came home a winner.
In all, Savill won 111 races, with total prizemoney £12,252 10s., not to mention whatever he made on wagers, and "it seldom occurred that a Lockleys horse surprised his trainer by winning".
Return to England
Shortly after his 1882 triumph with The Assyrian, Savill and family left for England, and lived in St Martin's,
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed ...
. The eldest daughter married the son of a war hero; the youngest married an Earl.
He was involved in thoroughbred racing in England, and had a horse named Ringmaster who won some good races.
In May 1909 he was committed for trial at the Meath Assizes charged with feloniously shooting at one Charles Fortescue Uniacke at
Dunboyne
Dunboyne () is a town in Meath, Ireland. It is a commuter town for Dublin. In the 20 years between the 1996 and 2016 censuses, the population of Dunboyne more than doubled from 3,080 to 7,272 inhabitants.
Location
Dunboyne is centred on the ...
, near Dublin on 19 May 1909. He had been summoned to Uniacke's house "The Villa" by his wife, promising that she would be alone. (This was not a romantic tryst: Savile had apparently written to her father and cousin letters containing some accusation.) He entered the drawing room and her husband appeared. A scuffle ensued between them and Savile drew his revolver, which went off harmlessly, though whether deliberate or accidental is unknown.
His death in 1920 went unremarked in the Australian press. Others who sailed to the Colonies, made a fortune and promptly returned to England with their new-found wealth, met a similar fate.
Personality
Savill was a handsome and immaculately groomed man who dressed well, and was seldom seen out-of-doors without kid gloves.
He had the unfortunate habit of speaking his mind in a most candid and impartial fashion, which brought him into collision with many associates,
:He had harsh words with John Crozier, who was acting as steward at a "Newmarket" race meeting conducted privately by Simeon Barnard at Morphettville on 27 December 1879. Savill apologized, but Crozier made an official complaint to the SAJC. In a series of events strongly reminiscent of the 1889 Seth Ferry —
Tattersalls
Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Founding
It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...
confrontation, the club committee convened a special meeting at which Savill was not present, and imposed on him a twelve months' ban from the course. Savill engaged prominent lawyers J. W. Downer Q.C. and C. Mann Q.C. to sue certain committee members ( R. C. Baker MLC, E. M. Bagot and others), but not including Rounsevell and some others. He won the case, with costs, which would have been substantial, and continued racing at Morphettville.
but was popular with the public, who appreciated his honest and straightforward dealings as an owner and trainer.
Other interests
He joined the Adelaide Coursing Club and in 1875, 1876 served as secretary. The club held its meetings at Corryton Park, the property of W. B. Rounsevell at Morphettville.
He was a poultry fancier, exhibited at the Adelaide Show, and later served as judge.
Family
John Eden Savill (c. 1847–1920) married Isabella Sarah Charlotte Macdonald (23 October 1854 – ) on 4 September 1872. She was a sister of C. Leslie Macdonald. Three daughters were:
*Vivienne Jane Savill (4 September 1873 – ) born in Lochen (Lochend?), Campbelltown, married Lucien J. Jerome on 12 September 1899. Jerome was British Consul to Mexico and the only son of
Henry Edward Jerome
Major General Henry Edward Jerome (28 February 1830 – 25 February 1901) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth fo ...
VC. (1830–1901)
*Wassie Houssa Savill (21 November 1874 – ) born in Lochen (Lochend?), Cambelltown
*Maude Maitland Savill (1875–1956) married
Ronald Dalzell, 12th Earl of Carnwath
Ronald Arthur Dalzell, 12th Earl of Carnwath, (3 June 1883 – 15 July 1931), was the second but only surviving son of Robert Dalzell, 11th Earl of Carnwath.
With the death of his elder brother in 1904, he became heir to his father's Earldom, and ...
(1883–1931) on 23 July 1910. The National Portrait Gallery has several photographic portraits of the Countess.http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp66932/maud-maitland-ne-savile-countess-of-carnwath They need info
Their home in 1910 was 31 Clanricarde Gardens, London.