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

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1849. On his father's death he inherited Wistow Hall 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 upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Leicester. The county coun ...

, 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 of America (NRA) collaborated in ...

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 ...

, 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, 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